Saturday, October 18, 2008

Eliminate Unhealthy Belly Fat With Diet and Exercise!

By Gail M. Davis

Excess belly fat can be attributed to many things including menopause, beer, and food consumption, but the health risks are the same, regardless of the cause. Breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just three of the many health concerns attributed to too much belly fat. The worst part of this problem is not the visible fat but the deep fat surrounding the abdominal organs. The good news is that you can improve this problem by following some simple steps. Let's look at a few of the now.

There is no substitute for eating healthy foods in healthy amounts! Make it a priority to learn about food pyramid recommendations, nutrition fact labels, and proper portion sizes. Study this information, commit it to memory, and practice it on a daily basis.

Water should be your main source of hydration! Skim milk and unsweetened tea are acceptable as well, but sweet drinks and drinks containing artificial sweeteners, should be saved for very special occasions. Severely limit all sweet food choices. They provide no nutritional value and slow weight loss.

It is impossible to downplay the significance of exercise in the fight against belly fat. A minimum of thirty minutes of cardio should be competed each day, with activities such as power walking, running, biking, swimming laps, racquetball, skating, basketball, biking, jumping rope, and dancing. In addition, weight training and target exercises should be included in the daily workout.

Limiting or eliminating stress is imperative! The hormone cortisol is released during stress, and researchers believe that it stimulates the storage of fat around the abdomen and belly. They determined that a fat belly is most likely to develop in stressed men of any age, and older stressed women!

There are other easy steps that can be taken to deal with this condition, but these are by far the most important ones. Patience is necessary as it takes several months for the body to display the benefits of a new program. By following these steps, belly fat can be eliminated or greatly reduced. - 15683

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