Abs Finder
Sing a pea ditty
Know what pulses are? They’re the dry, edible seeds of legumes, which include chickpeas, yellow peas, lentils, and beans. Researchers from the University of Toronto recently discovered that people who ate 5 cups of pulses every week for 8 weeks lost inches off their waists and took in fewer calories. Another study by the same team showed that eating lentils or yellow peas at a meal helped people eat less at the next meal. “These foods contain multiple components that can aid weight loss and suppress your appetite,” says study author Rebecca Mollard. “They’re high in fibre and protein and have a low glycaemic index.”
Deprive yourself of oxygen
Tempo exercises, which involve lifting weights using slow and steady movements, will condition your body to burn more fat, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Give it a shot: Lower the weight for 2 seconds, and then take 2 seconds to press it up, with no pause in between. The constant low-level tension restricts blood-flow to your working muscles and deprives them of oxygen. Yes, that’s a good thing. Your muscles react by increasing the size of your slow-twitch fibres, which contain a high volume of mitochondria, the cellular motors that produce energy from fat. In short, more mitochondria means less belly fat.
Drink this sour juice
In a study in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, people who drank about 125ml of unsweetened white grapefruit juice before every meal for 12 weeks lost 6kg and 2 inches off their waists; they also consumed up to 30% fewer calories a day.
Words by Julie Stewart. Illustration by Rodale.
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