As men age, they lose muscle density, which lowers their metabolism. They often replace this lost muscle tissue with body fat. If the fat gathers around the abdominal area, it puts you at greater risk for several health problems, including cardiovascular disease. Spot-reducing belly fat through crunches does not work. Instead, men can lose fat around their waists by adopting a healthier diet and by doing strenuous workouts that make their hearts beat faster and make them sweat. The harder you exercise, the more body fat you burn. Speak to your doctor about health concerns before starting a diet plan.
Step 1
Exercise vigorously every day, for at least 60 minutes. Set a goal of burning at least 500 calories per hour with cardiovascular workouts like jumping rope, running, jogging, climbing stairs, backpacking uphill, mountain biking or boxing. If you do this workout daily, you burn 1 lb. of fat in one week.
Step 2
Build muscle with strength training. Lift weights, use flexibility bands or do resistance exercises such as pushups, pullups, situps, burpees, squats, lunges and jumping jacks. As you build muscle tissue, you raise your basal metabolic rate so you burn more calories around the clock.
Step 3
Cut your sugar intake. Drink plain water instead of soda, syrupy coffee drinks, packaged smoothies, juice drinks and alcoholic beverages.
Step 4
Swap caloric snack food and junk food for healthy whole foods. Replacing a bag of snack chips with an apple and a dessert with a bowl of berries saves you about 700 calories.
Step 5
Prepare your food with lighter substitutions. Grill, steam, bake, marinate or saute your entrees instead of breading or deep-frying them. Make soups and gravies with low-sodium broth instead of cream, butter and animal fat. Season dishes with herbs, spices and olive oil instead of sugar, syrup, creamy sauces and salt.
Tips and Warnings
- Chew your food thoroughly to aid digestion and reduce bloating around your waist.
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