Saturday, December 20, 2008

Exercises to Burn Belly Fat

By Jose Loni

Burning belly fat is not as complicated as it seems. It is possible to burn belly fat faster, but first we need to understand three basic factors that will determine how we can burn belly fat. Those factors are: quality of our food intake, increasing our energy expenditure and monitoring the frequency and decreasing stress in our lives.

To burn belly fat we must cut down on our intake of fatty, rich foods. We should avoid processed foods, sodas, cookies and fast food. Eat 5-6 meals throughout the day each meal consisting of foods from the basic food groups. When we control the amount and quality of our food, our bodies will not store the fat on our bellies, and our bodies will burn the existing belly fat as energy.

Burning belly fat, our energy expenditure needs to be greater than our total food intake. So by increasing our physical activity, we promote building muscles used for that activity. For example: running will build the muscles of the legs. By increasing our muscle strength, we are also increasing our lean body mass, which also makes our bodies burn fat to help fuel the increased activities that we are doing.

An increase in our activity level will in turn build muscles for that particular activity, thereby increasing our lean body mass. With the increased muscle development, metabolic processes also increase, which also increases our body's proficiency to burn fat as an energy source even after physical activity.

Stress is also a major component that affects fat storage in the belly. When we are in a stressful situation, our bodies view the stress as an "emergency situation" and will release a hormone called Cortisol, which tells our bodies to hold onto fat and store it in our bellies.

Fat accumulation in the stomach area increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Managing our stress levels will help to allow the other factors of diet and physical activity to burn the existing belly fat at a faster rate.

Burning belly fat in the fastest way possible is not rocket science. All it takes is a commitment to make the necessary changes and step-by-step, our belly fat will be burnt away. - 15995

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