BEAUTIFUL BELLY IS HEALTHY

•  A Beautiful Belly

Almost everybody has a belly and in America 65% of them are bigger than they should be. A big belly is a health risk. The bigger your belly is the higher your risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke. Women are at increased risk when their waist is 37 inches or bigger in circumference. Men are at increased risk when there belly is 40 inches or bigger. Get out your measuring tape and assess your risk. How did you fare? Time to get to work on that gut.

• An Easy Washboard Stomach

What if I told you that if you would do 33 crunches everyday that your belly fat would melt away? I would be lying. It is really 34. Just kidding. There isn't any magic number or exercise which preferentially burns belly fat. Exercising a body part to make is skinnier is called spot reduction. Unfortunately our bodies don't work like that.

When you exercise you burn calories. Some of those calories come from fat. We store fat all over our body and when it is needed we take a little from here and a little from there. It seems like the last place you lose fat is the place you would like to lose it first. The famous last five pounds always seems to be on your tummy. Seeing the six-pack requires patience, persistence and a disciplined diet.

•  Eating for a Six-Pack

Eat all the chocolate chip cookies you want and have abs that ripple. Ha! I wish. Creating a washboard stomach requires burning your stored body fat. Burning your stored body fat requires you to be in a calorie deficit. You know what that means-eating less than you need. Prepare yourself to feel hungry on your way to the perfect stomach. Eating less than you need isn't easy. Here are four tips to help you eat fewer calories than you need and still feel great.

1) Hydrate. When ever you feel hungry-drink some water. Try drinking a quart of water 10 minutes prior to eating. Drinking water helps you feel full. Drink up to a gallon of water a day.

2) Fill up on fiber. Go for high fiber, low calorie foods. Celery, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, and spinach are all examples of low calorie, high fiber foods. Include these types of foods in all of your meals.

3) Snack on fruit. Fruit is also low in calories and high in fiber. Most fruit also has a lot of water in it. The combination of water and fiber make fruit a filling, low calorie snack. When you feel hungry grab an apple, orange, plum, peach, pear, mango or apricot.

4) Exercise. Exercising is a great way to reduce your appetite, take your mind off food and burn extra calories. Sometimes a quick 10-minute walk will do the trick.

In addition to eating right you will also need to exercise. Not only does exercise burn calories it also makes your stronger and healthier.