When we think about losing weight, the first thing that comes to mind is having a tight belly. Who wouldn't want to wear jeans simply and neatly without regretting the cake, pastries, and other food we ate? Also, recent findings show that losing belly fat is key to better health. The bigger the waist, the higher the risk of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and some cancers. Unfortunately, doing hundreds of crunches, a common belly exercise, isn’t the right way to get a tight waist and toned belly. Sadly, there are no exercises that target just the belly (there's no exercise that works only the belly). Fitness coach and nutrition expert Corey Philips, creator of the fitness Cultivate program, explains that spot fat loss isn't a real solution to tighten the belly. But some great exercises focus on the core and burn fat all over, which helps build a strong waist and sculpted belly. Celebrity trainer and nutritionist Jillian Michaels says doing a mix of strength, cardio, and core work is the best way to reduce body fat in the end. She loves core exercises but also does different muscle groups with HIT workouts to boost calorie burn.

Here are the best exercises and workouts to lose belly fat, based on personal trainer guides.

Need workout inspiration? Here are 15 great full-body exercises you can do at home, dear.

Exercise one: Burpees

Michaels explains that burpees mainly work the chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads. Burpees have strong plyometric moves so your heart works hard to pump blood.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with feet a bit apart, then lower down with your feet still apart and hips back into a low squat. Place your hands just outside your feet, kick your feet back so your chest almost touches the floor. Push off your hands up into a plank position, then jump your feet back outside your hands, and finally jump up high in the air.

Exercise two: Mountain Climbers

Michaels likes this moving exercise like burpees because it works your heart plus many body muscles.

How to do the exercise:

Lift yourself on the floor with hands right under your shoulders, tighten your core, move your right knee toward your chest, then return it to the start. Do the same with your left knee and keep alternating.

Exercise three: Turkish Get-Up

It's a full-body exercise over 200 years old that needs a kettlebell. It's the favorite of famous trainer Ramona Braganza. Though a bit complex, it really works the whole body muscles and helps burn belly fat.

How to do the exercise:

Hold one kettlebell by the handle with both hands and lie on your side in the fetal position. Roll onto your back and lift the kettlebell toward the ceiling with both hands until the weight is steady on one side. Free one hand and one foot to the side, then place your palm down and your foot back at a 45-degree angle to firmly stabilize on the ground. Your back leg should be perpendicular to the front leg while keeping your chest open. Align your arms exactly: wrist over elbow and shoulder over elbow over wrist. Rotate the back foot so both feet's big toes face parallel, then take a deep breath and stand up.

Exercise 4: Medicine Ball Burpees

Philips prefers adding a medicine ball to burpees to boost workout efficiency and improve metabolism, all while building six-pack abs.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hold the ball with both hands. Extend the ball up then slam it forward on the ground with max force, lean your back slightly. Bend your knees and put hands on the ground outside your feet to get into a raised squat. Keep your body straight, feet back in squat position, and lift the ball with your hands to extend your body and stand up briefly.

Exercise 5: Sprawls

This exercise is like burpees but almost like using a booster because it works the whole body and hits as many muscles as possible. It burns calories working both upper and lower body parts, especially the abs. Braganza explains this exercise takes the traditional burpee to the next level by touching the chest to the ground then doing a plank push-up and continuing the movement.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with feet apart then squat down and put hands on the ground. Push your body out to a plank position and stretch your feet from the squat. Stand back up for one rep. Braganza adds if you want to burn more calories add a jump between each stretch.

Exercise six: Side-to-Side Medicine Ball Slams

Chris Difco, a trainer and founder of Premier Body & Mind, says that medicine ball exercises are powerful dynamic workouts with explosive force that highly affect calorie burning and metabolism. It targets many muscle groups: obliques, hamstrings, quads, biceps, and shoulders are the first to move in this exercise. But over time and with more effort, almost every muscle works, boosting blood circulation strongly. Training side to side with the ball works the oblique abdominal muscles.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat down to pick up the ball. Lift it above your head and slam it to the ground on the other side. Squat again to pick up the ball, lift it, and slam it on the other side. Keep your core tight during the exercise.

Exercise seven: Overhead Medicine Ball Slams

This exercise boosts endurance and strengthens the heart because the ball is heavy and works against gravity. It raises your heart rate during the workout, so it's better to use a heavy ball.

How to do the exercise:

Stand with your feet apart, hold the ball with both hands and slam it hard on the ground. The ball will bounce back up, catch it and repeat the slam with slightly bent knees. Catch the ball and stand up straight to throw it down again.

Exercise 8: Russian Twists

DelVecchio described this exercise as one that strengthens the core and oblique abdominal muscles. It involves twisting the body side to side while holding a ball or weight, sitting on the floor with feet lifted.

How to do the exercise:

Sit on the floor holding the ball between your hands. Lift your feet off the ground, keep your back straight and lean slightly forward. Twist your core with the ball to the right, then to the left, making sure the movement comes from your core, not your shoulders. Hold briefly on each side to really engage the abs.

Exercise 9: BOSU Ball Planks

Adam Stanford, a personal trainer in New York and founder of Adam Sanford Fitness, says cardio is important to burn belly fat but working the abdominal muscles themselves along with cardio is very important. This exercise is harder than a regular plank because the plank is done on an elevated surface. It works abs, obliques, and deep transverse abdominal muscles, which strengthens and firms the core and boosts calorie burn, burning a lot of calories.

How to do the exercise:

Flip the BOSU Ball onto its rubber side, then place your palms on the flat side and get into a plank position. Try to hold your balance and keep stable for 30 to 45 seconds. The longer you hold, the stronger you get.

Exercise 10: Running On an Incline

Jill Binfold says running on an incline burns 50% more calories than running on a flat surface. Start by walking for 5 minutes, your heart rate will rise as you walk longer.

How to do the exercise:

Try walking or jogging on a treadmill or hill for 10 minutes, then jog for 10 minutes, then speed up to run again. Alternate between speeding up and slowing down every 10 minutes for 45 minutes.

Exercise 11: Rowing Machine

One of the intense workouts that raises heart rate and burns more calories and fat. It works the leg muscles, core, arms, shoulders, and back.

How to do the exercise:

Do the exercise for 20 seconds then rest 10 seconds without letting go of the handle or getting off the machine. Repeat the exercise increasing the distance next time. After 4 minutes of exercise, row 500 meters and record your time. That’s the time you should try to beat next time.

Workout 12: HIIT

It used to be common that steady heart rate exercise was good, but now it's thought better to raise then lower the intensity to help the heart and burn fat. Hope Pedraza, a trainer and owner of an ACSM personal trainer studio in San Antonio, says alternating between high and low intensity works different muscle groups. Start with 10 minutes warm up, then do 30 seconds of as many squats, push-ups, kettlebell swings, or single-arm rows as possible. Rest 30 seconds, then do another exercise for 30 seconds. Pick your favorite moves and make sure to switch exercises so other muscles can rest.

Workout 13: Strength Training

If you lift weights, that’s good, but to burn more fat it’s time to lift heavier and shorten rest between sets. Tyler Sprawl says lifting weights is great because your body keeps burning fat even after you leave the gym. But don’t struggle too much with the weight or you might get hurt. If you’re a beginner, 15 minutes of full body workout is good for fat loss.

Workout 14: Walking

Walking helps burn belly fat, says certified trainer Sahmura Gonzalez from New York. He says walking 45 to 60 minutes is great to boost metabolism and burn fat. Walking also avoids overtraining, which raises cortisol hormone linked to stress and belly fat. So, walking helps fight fatigue and stress, especially after a tough day. This lowers cortisol and keeps belly fat under control. Fast walking is an effective way to lose belly fat hiding your abs. He also says walking one hour a day can help lose about one pound of fat per week.

Workout 15: Yoga

Yoga won’t burn fat as fast as running, climbing hills, or lifting weights. But it helps build muscle, improve endurance, and boost metabolism. Some yoga poses like plank, Chaturanga, and wheel are good for boosting metabolism and cutting fat.

- Finally, we recommend you follow up with a personal trainer. This is the best way to get the best results in a short time.