Crack your waist ‘fat code’: seven simple exercise and lifestyle hacks that will make a big difference

Everyone wants to get fitter in January but how do you ensure you are taking steps that actually work? In part three of our ‘reduce your waist, improve your health’ plan, Anna Magee hears from leading scientists and trainers who can show you what to do

Simple exercise and lifestyle tweaks can make a big difference to waist size (PA)

The most popular new year resolution in the UK is to exercise more or improve fitness, according to a December 2022 survey.  If you’d also like to reduce your waist size through exercise, the good news, says leading trainer Matt Roberts, is that it’s not all about doing hundreds of sit-ups – in fact, you don’t have to do any sit-ups at all.

“Reducing your waist size through exercise is about taking steps to reduce fat and build muscle, which will improve your body composition over the long term,” says Roberts, who has trained the likes of David Cameron, Naomi Campbell and Amanda Holden. In 2019, he founded Evolution, two London gyms where he collaborates with physiotherapists, dietitians and other experts to deliver a whole body service combining evidence-informed practice and innovation.

“When clients want waist reduction, we will do regular Dexa scans on their bodies to measure visceral fat throughout their programmes so we know what we are doing is working to reduce it.” Here are some of the key things that work to reduce waist size for Roberts’ clients.