Three Home Workouts To Cut Down Your Belly Fat

Three Fitness Trainers Offer Tips to Keep Us Fit at Home

Irene Li, Associate Editor | May 12, 2022 9:44 am | Add a comment | 242 reads

When it comes to home fitness, the biggest issue, at least for me, is how to stay motivated and develop a routine that can be stuck with.

I asked three Beijing-based fitness instructors their thoughts on these issues, and this is how they responded.

“Set your mind right”

“You’ve got to ‘set your mind right’, says Ye Lu, who recently relocated to Shanghai after spending half a decade teaching burlesque in Beijing. “So, let me guess…you are really tired of feeling uncomfortable in your body, low-energy and unmotivated because of having no routine. You are tired of making plans yet again to prioritize your health and fitness, only to find life gets in the way…Set a goal for yourself, and get pumped to reach it! The truth is our goals are always there. They don't ever give up on us. We give up on them. So set your intentions and get excited!”

“Suit up! It may sound silly, but what you are wearing really matters when it comes to getting the most of your workout. It’s surely not about the style, the brand-name or the price tag. It’s about how your workout attire makes you feel. Imagine what it feels like to have your clothes fit more comfortably. You’ve got your mind right, you are looking fly. It will immediately set your mood in the best state you ever need to get ready,” Ye said.

“Choose training methods that fit you”

Wendy Jia, a trainer based in Beijing, decided to pursue her passion for fitness in 2015 when she realized she had been too occupied with her desk job and didn't have any chance to exercise.

“If you want to build muscle or maintain muscle mass, you need to do strength training. If your goal is to lose fat, you need to increase your consumption, and you can do that through strength training plus cardio exercises like jumping ropes, and Hiit.”

“Also keep in mind that you need to choose exercise equipment that is practical and doesn’t take up space at home. In my opinion, removable barbell, dumbbell, elastic ropes and jump ropes are very good training tools,” Jia said.

“Target a specific body area”

When I spoke with Diva, a former dancer and fitness trainer hailing from Europe who chose to settle down in Beijing in 2017, she told me the secret of losing weight was doing targeted exercises. “If your goal is to lose weight, there are full three mins videos that usually target a specific body area or fitness aspect and they become more effective if you repeat them three or four times,” Diva said.

The myth that Diva wants to dispel is the misconception that TikTok dances are also workouts. “Challenges like the Jay Chou one are fun to do but they aren’t a workout in and of itself. They are something to keep you entertained and that are fun to try at home when you already workout daily,” Diva said.