4 Tips to Lose Belly Fat

If you didn't already know, continuing medical studies pile on the evidence that maintaining a healthy weight is the number one factor in staving off disease and living longer. Obvious, isn't it? As any overweight person will know, there is also tremendous social pressure to lose weight and conform to the established 'norms'.

One of the most obvious and most common areas to lose weight is on your belly.

Unfortunately, while there are no ways to specifically target the fat around the midsection, we have a few powerful tips for weight loss that can be applied to lose that spare tire.

Here are four of them:

1. Incorporate regular cardiovascular exercise into your weight loss program. Anything that gets your heart rate up and leaves you feeling winded when you're done is generally good for losing belly fat.

Some exercise ideas include riding your bike, walking, running, swimming, or aerobics. Do any of these activities for 30 minutes, four to five times a week, and you will generally be getting the proper amount of cardiovascular exercise.

2. There is a powerful misconception that the optimal way to get your calories is by having three square meals per day. Studies show that eating smaller meals five to six times a day can help you both to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

The reasons for this seem to be twofold: When you eat, you use energy naturally to digest your food. Thus, the more frequently you eat, the more energy you will be expending trying to digest that food! Additionally, eating more often means you will be hungry less and therefore less likely to binge. That doesn't mean pigging out 8 times a day though! Food portions have to be sensible if you're going for the 'grazing' option.

3. While slightly counterintuitive, putting muscle on your body can actually help you lose fat. The reasoning behind this is that it takes your body more calories to maintain muscle than it does fat. Doing some simple strength training exercises such as lifting weights, push-ups, or pull-ups can add muscle to your frame, thereby increasing your metabolism and burning fat. Besides, good muscle tone will shape your body so that you look trimmer simply because your posture is better.

4. Most people (Americans in particular) obtain far too many calories from their drinks. Colas and juices can contain as much as 150 calories per serving. Just two servings per day can lead to 35 extra pounds of body fat per year.

Replacing these drinks with cold water can help you lose belly fat through two ways. First, you are eliminating a large chunk of calories out of your diet which contain almost no nutrients. Also, when you drink cold liquid your body must expend energy to maintain your natural body temperature. Whenever your body has to warm itself, you use up energy to do so. That burns up calories.

Spare tire, love handle, call it what you will - many people struggle with trying to lose stubborn belly fat. Belly fat, however, is no different from any other fat on your body. Using common weight-loss techniques, such as the ones described above, you can lose weight in a healthy manner.

please note that this site is designed for entertainment and information purposes only and does not offer medical advice. you should seek the opinion of your doctor, or medical professional, before starting a diet, or any exercise program. medical knowledge can change rapidly and the information on this site can become out of date so it is important to seek qualified professional advice when undertaking any health program.