Excellent Exercises and Tips to Lose Love Handles Quickly

Do you hate your love handles?!!!

As the name suggests, it is not so lovely to have those bulgy love handles.  Actually, they just spoil your beauty.  Excess fat deposition on the side of the abdominal area or waistline is called love handles.  These love handles extend outwards the hip and give ugly appearance. 

Fat can usually accumulate in any part of the body, but retention of fat in the hip, abdominal area, lower back, and above the hip is mainly due to hormonal changes.  Another reason can be increased cortisol levels in blood due to stress.  Exercise, eating healthy and eliminating stress can surely get rid of these love handles.

4 Simple Exercises to Get Rid Of Love Handles

Side Plank Hip Lifts

One of the most common and efficient workout for love handles are side plank hip lifts.  This movement targets mainly on both external and internal obliques.  This does not only shape your core muscles but also strengthens it.

Lie on your left side, with your right leg stacked on top of the left leg.  Rest your left elbow and forearm on the floor for support.  Lift your hip such that your body position forms a straight line form like a plank.  Again lower your hip down slowly.  For the beginners repeat this hip lift 10 times on the left side and then switch on to the right side.  Perform equal reps on both sides.

Bicycle Crunches

This is the best ab exercise when one performs perfectly.  If focus mainly on the rectus abdominis and obliques.  It will strengthen the abdominal muscles (six packs!!!). 

Lie flat on the floor with hands behind your head or neck for support.  Do not exert pressure on your neck.  Bring your knees towards the chest and lift your shoulders from the floor.  Straighten your left leg to about 45 degrees off the ground and touch the right knee with your left elbow.  Same way straighten your right leg and touch the left knee with your right elbow.  Repeat this movement alternatively with 3 sets of 20 reps.  Do not rush, go slowly and focus on the moves.

Forearm Planks

This is a very old move although very effective one for those who wants to destroy their love handles fat.  It is a core strengthening exercise.  The position is very similar to push-up.  Instead of supporting your body with palms, here use your forearms as support.  Lift your hip in such a way that the body lies flat and straight when seen from head to toe.  For beginners, try to hold in this position for 20-30 seconds and then increase gradually.

Hanging Leg Raise

Hanging leg raise mainly targets on your lower abs.  This is similar to pull-ups.  It is an exercise where you can pull up your body against a fixed horizontal bar above the head.  Here you are not supposed to hang your legs in air and do not swing.  You should lift your legs, keep them straight to the level of the hip forming 90-degree angle.  In other words, your body should be in “L” shaped position.

Weight Lifting

Lifting weight also help you to lose your love handles.

Things to be Followed to Achieve the Desired Goals

Apart from exercising, there are also factors, which should be followed to achieve the goals.

Add healthy fats and increase fiber content in your diet.  Increase your protein intake.  Eat whole foods.

Staying hydrated always works.

Limit alcohol intake.

Decrease your stress level by getting adequate amount of sleep, meditation and yoga.  Remember!!! increase in cortisol levels in blood is responsible for accumulation of fat throughout the body.

Avoid sedentary lifestyles.  Even if you are on a desk job, make sure to take a break often and move around every now and then.

Take your 8-hour beauty sleep.

Always try to focus on whole body exercises rather than focusing on any specific part of your body.