Abdominal fat makes it difficult to breathe, wear your favorite clothes and feel good about yourself. In addition,Harvard University researchers say, excess abdominal fat is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, adult-onset diabetes and some kinds of cancer. Fortunately, abdominal weight responds to changes in diet and physical activity faster than other kinds of fat deposits. In just a month, you can burn off excess abdominal fat and reveal a sleek, new body.
Step 1
Exercise aerobically at least 45 minutes a day. A 2004 study at Duke University found that people who exercised aerobically for more than 30 minutes burned fat and lost weight. The exercise doesn't have to be intense, either, as the subjects used walking for aerobic activity. The first layer of fat your body will burn will be from around your abdomen, because the body loses weight in reverse order of where it was gained. Warm up and cool down for 15 minutes before and after exercise; during it, maintain your heart at 50 to 75 percent of its target rate.
Step 2
Reduce or eliminate alcoholic beverages. The Mayo Clinic explains that drinking alcohol contributes to excess weight around the abdomen. The calories in alcohol are more easily stored around your gut --- hence the phenomenon known as a beer belly. If you do drink, choose wine, which has some antioxidant benefits and appears to be less easily stored as belly fat.
Step 3
Reduce your caloric intake by 10 percent. Many of us actually eat 10 percent more calories than our recommended daily amount, without realizing it. Become a portion-control expert, dividing your foods into single servings as soon as you bring them home. You can easily cut nearly 10 percent of your calories by replacing a soft drink with a glass of water. You won't notice the difference in calories, but you will notice a reduction in the size of your belly within a week.
Step 4
Perform weight training or resistance exercise at least three days a week. This won't slim down your middle directly, but it will increase your overall muscle mass. An increase in muscle mass means an increase in your metabolism, and your body will use the fat around your abdomen as fuel for the demands of the larger muscles.You will also be strengthening your abdominal muscles so that once the abdominal fat is gone, you will see a set of toned abs.
Step 5
Talk to your doctor about supplemental DHEA, or dehydroepiandrosterone. This naturally occurring hormone can be purchased at your local health-food store. You body makes DHEA, but, Harvard research found, makes less of it as you age, and this dropoff might be related to the increase in abdominal fat storage that occur in middle age. Studies on DHEA have shown mixed results, so discuss supplementation of this hormone with your physician.
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