06 Jun Five tips to get rid of belly fat below belly button

For many women who exercise regularly, one of their most common questions is, “How do I get rid of the fat below my belly button?” This is especially true for women after having kids.

Here are five tips to trim the midsection and tone up that hard-to-lose belly fat:

1. Reduce your overall body fat – The first thing women need to know is you can’t lose weight in just one area of the body. Some great changes occur in a person’s physique when they can dip below 18-20 percent body fat.

To lose weight effectively and for the long term increase the amount of vegetables, proteins, and good fats you consume and really limit the number of refined carbs in your diet.

2. Reduce liquid calories – Drinking lots of water (8-10 cups a day) is another great way to help lose weight because it will help suppress your appetite.

Cut back liquid calories completely or almost altogether if you’re really serious about toning your midsection. Alcoholic beverages, soda pops, sweetened teas and fancy coffees, should be cut out.

3. Reduce stress hormones – What does this have to do with trimming your belly?

Lots of evidence suggests that people who have excess body fat in their abdominal area are chronically stressed. The stress hormone cortisol is created in more abundance in abdominal fat than other areas of the body and helps trigger fat accumulation there.

There are actually tests you can take to determine your cortisol levels and if they’re found to be high there are ways to safely lower it.

4. Speed up your metabolism – Instead of eating a few big meals each day, eat five to six smaller ones spaced two to three hours apart to rev up your metabolism.

5. Exercise, exercise, exercise – It will take hard work to lose those final pounds to get back to your goal weight, and trim the last fat below your belly button but by doing cardio training on machines such as a treadmill and-or elliptical machine and strength training you should eventually reach your goal.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com