Like many of you, I don’t look or feel comfortable in my clothes carrying around excessive belly fat and it concerns me that there are many metabolic complications associated with abdominal fat. The build-up of fat results in abnormal fat and glucose metabolism in the tissues. To be more specific, accumulation of fat around the abdominal organs can lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The long term effects of these conditions can lead to more dangerous consequences.

After consulting with a physician, we began the process of conditioning our mind to get started on this project. We have always heard that diet and exercise is recommended. Weight loss, whether with diet and/or exercise will reduce abdominal fat and improve insulin sensitivity. Exercise alone is also effective in reducing abdominal fat and improving insulin sensitivity.

It is important to know that for best results we need to improve the oxygen intake in our body. Greater improvements in oxygen intake along with diet and exercise are associated with significant reduction in abdominal fat. It is also important to realize that as your metabolic rate increases, you ability to metabolize toxins, move fluids through your body and eliminate waste also improves.

While diet alone may reduce abdominal fat, greater results can be achieved with the addition of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise continues to be the most recommended exercise. Aerobic activities such as brisk walking are safe, easy and require little skill or equipment and can be performed anywhere. Aerobic exercise has been proven beneficial in the prevention and management of several chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine concluded that every U.S. adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week. Further, it is recommended that every 6-8 weeks, you need to modify your program in order to stimulate your body and progress to the next level. When choosing new exercises for your program, always begin your routine by placing your most challenging exercises at the beginning. New exercises can be the use of simple resistance bands, hand weights or circuit training. These exercises can increase lean body mass which have been associated with improved insulin sensitivity and improved resting metabolic rate.