Get rid of belly fat quickly and easily

Okay, as you've gotten a little older, not only has your wisdom expanded, but your waistline has, too.

Now, don't get me wrong. A little fat on the old body is not a bad thing. In fact, you need a little bit to be healthy. In general, men should have no more than about 14% of body fat, and women should shoot for about 20 to 23%. If you are more than that, you may need to get rid of belly fat to get there.

Where you carry your weight is also a big factor. In fact, if you carry most of your weight on your hips, thighs and butt, you're in luck. This is considered "healthy" fat storage in comparison to belly fat, because it doesn't impact your health nearly as much as belly fat. But if you're a man or you're a woman who has an "apple" shape, that belly fat can be dangerous. It's linked to health problems such as diabetes, heart attack and stroke. In short, you need to get rid of it if it's more than just very slight love handles.

What causes belly fat? Well, of course, overeating causes belly fat. So does drinking. It's no mistake that downing a couple of beers every Friday night gets you what is called a "beer" belly. Alcohol must be consumed in moderation, if at all, in order to avoid a beer belly.

Another cause of belly fat is the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. When our ancestors were attacked by that sabertooth tiger, cortisol surged into their systems, along with adrenaline, which helped them flee. However, once the danger was past, they calmed down and their cortisol levels fell back to normal levels.

Unfortunately, today, we're under such pressure and stress as a society that our cortisol levels can remain elevated all the time. This is because your nervous system is pretty primitive. If you're constantly flustered and stressed, running here and there, late for work, mad at the kids, not sleeping enough, getting too much caffeine, etc., etc., your cortisol levels go, "Okay, I need to kick in here, because you're in danger." And continually elevated cortisol levels cause us to store fat, where? You guessed it. In our bellies.

How do you get rid of belly fat, then?

Well, first things first. Take a look at your diet, honestly. Is it full of fats, sugars, simple carbohydrates, fast food, salt? If it is, no wonder. This type of food causes your blood sugar levels to zoom up and down, so that you eat a lot more than you need to in order to simply maintain your necessary calorie intake. In addition, it's not the least bit nutritional, so you're likely vitamin deficient if you eat a lot of this and not a lot of the other good stuff, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and that sort of thing. And when you eat too much and too much of the wrong thing, bingo. You gain weight. And one of the most convenient places for to go is in your belly.

So, to fix it, fix your diet. Cut out the junk food (or at least greatly cut down on it) and load up on healthy food. You want to concentrate on getting fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and a minimal amount of good fats like olive oil. Watch the saturated fats, including those in all animal products. And watch the salt, too, even though it's technically not going to make you gain weight. You may see the numbers drop on the scale when you drop the salt, though, since too much salt can make you retain water.

Next, get out there and exercise. Simply walking for 30 minutes a day by taking the stairs at work, or parking farther away from your work's building and walking are simple ways to work out that aren't going to take much more time out of your day and don't require any "formal" exercise at all. Besides this, also start to focus on modest weight lifting. Simply lifting two cans of soup (one in each hand) when you're sitting on the couch watching TV is one way to begin to build muscle. Muscle is important because it helps burn fat. This means you burn calories even when you're resting once you have some muscle mass.

Finally, get enough sleep. Cortisol levels fall when you feel rested and relaxed, and they rise when you haven't had enough sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you also tend to crave sweet foods and simple carbohydrates, which are bad for you. Most people need at least seven to eight hours a night.

And that's it. Sounds simple, but with a little work (and enough sleep), as well as a good diet, you should get rid of that belly fat, or at least greatly cut down on it.

Dan Weber is a diet and fitness expert. You can find his experiences posted at the get rid of belly fat page. Just follow along as he posts his thoughts about the subject, and learn how to apply them to your life.