Lose Your Belly Fat For Health's Sake

Carrying excess weight around our midsection does more than expand your waist line. The consequences of having that belly bulge have several far reaching negative health effects. Apart from making you overweight, the excess fat causes disease such as Heart disease, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Diabetes - just to name a few. Research has found over the years that the fat around our midsection isn't just simply lying there to be 'exercised' off. These cells are actually quite active and can produce hormones that increase insulin resistance, which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Other types of hormones released can cause oestrogen to be released after menopause that possibly may increase the chance of breast cancer.

As we age our metabolism slows down, and the fat in our bodies increases. Although we may have the belly bulge we can see on the outside, it's the fat on the inside that is most cause for concern. This fat is 'visceral' fat and lies deep inside your abdomen and encases all your internal abdominal organs. It is important to know the more of this type of fat we have, the more increased risk we have of acquiring the diseases mentioned above.

In America alone research has found that more than half the men are obese or over weight, often carrying the excess weight known as having a beer belly, or pot belly. Women also have the same problem, however usually as they get older (and after menopause) the fat shifts to the hips, thighs and legs.

To much fat around your middle (or anywhere on your body for that matter) is extremely unhealthy and has many unhealthy consequences as outlined above. In order to maintain health we must lose the belly fat through good consistent exercise and improved eating habits, which will in turn improve your metabolism. This activity combined will put you at a reduced risk of health problems while improving existing health problems.

It is never to late to embark on a healthy lifestyle change, to increase your chance of living longer, and eliminating unwanted health risks associated with excess belly fat. A few simple changes to your diet and an increase in physical activity can make a world of difference, and could be the difference between life and death. You will not only lose the excess fat, but you will feel better and have alot more energy. Your life expectancy will also increase allowing you to spend more time with loved ones - so it is well worth the change in lifestyle to keep your health.

Aportion is because of genetics however most is due to a high-saturated fat diet and low physical activity. Low physical activity means just that - If you don't move, you wont lose any fat at all. We will cover more of this a little later in the lens.

Having a diet high in saturated fat foods is a major factor in gaining weight in your midsection. What's the point of doing hours of exercise if you're only going to consume rubbish, and ruin all your hard work? The following is a list of foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, or both. You'll need to limit these foods to improve your health: processed meats, meat with skin left on, butter, fats and oils, cream, dairy products and processed foods such as cakes, pastries, muffins etc

I hear what you're saying - all this food tastes so good! How can we live without it? Well the trick here is - moderation! Sure we look at this list and it would be great if we could just give all these foods up tomorrow and live happily ever after - unfortunately we don't live in a dream world where this may be possible. This type of food is around us all the time, everywhere we go - so it is extremely unrealistic to suggest to give it up entirely and go without - because you will give up after 5 minutes and just start eating it all again.

When I say moderation I mean this - we can all have the things we like, but the trick is to only eat smaller portions of it. I don't know how many of you out there that are like me, I used to have the problem that I couldn't just eat a handful of potato chips, I would have to eat the WHOLE bag - that was the biggest issue for me. Or I couldn't have just 1 dough-nut, I would need to eat at least 3 or 4 just to feel good. So there you go, all those sit ups and crunches and hours of cardio I used to do was all for nothing. Its funny when you can look back on your actions and be really logical about it, I did know this at the time, but would pretend I didn't know!

So, what the hardest thing I have found is lack of will power. We all know that logically to lose fat we need to exercise and eat right. But it's the will power that we find hard to control. The best advice I can give you on this is to not be so hard on yourself and to set yourself realistic expectations for losing weight, not just off your belly, but all over. I myself from past experience have always had high expectations of myself - I will eat really healthy, exercise and then expect to lose 15 pounds in a week - well it never happened, that was way too much of an unrealistic expectation.

We live in a society where we want everything now, today, this minute, and we're always in a hurry and want everything to be easy - this is where all this fast food comes in, it's way to convenient. Unfortunately the topic of weight loss and health is never 1 of those things that is easy or quick. This takes time. perseverance and effort. If we can limit the portions of some of these foods high in saturated fat we are well on our way to achieving our goal of reducing our belly fat and in turn reducing the risk of the diseases and illness listed above. Replacing this food isn't easy either, but plenty of fresh fruit and veg, lean meats and lots of water make for a very good diet. The trick is too educate yourself on how to make these foods taste great - do some research, the internet is great for that. The following is a list of foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, or both. You'll need to limit these foods to improve your health: processed meats, meat with skin left on, butter, fats and oils, cream, dairy products and processed foods such as cakes, pastries, muffins etc.

Well now we have covered why we have too much belly fat, and that diet is crucial to the removal of it - lets take a look at the way we can get rid of it.

Is there any such thing as a great Ab workout? Simple answer to this question is .....NO! Abdominal exercises alone do not provide enough of a metabolic response in your body to bring about reducing fat on your tummy, no matter how great the exercise is. The issue is that almost everybody with extra abdominal fat trying to reveal their abs, is looking for some type of 'miraculous ab exercise', that is going to get rid of the extra fat off their midsection in little or no time at all. Whether it be hundreds of sit ups and crunches, or spending oodles of money on 'ab machines', that claim to give you a 6 pack in no time, they just don't work.

Well the truth is, they're all going about it the wrong way. You see, you don't lose tummy fat by doing abdominal exercises alone, or by using those machines. Ive done a lot of research on this and I have found a website created by Mike Geary who is the creater of Truth About Abs. Now he states that spending all your time just on ab exercises to try lose the fat on your stomach is basically a waste of time. Time should be better spent on doing the right exercise programs that will really give you a healthy midsection and get rid of body fat permanently, while reducing all the associated risks with too much belly fat.

There is an answer to what works best for losing that tummy fat, and that is a full body workout. This incorporates exercises that cater for the whole body, which will in turn reduce that tummy fat, a lot quicker than just doing those old ab exercises. This total body workout, while still incorporating some abdominal exercises, inadvertently works your total abdominal and core section even though you aren't specifically working on that muscle group.

So basically - this is it in a nut shell - you need to quit spending so much time doing those ab exercises like crunches and situps, and instead start spending your time on high intensity body workouts that will burn fat. Throw into the mix a good healthy diet that doesn't consist of high fat saturated foods like we mentioned above, and you will lose that belly fat, and fat all over your body, feel healthier and probably live a lot longer.

Mike Geary is a certified Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Personal Trainer. You can find his website here . The information he has on his site is invaluable. His program does not centre around just doing ab exercises, rather a full body workout that will get you burning calories and your heart rate racing, I know because I have tried it and am still using all his techniques and strategies. Really, I couldn't recommend this more - giving it a go. He actually has a great deal on at the moment, you can get his whole program for under 5 dollars for a trial period of 21 days - if you don't like it don't pay any more - but I can guarantee that you will get results just like me and hundreds of others that are using his system. Click here to get access to this great offer, it is only for a limited time and I don't know when he will remove it, so if you can spare the few dollars its worth it, just to see what is like.

Mike also has a great Testimonial page full of happy clients that have been using this system and had great results. I do need to tell you though it isn't one of those easy quick fix type of gimmicks. You really do need to put in the time, effort and hard work to get rid of that belly fat. You will need to be committed, and if this isn't you then you will be disappointed because you will not get the results you want. Be prepared to workout, burn calories, sweat and huff and puff, because that is what its going to take on Mike's Program for you to get healthy and reduce your risk of disease and illness.

I was pretty sceptical at first - I mean how can you really get rid of tummy fat without doing a lot of ab exercises? And not much cardio? - but I went and purchased it anyway, I paid full price by the way! I'm so glad I did, was the best investment ever!

I am so impressed by the way Mike has put together his program, its all about diet tips, meal plans, exercise plans and heaps more. Believe me, there are so many ridiculous concepts out there on how to lose weight fast, or there is always some kind of ridiculous gadget that claims you can lose your stomach in 5 minutes a day - it's all a scam to get your money. And what are you left with? A fat belly, a gadget that does nothing and out of pocket for it.

If you would like more information on weight loss, Mike is offering a FREE Fat Loss Report that has a wealth of information on diet, exercise and weight loss - healthy weight loss. I have also set up my own personal Blog which describes my own journey, if you would like to take a read.

This is a lot of information to take in I know, but we should all take the time to really understand that to live healthy lives we need to look after our bodies. But don't just take my word for it, check out the sight I mentioned above and you will see for yourself there is hope out there to lose that belly fat and reduce the risk of disease. Even if you just check it out to get the free report, you will learn so much.

Good luck on your weight loss journeys, and I hope this lens has provided some useful information for you to think about. Your thoughts would be appreciated and thankyou for taking the time to read it