5 Ways to Lose Belly Fat

Belly fat poses more risks to your overall health than most other types of fat. How much fat you have in your midsection is often correlated to your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other serious medical conditions. If you're a woman, belly fat may even increase your risk of some types of breast cancer. Every inch you chip away from your midsection helps improve your overall heath.

Prepare Mentally

You can blame some of your belly fat on genetics or medical conditions that make it easier to gain weight or harder to lose it. The rest of the blame falls on lifestyle choices such as overeating and lack of exercise. Struggles with food and weight sometimes stem from emotional upheaval, boredom or stress. The first step to losing belly fat is to remove mental and emotional roadblocks to your success. This may mean talking to a therapist, journal writing or just making a firm commitment to addressing this dangerous type of fat tissue.

See Your Doctor

If you carry a lot of extra weight in your midsection, you'll likely benefit from a quick trip to your doctor before you really get the ball rolling. Because increased belly fat is associated with diabetes, high cholesterol and certain metabolic disorders, you may need to get these conditions under control before you can experience successful weight loss. You may even find weight loss easier once you begin to manage your health problems.

Get Fit

You probably already know that you need to move your body in order to whittle down your waistline. What you might not know is that all kinds of activities count as exercise -- even enjoyable ones. If you play with your kids in the yard, you're burning calories and getting your heart rate up. The same is true of hiking while you take photos, practicing dance moves, joining a softball team or doing intense housework. Any activity you enjoy that elevates your heart rate and keeps it elevated for as little as 20 minutes or as much as 60 minutes will burn the calories required to eliminate belly fat.

Eat Well

Food is part of socialization. For many people, it's one of the true joys in life. Unfortunately, many of the foods you eat when you go out, such as alcohol and high-saturated-fat restaurant fare, significantly contribute to belly fat. The foods that will help you lose belly fat the quickest include fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains, healthy fats and lean meats. The fiber, protein and healthy fats control blood sugar and keep insulin levels stable, which helps your body store fewer excess calories in your midsection and encourages belly fat loss.

Practice Self Care

Poor diet and exercise habits aren't the only contributing factors to belly fat. If you want to shed pounds, you'll need to practice basic self-care. First, you need to make sure you get enough sleep. Poor sleep interrupts the hormonal and metabolic processes that help you lose weight, according to the American Council on Exercise. Second, you need to manage your stress. Stress and belly fat are linked. The more stress you have, the more fat your body holds on to and stores in your midsection. Other ways to practice self-care include quitting smoking, drinking enough fluids and taking your medications as prescribed.