Body Exercises For Belly Fat Loss

There's a good reason to whittle your waist, and it has nothing to do with fitting in last year's jeans. According to the August 2010 "Harvard Women's Health Watch" newsletter, a type of belly fat called visceral fat has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Visceral fat releases proteins that can trigger inflammation and constrict blood vessels. Harvard's experts suggest targeting that fat through 30-minute daily exercise sessions.

Building a Strategy

It's not realistic to expect to do one or two exercises repeatedly and develop chiseled six-pack abs. If you want to lose that spare tire, you will need a reduced-calorie diet and perform regular aerobic exercise. Only strength training and aerobic exercise can blast away visceral fat, according to "Harvard Women's Health Watch." Spot-targeting your abs will tighten the muscles, but it cannot reduce your belly fat.

Yoga

In "Yoga Fights Flab," author Glenda Twining notes that yoga postures require you to push, pull, lift and balance your body's weight, offering similar benefits to weight lifting. This anaerobic form of exercise tones your muscles and sculpts your core, resulting in increased fat-burning potential. Try ab-centric postures, such as the Full Boat Pose. To do it, YogaJournal.com suggests you sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front. Press your palms to the floor just behind your hips. Bend your knees and lift your legs until your thighs form a 45-degree angle with the floor. Stretch out your arms, parallel to the floor, or use them to grasp the back of your thighs. Hold the pose for up to 20 seconds, using your ab muscles to keep you stable.

Pilates

Like yoga, Pilates offers muscle-strengthening exercises that can help target belly fat. In "Pilates the Authentic Way," Pilates instructors Keft Burdell and Dina Matty describe a core-strengthening exercise, the Double Leg Straight. Lie on your back and place your hands at the back of your head. Pull your chin toward your chest and engage your abs. Once you're stable, use your abdominal muscles to lift your legs, pointing your toes toward the ceiling. When you lower your legs, don't let them touch the floor; your head and shoulders should also stay up, off the floor. Do up to eight repetitions.

Strength Training

If you're partial to the gym, try the Captain's Chair, a tall vertical apparatus with a padded back rest and horizontal arm rests. A study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise found that the Captain's Chair is one of the most effective ab exercises possible, earning top ratings for activating your oblique muscles and second-place marks for activating your lower abs. If you don't have a gym membership, try using an exercise ball. Sit on the ball, lean backward and position yourself to do traditional crunches -- the ball should support your back. Your abs will have to work extra hard to keep you balanced as well as execute traditional crunches. The ACE study suggests keeping your feet wide for better balance, or bringing them close together to make the exercise more challenging.