Does the Rowing Machine Burn Belly Fat?

As we age, we tend to move less, lose muscle, gain fat, and at some point we realize that we have belly fat. Unlike other types of fat around the legs, thighs or arms, belly fat is something you really need to take seriously because it can have serious consequences for your health! It is important to know if you are storing dangerous belly fat, what causes it and how you can avoid it. Does the rowing machine reduce belly fat? How should I exercise to burn fat on stomach? What is the best exercise to tone muscles?

I will share with you some tips to help you reduce belly fat using a rowing machine and give you 2 workout plans to burn belly fat!

1. Belly Fat, Stomach Fat or Visceral Fat: what exactly is it?

Belly fat is not just a cosmetic concern but a real health problem since it has an impact on your body and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important to distinguish between two types of belly fat:

• Subcutaneous fat, which is stored just under your skin and can be felt by pinching your skin on your stomach or thighs.

• Visceral fat, also known as deep fat, is a buildup of fat, also called adipose tissue, much deeper under the skin, around your organs in the abdominal area, including the liver, pancreas, kidneys and intestines. Visceral fat can't be pinched, it's pretty firm.

It is visceral fat that is dangerous and associated with various health problems.

What are the risks associated with visceral fat?

Visceral fat is dangerous because it alters hormonal functions such as mood, appetite and weight regulation. It can also increase your "bad cholesterol" and blood pressure. Finally, it makes your body less sensitive to insulin, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Visceral fat increases the risk of health problems and diseases such as

• type 2 diabetes
• obesity
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• breast cancer
• colorectal cancer
• depression
• Alzheimer's disease

How to know if you have visceral fat?

Many people don't know if they have visceral fat or not. If you have a protruding belly or a large waist, it's a clear sign that you're probably storing visceral fat. If you want to be 100% sure, you can get an MRI, but this is a fairly expensive method. A simple and reliable way to find out if you have visceral fat is to measure your waistline:

How to measure your waist circumference?

Take a tape measure and measure around your waist. Place the tape above your belly button and below your rib cage and measure your waistline without pulling on your stomach. The value should be less than

- 35 inches (88 cm) for women

- 40 inches (102 cm) for men

If your waist circumference is greater than these values, there is a good chance that you are storing visceral fat.

Visceral fat is a problem that you need to take seriously and start fighting now. It is important to understand the causes of visceral fat in order to effectively get rid of it and prevent it.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Generally speaking, fat is good for our bodies. We even need it to survive because fat is a source of energy that our bodies use for vital functions. However, too much fat can be harmful to our bodies and increase the risk of various health problems and diseases. It's all about balance!

2. What Causes Visceral Fat?

Weight gain and excess fat is mainly due to a positive energy balance (or caloric balance), that is when energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. However, visceral fat is different from other kinds of fat and also has very specific factors like stress, hormones and genes. Here are the factors that cause abdominal visceral fat:

• A diet too high in fats and sugars. The fat absorbed is too big to be burned off and is stored in the fat cells. The more fat a person has, the more visceral fat they will have.

• Sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity. The WHO recommends at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity or 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity per week. This is the minimum required! When you exercise and play sports, your body burns calories and fat. On the contrary, when you have an insufficient level of physical activity, your body tends to accumulate fat.

• Stress seems to have a significant impact on visceral fat. Researchers have found that the hormone released by stress, cortisol, is responsible for increased levels of visceral fat.

• Drinking large amounts of alcohol can promote the accumulation of deep fat.

• Hormones, especially fluctuating hormone levels, play a role in fat cell storage. Estrogen and progesterone (female sex hormones) promote fat storage. Certain periods of life, such as menopause, characterized by hormonal changes, are associated with changes in body fat distribution. Studies have shown that abdominal fat, especially visceral fat, is more pronounced in post-menopausal women.

• Genetics: Researchers have observed variations in the rate of abdominal visceral fat in the population and have tried to determine the extent to which visceral fat is related to genetic components.

When you consume more calories than your body needs and don't exercise enough to burn off those extra calories, your body accumulates fat. If you are also stressed, then the accumulated fat will probably turn into visceral fat.

To get rid of belly fat, you basically need to change your diet and increase your level of physical activity!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Recent studies tend to show that smoking may have an impact on the accumulation of belly fat. The link between smoking and increased visceral fat is still being studied, but it may be related to the effects of nicotine, which promotes the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

3. Does the Rowing Machine help reduce Belly Fat?

Exercise and sport are absolutely essential for burning calories and fat, as well as building muscle. They are an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and should be part of any diet, as sport and exercise are one of the two, if not the most important, variables in the energy balance (caloric expenditure) equation. Using a rowing machine is very effective at burning calories (400-750 kcal per hour) and fat since you can alternate between cardio (aerobic zone) and HIIT (anaerobic zone) workouts and thus burn belly fat faster.

In addition, exercising on a rowing machine has great benefits on your body, like helping you tone your arms, legs, thighs, buttocks and abs, and also has amazing effects on your brain like reducing stress, which is one of the factors causing belly fat.

The good news is that belly fat is the easiest to burn, unlike subcutaneous fat which is harder to get rid of. Rowing is a very effective way to reduce belly fat. However, you must exercise regularly to reap these benefits. You must also combine regular exercise with a healthy, balanced diet to prevent belly fat. If you do this, you will lose weight and burn belly fat!

Rowing machine or Exercise bike for burning belly fat: Which is the most efficient? Both fitness machines offer a cardio workout and allow you to exercise in the aerobic zone (70-80% of your maximum heart rate), where you burn stored fat as fuel, and are therefore very effective for losing belly fat. However, it is easier to do interval training (HIIT) by varying the resistance level on the stationary bike than it is on the rowing machine. But you can perfectly do a HIIT by varying your speed on the rowing machine, which is also very efficient. Both fitness machines ultimately offer a good workout if your goal is to lose belly fat.

A healthy lifestyle of regular exercise combined with a balanced diet is the best prevention against belly fat!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Unfortunately, you can't target the fat you want to reduce and doing crunches and sit-ups won't eliminate belly fat. Abs and crunches may just strengthen your abs, which is a good thing anyway. When you exercise, your body burns calories and fat everywhere, not in one specific area. The rowing machine definitely offers great benefits and is a great way to get rid of fat because it provides a full, challenging cardio workout and works your abdominal and stomach muscles, your arms, legs and thighs.

4. What exercise should I do on the rowing machine to get rid of belly fat?

The right combination of cardio and HIIT training seems to be the most effective way to reduce belly fat. Here are 2 workout plans you can follow: The first one to lose 0.5 kg in a month and the second more advanced one that will help you lose 1 kg in a month. You can start with the first one for 4 to 6 weeks, then move on to the second one.

WORKOUT PLAN #1

- Cardio workout on Tuesday (30 min)

- HIIT workout on Thursday (25 min)

- Cardio workout on Sunday (45 min)

WORKOUT PLAN #2

- Cardio workout on Monday (30-45 min)

- HIIT workout on Tuesday and Thursday (25 min)

- Extended Cardio Workout on Saturday (45 to 60 min)

Our 10 tips for reducing belly fat:

1. Rowing 2-3 times a week for 30-45 minutes helps reduce belly fat. Regular exercise not only helps you burn calories and fat, but also reduces stress, which is a major factor in belly fat accumulation.

2. Walk for 30 to 40 minutes every day.

3. Try to challenge yourself by setting short-term goals such as, "Today and today only, I'm going to exercise on my rowing machine for 45 minutes," and then do it again the next day or two with another challenge. Same thing with food! This method is extremely effective in increasing motivation.

4. Limit fat intake (which contributes to visceral fat) by avoiding potato chips, French fries, fried fast food, industrial cakes and muffins and limiting ham and cheese.

5. Limit your alcohol intake as it can turn into visceral fat.

6. No more added sugar! Try drinking your tea or coffee without added sugar. It usually only takes a few days to two weeks to kick the habit. Avoid sugary drinks and sodas that contain tons of added sugar.

7. Replace chocolate bars with oranges or apples. One chocolate bar (250 kcal) contains 12 g of fat, which is 60 times more than an apple (90 kcal) or an orange (60 kcal)!

8. Eat fruits and vegetables. For example: 1 orange or a banana for breakfast with a cup of green tea or thyme in boiling water.

9. Sleep at least 8 hours a night because lack of sleep has a negative impact on your mood and stimulates appetite and hunger.

10. Persevere! This is the key to success.