If you have a belly "pooch," you're not alone. The midsection is a normal area for belly fat to gather, especially as you age. Depending on your genetic makeup, you may even be predisposed to gain more belly fat than other people. However, there are ways to streamline the tummy area, get healthier and improve your overall physique. They require time and effort, but a steady commitment will pay off.
Core Exercise
Core exercises, which challenge a variety of the body's 29 core muscles, are effective at tightening, toning and sculpting tummy muscles. Crunches are a simple move for beginners to learn; if you're more advanced, try the plank, which MayoClinic recommends on the CNN website because it works inner core muscles as well as the abs and the obliques, or waist muscles. Before you go crazy with crunches, however, note MayoClinic.com's cautionary statement that core exercises alone won't spot reduce abdominal fat.
Cardio
Cardio exercises burn calories more effectively than strength training movements, making them better choices for short term weight loss. According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-lb. person who rollerblades for 60 minutes will burn more than 900 calories, but the same person will burn fewer than 300 calories by strength training or doing core exercises for an hour. The type of cardio you choose to blast belly fat doesn't matter as long as it raises your heart rate and keeps it elevated for the entire length of your workout, although more vigorous exercises, such as kickboxing and running, will burn the most calories.
Diet
Cutting calories is another reliable way to drop a few pounds around your midsection and throughout the body. It takes saving 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb., so shaving 500 calories off your daily total will result in about that much weight loss per week; adding exercise will help you lose more. Food journals, online calorie counters and calorie-controlled meal replacements can all help you reduce daily calories in an effort to get rid of belly fat.
Other Options
A host of other options help drop abdominal fat in the short term, including crash diets and diet pills, but they won't help you keep the weight off over time and they aren't as sustainable or healthy as balanced, low-calorie eating and exercise. One option to explore if you aren't able to successfully diet or exercise is gastric bypass surgery or another type of weight loss surgery, which can alter the amount of food your stomach is able to comfortably hold. Before proceeding with any plan to lose belly fat, talk with your physician.
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