How to Lose Love Handles

Do you want to learn how to lose love handles? You're not alone. Obliques, better known as love handles, are a tricky area to flatten and tone. Men tend to gain weight in their gut, but as women age, the weight starts to stick to the obliques.

There's nothing special about love handles when it comes to the best way to lose them. However, fat around the abdomen, also known as visceral fat, carries more health risks than fat on the arms or legs. 

Belly Fat Risks
Visceral fat is fat that layers internal organs, which can pose serious health risks such has diabetes, heart attack, stroke and certain cancers.

Lose the Love
You can shed those unsightly love handles just as you would lose weight anywhere else: diet and exercise. A healthy diet consisting of whole grains-think whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread-fruits, vegetables, unsaturated fats and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Cutting portion sizes will decrease the amount of calories you consume. That, coupled with physical activity is your best bet to losing the handles.

When it comes to exercise, at least 30 minutes a day will help you lose weight. Cardiovascular exercise-running, swimming, dancing and walking-burn more calories while your body is moving. Weight lifting and resistance training are good ways to tone your muscles and burn more calories while your body is at rest.

Exercises Against Love Handles
There are many exercises that target the oblique area. Any motion that twists the torso works the obliques and strengthens the core. Add a medicine ball or a bar to those twists for a more intense oblique workout. Side and angled crunches are good ways to target the obliques as well.