I asked over 4700 Personal Trainers and Fitness Professionals this one question:

“What is your Best Advice for Reducing Belly Fat?”

I stipulated that I wanted a little more than just increasing exercise and reducing calories. After all we know this already right?

I think you will find some interesting answers below, some I agree with and others I’m not so convinced. I’ve also included my answer at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy!

Jessica Rapp, Personal Trainer Unique Physique for Life

Less Stress =Better Sleep=Better Workouts=Cleaner Eating=Reduced Belly Fat & Overall Fat!

1. Don’t sweat the small stuff
2. Aim for 8 hrs of sleep per night… a better rested YOU will be less stressed & less likely to over eat.
3. Physical activity such as metabolic training involving all muscle groups and cardiovascular training into one workout 3-4 times per week.
4. Include one day per week of Core Training for 30-45 min straight. (results are as noticeable in core as very next day)
5. Eat clean, NO processed foods!  Keep calories within your daily allowance!

Visit Jessica’s website: www.uniquephysiqueforlife.com

Sandra O’Hagan, Personal Trainer  So Full of Life

Since you cannot spot reduce belly fat, it is important to reduce fat on your entire body and my recommendations are:

Weight Train, Green Smoothies, Decrease Stress…but wait, there’s more…

 It is essential to reduce processed food and alcohol and consume fresh fruits, vegetables, high quality protein and healthy fats and adding a green smoothie (spinach, fruit, avocado, chia, flax, hemp, ginger, water and any other super foods you like) can provide excellent nutrients, detox and antioxidant properties as well as keep you satiated and provide great energy which will make it easier to say NO to other unhealthy choices.

Ditch the Barbie weights and lift to build muscle and rev up your metabolism.  Do full body workouts combining weight training and cardio into circuit training for an excellent way to blast the fat that collects around your middle.

When you feel great you do great and that helps you eliminate the stress that can cause you to hold belly fat.

Visit Sandra’s website: www.sofulloflife.com

Rose Scott, Health & Wellness Coach and Personal Trainer

1. The first and foremost is that you must have the right mindset and really want to achieve this goal.
2. Proper nutrition is vital as what we eat reflects what we become, “we are what we eat” therefore eat healthfully of good sources of protein, vegetables and limit fat, carbohydrates and eliminate sugar in all of its forms.
3. Sleep is important for regeneration of cells and body metabolism.  People that do not obtain adequate sleep binge late at night on unhealthy food.
4. High interval intensity exercises burn fat.  Also try doing other exercises such as planks and core strengtheners that force you to “suck in that gut”.

Visit Rose’s website: www.riseabovewithrose.com

Alex Robinson, Personal Trainer Twickenham

Exercise and Diet will in most people get results, and specific’s can be altered to achieve perhaps greater results, although frankly this method is a bit ‘hit and miss’. If a client is paying a premium for a service to reduce specifically belly fat then a programme taking into account their Oestrogen levels, one which will promote the storage of fat cells in the abdomen, how well their gut is functioning and testing their Cortisol, Leptin and Ghrelin levels will make sure your client achieves outstanding results.

Visit Alex’s Website: www.stokehealth.com

Nadja Lewis, Personal Trainer Los Angeles

Change your diet (eating patterns) and your exercise routine (if you have one).  Cut down on salt and sugar intake, increase w/foods that will keep you feeling ‘full’ for longer such as veggies, fruit, and include some fiber.

Get enough sleep and handle your stress (don’t let it handle you).  Stress sometimes leads one to turn to ‘comfort foods’…instead drink more water.

Exercise FREQUENTLY…and CONSISTENTLY.  It’s nice to ‘tighten’ up your abs/stomach muscles, however working the core (the plank is an EXCELLENT exercise) really helps to ‘shape’/reduce your belly fat if done CORRECTLY.

Visit Nadja’s website: www.fitnessbynadjalewis.com

Angela Hope, Pre & Post Natal Fitness Specialist Ipswich

To begin reducing belly fat immediately: Eat clean – cut refined carbs, caffeine, alcohol and processed food from your diet. Sleep well – have 8 hours good quality sleep every night. Stay hydrated – drink at least 2 litres of filtered or bottled water daily. Exercise regularly – be consistent but mix it up, just have fun!

Visit Angela’s website: www.hopefitness.co.uk

Pete Luffman, Bristol Personal Trainer and Kettlebell Club

My top tip to reduce belly fat is to take longer breaks between eating meals, effectively going into a semi short fast. During this fasting period wonderful things will happen to your body, like switching to burning fat to fuel your activity, stabilise hormone secretion, improving insulin sensitivity, and a whole host of other health benefits. 

Plan your exercise sessions to commence towards the end of this fasting period to further enhance your results. Bare in mind this will only work if you are currently eating to support your metabolism, eating from natural whole food sources (no junk or fast food), and you are controlling portion size.

Visit Pete’s website: www.mybristolpersonaltrainer.com

Joey Shillolo, Personal Trainer Canada

Eliminate sugar and manage your carbohydrate intake.  Fat loss is a hormonal process and I teach all my clients to understand the role of insulin as the chief mediator of fat storage.  Knowing what foods have the greatest impact on insulin (ie simple sugars and processed carbohydrates) is key to loosing belly fat and keeping it off.

Visit Joey’s website: www.js3pt.com

Tracy Steen, Inside Out Fitness

Increase your metabolism, and your body will burn fat FOR you! The #1 way to do that? Increase your lean muscle tissue.  In other words, pump some iron ladies!

Visit Tracy’s website: www.insofit.com

Mr. America Jason Kozma, Los Angeles Personal Training

First you’ll need to eliminate all simple carbohydrates from your diet while you are trying to reduce belly fat.  This includes not just candy and alcohol, but fruit, juice and carbs that break down quickly like pasta and bread.

For exercise, you’ll of course need a full weight training and cardio regimen. Add fat burning cardio for an hour 6 days per week and you should train your abs with 3-4 exercises, 3-4 sets each, 3 times per week on nonconsecutive days.

Visit Jason’s website: www.lapersonaltrainer.com

Michael Caulo, Personal Trainer and Certified Fitness Nutritionist

Most people know that exercising and eating clean will help reduce body fat.  Sometimes exercise and eating the right foods aren’t enough especially when dealing with reducing fat in the mid section.  Now I’m not here saying that you can target fat loss because that is not how the body works , but you can guide your body in the right direction by doing the right things.  

If eating clean and exercise aren’t enough you can add supplements into your nutrition plan that can aid in metabolizing fat which will help burn fat off your body and thus reducing the fat on your belly.

Two supplements that have been associated with breaking down stored fat and allowing it to be used for energy are gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and L-carnitine (Amino Acid).  Both allow for your body to use its fat cells as a source of energy instead of your carbohydrate intake for the day which only burns food eaten that day but doesn’t directly break down and lose fat on your body.

Visit Michael’s website: www.lifeofafighter.com

Rich Blackburn, Personal Trainer Harrogate and Martial Artist

Change your breakfast to a protein breakfast.

Carbohydrates such as cereals for example, have a strong effect on your body’s insulin production, especially after a period of fasting (sleeping).

Your Insulin levels spike, and sugars are drawn out of the blood and stored  elsewhere as fat.

By having a protein breakfast you are starting your fat burning furnace, but not spiking your Insulin levels.

Visit Rich’s website: www.360totalfitness.co.uk

Igor Toronto, Personal Trainer

Balance your hormones

Your Hormones determine your body fat much more than calories (although calories still count). The first steps to balancing hormones are to improve your nutrition, manage your stress better, and improve the health of your digestive system.

Take care of those 3 things, and you’re well on your way to a flatter belly.

Visit Igor’s website: www.TorontoFitnessOnline.com

Chris Janke-Bueno, Personal Trainer My Core Balance

My recommendation is to focus on health first and fitness second. For the workouts, I highly recommend high intensity interval training. But what you do on your off days is probably more important. When you’re exercising at a high intensity, recovery is key.

Drink at least 1/2 gallon of water a day. Eat a huge salad daily for lunch. Take warm baths and try to relax. Get to bed by 10:30. And perhaps most importantly: make sure you’re doing some sort of balancing exercises, whether its Yoga, Pilates, or Core Balance to ensure that you don’t overtrain.

Visit Chris’ website: www.mycorebalance.com

Brian Underwood, FMS Expert and Nutritional Specialist

I’ve competed in 3 Natural bodybuilding shows so honestly, it’s 100% diet!  I don’t honestly agree with calories in, calories out because I feel that any excess protein will turn into waste and excreted.  I could have 3 twinkies all day and yes, I’d lose wait but if you continue this practice you’ll begin to lose LBM bc your body will go into starvation mode. Those are also empty calories with low amino acid profile. 

Amino acids should be the #1 macronutrient ingested for any goal.   Yes, your activities of daily living are important too.  Moving rather than sitting will help facilitate the weight loss.

Bryna Carracino, Personal Trainer

The best way to reduce belly fat is controlling what foods you put in your Body. 80% of getting fit and staying there is food consumption. The other 20% is exercise…  I tell my clients you want a six pack eat clean! Don’t eat anything from a bag, can or box. Eat unprocessed foods, Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, good fats and whole grains. Keep it balanced keep it clean.

Visit Bryna’s website: www.itrainwithbryna.com

Heather Lowe HBK, CPT, CFC Personal Trainer at Heat Fitness

The best way to help reduce belly fat is by eating less dairy and breads. These foods go straight to your abdomen and make you look bloated. By avoiding these foods in your diet you will see a great improvement to your stomach.

For the best exercise, I would say the plank as it targets all of the muscles in the abdomen and helps to keep the rest of your body strong 🙂

Visit Heather’s website: www.Heat-Fitness.vpweb.ca

Lucy Howlett, Personal Trainer

My top tip for reducing belly fat is to have a daily greens drink. I use one which contains wheatgrass, alfalfa, barley grass and peppermint, both for myself and with my clients. As well as many other benefits, greens drinks help digestion and alkalise the body, making it more efficient at removing toxins and excess fat.

I had a small, stubborn patch of fat around my belly button for years, despite training hard and eating well. Adding a greens drink helped make a difference and my stomach became flatter. This of course needs to work alongside training wisely, using full body movements and functional training, keeping stress levels low, getting enough sleep and keeping a watchful eye on your diet.

Visit Lucy’s website: www.lucyhowlett.co.uk

Vit Müller, Personal trainer / Group Fitness Instructor / SYDNEY

If you are struggling with that stubborn belly fat and you’ve tried everything but nothing seems to work (especially doing those 1000 sit ups you keep doing 🙂 – spot reducing doesn’t work! )  try this , move your body across more joint than one – focus on Compound exercises as they are the best to increase your metabolism which aids with fat burn .

Exercises like Squats, Push ups, Pull ups, Dead lifts, Turkish get ups for example. Now mix this kind of resistance training with some HIIT (High intensity interval training) on your other days and you are on the right path to loose that stubborn fat.

Off course not to forget the importance of healthy eating and healthy sleep otherwise all the hard work get wasted. My best advice is to hire a qualified trainer who will guide you through proper technique and keeps you motivated shall you struggle.

Visit Chris’ website: www.vitfit.com.au

Paul Edgar, Personal Trainer Body and Mind Fitness Company

Don’t follow the latest weight loss diet. The reality is that only 2% of weight loss diets (eat less, exercise more principle) are successful for long-term health [all diets have their benefits but the reality is that they are all high-fad diets where the weight loss is not sustainable. There is no diet that is going to be the perfect diet for everybody

Look at what you are eating and when you are eating it. Why do we become obese? Generally, it is to do with ALL of the following: The quality of food we eat, The amount and type of calories, The type of fats and carbohydrates

When you eat makes a difference. It is ALL of the following:

• The type, balance and quality of carbohydrates, protein and fats
• The amount of fibre
• The type of phytonutrients (plant chemicals)
• The vitamins and minerals
• The timing of meals and portion sizes
• The frequency of meals

Control your stress levels. If you don’t subdue stress, you’ll have more visceral fat due to an increase in the stress-hormone cortisol, which means more inflammation and therefore more obesity. The body shuts down your digestion under stress and the blood goes to the muscles, brain, heart and lungs for the fight or flight response

Build up your muscle by incorporating strength training into your workouts. Muscle burns 70 times more calories than fat so when you lose weight (i.e. on a restrictive diet), you lose muscle and fat – when you put the weight back on, it is just fat and this burns 70 times fewer calories than muscle so you need fewer calories to maintain the same weight.

Visit Paul’s website:  www.bodyandmindfitnesscompany.co.uk

Brian Danley, CFT Personal Trainer

Reducing abdominal fat requires a combination of intense anaerobic circuit training (i.e., upper-lower body circuit), short high-intensity cardio interval training (HIIT), and a healthy, clean diet of minimally-processed foods.  Training legs at a relatively high-intensity level (e.g., 70% 1-RM) while performing circuits can go a long way toward leaning out one’s midsection.  

Rest durations between sets should be fairly brief (e.g., less than 2 minutes) to stoke the metabolic rate intra- and post-workout.  HIITs of up to 20 minutes incorporating intervals of 30s to 1-minute intervals is ideal.

Bottom line:  Living the lifestyle of eating healthy, working out regularly, and sleeping well are the keys to being lean and in fighting condition!

Visit Brian’s website: www.briandanleyfitness.com 

Angela Sladen-de Rox, CNC, RSNA, Weight Management Expert

Eat a minimum of 4 cups (pushed down and packed) of a mixed salad (minimum 6 different veggies: eg. lettuce, sprouts, tomatoes, cumber, red onion, celery, red, green or yellow pepper, snow peas, etc.) AND a minimum of 2 cups of steamed mixed veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) EVERYDAY.

Visit Angela’s website: www.totalhealthmethod.com

Mike Esparza, Personal Trainer

Don’t think you only need to do stomach exercises, you’ll be greatly disappointed. If you really just want to focus on losing stomach fat, do full body weight training with light weight for higher reps and do lots and lots of cardio. If you have an hour to train, do 20 minutes of weights with short rest periods followed by 40 minutes on non-stop cardio.

You can throw in some stomach exercises every night before you go to sleep. If you do this 5 days a week mixed with a healthy diet you’ll get good results. Don’t be the person to do 1000 crunches every day and expect to lose your stomach. You’ll just go from having a fat belly to having a strong fat belly.

Visit Mike’s website: www.yourbody-yourgoals.com

Anna Ferguson, Personal Trainer, Lifestyle Coach & Nutritionist

1. Water!!! It’s an old one but true!! You can guarantee if a person is dehydrated they will be carrying a few pounds. I’ve seen it time and time again when using my body analysing scales. So get drinking.

2. Sleep, it’s amazing how a lack of sleep and poor quality sleep can really get the body storing fat. I have seen clients go to bed 1-2hrs earlier every night for a week and lose up to 5lbs. The body needs that rest and recovery. It resets the body and metabolism, and also helps people be mentally ready to make healthy choices. When tired its all too easy to reach for convenience foods.

3. Regular exercise. Consistency and persistence will win the day every time whatever you do. People are often sporadic with training and also healthy eating. Binge and starve or hard training verses nothing, just shocks the body. The clients that are in the best shape have trained regularly and consistently their whole lives. Make exercise like combing your hair or brushing your teeth, a habit that is impossible to break.

4. Focus on metabolism. You need only a very small amount of iodine in your diet that helps the function of the thyroid gland. Increase your oily fish and green leafy veg especially spinach will give you a boost and help burn that belly fat, at rest and during exercise. If struggling as you don’t like fish or green leafy veg then maybe you can try a kelp supplement.

5. Reduce stress now….. When cortisol (stress) is high in the body, the body will lay down fat around the middle. “They say” it takes 10secs to get stressed and 12 hrs to come down from that. If that is true we could get stressed a couple of times a day and become a fat storing machine. So take time out to breathe, meditate and relax every day….. This is as important as exercise and healthy eating and the one thing people tend to over look. If you want to reduce belly fat chill out!!!

Visit Anna’s website: www.fitness-fusion.co.uk

Mark Beard, Personal Trainer

In most adults who are overweight, the protruding belly is often due mostly to visceral fat. This is fat that has built up over a period and surrounds the stomach and other organs causing a swell at the abdomen. This fat is different to the subcutaneous fat that sits just below the dermis and is evenly distributed all over the body within fat cells.

Visceral fat is usually a direct result of poor eating habits over a sustained period and it can be more difficult to shift than subcutaneous fat. The methods for achieving this are however much the same as for sub C fat and rely upon the clients reducing their simple sugar intake, ensuring that most of their carbs are in the form of medium-to-low GI carbs and that intake of carbs generally is reduced/tapered towards the end of the day.

Whilst body fat generally cannot be attributed to fat intake. a build up of visceral fat may well be as a consequence of both saturated fat intake and simple sugars. In any weight loss campaign it is commonly accepted that the calorific intake will be of significantly more consequence than exercise.

However, it is important to stress that regular high intensity interval training ( for fat burning) combined with resistance training for the development and improvement of muscle density (for sustainable calorie burning) should not be overlooked and should be part of a balanced exercise and  weight loss programme. I would also add that any serious attempt at weight loss generally will be considerably less successful without also cutting back on alcohol intake as alcohol can impede a person’s metabolism by up to 70%.

Visit Mark’s website: www.get-me-fit.co.uk

Stuart Seymour, Personal Trainer

1. Eat breakfast….Most people neglect breakfast thinking they will lose weight, but eating a healthily breakfast helps your insulin levels thus helping keep your LDL cholesterol (bad) levels low.

2. De-stress….. when stressed the body produces a hormone called cortisol which increases body fat

3.Aim to increase exercise- just walking 10,000 steps a day really helps

4.Switch to wholegrain foods

5.Drink plenty of water… Drink water through out the day can lead to a more active metabolism. Aim for 2 – 2.5 litres a day.

Visit Stuart’s website: www.motiv8personaltraining.co.uk

Lamar Mckay, Personal Trainer NY

The best means of reducing fat is to increase the intensity of gross motor function exercises.For example the cornerstone of many of my training programs is the deadlift.

The deadlift when done properly is recruit nearly if not all of the muscles in the body utilizing a mixture of anaerobic and aerobic muscle fiber. The body to reacts when placed under a significant amount of stress . To paraphrase a 80’s video game “Evolve or Die.

For most of us we know what foods are a bad choice for our health. Nutritionally we are what we eat. Unfortunately many of us eat because food is available as opposed to eating for their needs.

Learning to eat to serve the bodies needs versus gluttony is the obstacle some will struggle with. And for others the details become more refined when we come to understand food sensitivities and allergies.

Visit Lamar’s website: www.mckaystrength.com

Pamela Brown, Personal Trainer Peak Success Fitness

The resistance workout should consist of multi-joint exercises using short rest periods (less than a minute) and non-competing exercises (i.e.,supersets, circuit workouts) using challenging weight.

This should be followed by interval training, whether it’s cardio intervals, aerobic intervals, or sprint intervals, or body weight circuits from 10-25 minutes (depending on what you do).

Consume healthy fats, low-glycemic carbs, and lean meats at regular intervals throughout the day along with plenty of water (at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces.

Visit Pamela’s website: www.peak2successfitness.com

Ed Ley, Personal Trainer Absolute Health and Fitness

The reduction of Belly fat is a mine field of possibilities. This question highlights perfectly why diets don’t work. A blanket reduction in belly fat is possible to achieve but how best to achieve belly fat loss can vary dramatically from one person to another.

We know that a post menopause woman will require a different intervention to a 25 year old male. There are a thousand different lifestyle, genetic and health related considerations when it comes to losing belly fat. Different hormones are at work and blanket prescriptions can be careless.

What becomes confusing in the world of nutrition is that people feel the need to narrow down to specific foods and micro and marco- nutrients yet the world provides us with evidence to the contrary.
Populations closer to the equator seem to thrive well on a diet close to 60% carbohydrate, the further from the equator we move the more fat and protein dense a diet seems to become and many populations seem to thrive under these circumstances.

To take a blanket approach to losing belly fat I would recommend lifestyle changes above any targeted method.

Visit Ed’s website: www.absolute-health.co.uk

Amanda Wright, Personal Trainer

1. Get motivated, be committed and determined to make a lifestyle change.
2. Set realistic goals
3. Eat clean, at least most of the time
4. Variety is the Spice of Life

Visit Amanda’s website:  www.mw-pt.co.uk

Conor Doherty, Personal Trainer Star Factory Fitness

The best way that I’ve come across to burn belly fat involves a combination of a high protein and moderate carbohydrate diet and the use of interval training.

I’ve tried many different food and nutrient combinations and I always seem to lose the most fat when I make sure that each meal consists of a high quality protein source like a chicken breast, egg whites, or lean ground beef as well as including a bunch of different veggies with each meal. I find that spinach is the easiest veggie to include in my diet because I can pack a bunch of it in a shake and not even taste it, and I always use it for salads.

As for training, I train athletes, so my focus and training always comes with performance in sports in the back of my mind. An awesome way to help burn belly fat is to run intervals either on the treadmill, on the slideboard (I train mostly hockey players), or through kettlebell swings. The after effect of interval training is a lot different than steady state cardio because your metabolism is firing on all cylinders hours after an interval workout, where as a steady state cardio workout doesn’t provide that effect on the body. I’ve had the most success burning belly fat with that combination of nutrition and exercise.

Visit Coner’s website: www.starfactoryfitness.com

Renee McLaughlin, Certified Health Coach

Looking to blast belly fat?  Excess belly fat is a signal your body isn’t processing your food (particularly high glycemic carbs) efficiently.  It can also mean your liver is getting tired and toxic!  What to do? Learn how to eat to balance your blood sugar.  Blood sugar gets balanced by eating 5 – 6 small, balanced (balance of lean protein/low glycemic carb) mini meals a day.  This will allow your body to balance blood sugar and turn off that insulin pump that makes you hungry, tired, cranky and craving sweets.  It will also allow your body to shift into a “belly fat burning” mode.

Visit Renee’s website: www.healthcoachforsuccess.com

Levon Basso, Personal Trainer Superhuman Fitness

In addition to exercising more, I tell my clients to try and change first the things that are the most easiest to change (as opposed to attempting to turn everything in your world upside down and trying to change everything at once, which is very difficult to sustain).

When it comes to food, one thing I suggest to my clients is to switch out the dishes in their kitchen cabinets. Rather than a full-sized dinner plate, only make smaller plates or bowls available to yourself too eat off of. I’ve tried this myself and I was surprised at how satisfied I felt, despite how much less I obviously ate than I usually do.

And going back to the rationale of change that I mentioned – this is an easy first step as there’s no food changes involved, no re-making your refrigerator contents. Just simply eat less, and a smaller dish is an easy way to ensure this, especially if it’s the only option in your cupboard!

Visit Levon’s website: www.superhuman-fitness.com

Chris Hitchko, Personal Trainer Show Up Fitness

The million dollar question is, “What is the best way to reduce belly fat?” My students and clients ask it daily, “How do I lose my gut, spare tire or beer belly?” In the end, they all want that goddess and/or herculean shape! My answer usually mystifies them, “When do you think you were in the best shape of your life?” So begins the much needed thought process for clients to understand that this goal will take time.

The average person was in the best shape of their life in high school or in the beginning of college – before their freshman beer drinking days! If you‘re in your 40’s, that means you have treated your body like crap for over twenty years. If you are close to retirement, that means you have probably had unhealthy habits for almost 4 decades!

We continually set unrealistic goals that usually result in failure. I have been a trainer for almost 10 years and have been teaching personal trainers for over three. My mantra is tough love. You either  show up, listen and put in the hard work, or continue to be unhealthy and fat. The USA is an inactive nation that sets unrealistic fitness and health goals! Many of us do not comprehend that the best way to decrease the giggle in your pants is via realistic goals and proper behaviour modification.

You need to begin with exercising a minimum of five days a week – three of those days should be full-body workouts with weights. One day needs to focus on higher intense cardio or an aerobics class. The last day can be Pilates, yoga or functional movements such as push-ups, lunges, jumps or using a TRX. Once you have jolted your fat butt into gear by exercising more; begin the behaviour modification via nutrition.

You need to eat breakfast and drink ½ of your body weight in water daily! It is unacceptable to have two-three large meals a day. Now is the time to eat 5-6 small meals spread out every 2-3 hours. The consumption of vegetable and fruits needs to increase to fight off all of the bad chemicals we have been ingesting for the previous 10 – 30 years. Implement these few bullet points of exercising, changing your habits and you will have entered the precise realm for reducing belly fat.

The results depend on you deliberately modifying your behaviour and continuing with this lifestyle for the rest of your life!

Visit Chris’s website: www.showupfitness.com

Olly Hermon-Taylor, Personal Trainer Lean Green Human Being

The best way to reduce belly fat is to find a strong enough REASON to make the changes to your diet and lifestyle you’re going to need to make in order to burn fat, flatten your stomach and build a lean, toned body.

What’s going to get you out of bed in the morning when it’s dark and cold and help you fight the sugar cravings when they start to sink their teeth in around week 3?

The answer is a big, powerful, emotional reason to want to change. Something stronger than will power and self-discipline that will fuel you to reach your goals, whatever life throws in your way.

Find YOUR big reason and then make the following, simple changes for 30-Days:

1. Eat NO “Bad Carbs” (bread, pasta, white potatoes, white rice, cakes, pastries. Avoid the white or beige stodge).
2. Walk EVERY DAY for 20 – 60 minutes. Leave your phone, ipod, ipad etc. behind and walk in nature (field, park, woods).
3. Lift Weights. Start with the basics: squats, lunges, pushes, pulls, bends, twists and keep it simple. Hire a good personal trainer if you’re a beginner.

Visit Olly’s website: www.leangreenhumanbeing.com 

Becky White, Personal Trainer

My best advice for reducing belly fat is to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrate is the body’s preferred energy supply and can be found in foods such as bread, cereals, pasta, sweets, fruit etc. Carbohydrates are not ‘bad’ but in order to burn fat we need to replace carbohydrates with protein & healthy fats. Carbohydrates are also NON-ESSENTIAL to the body so there is no harm in removing them from your diet.

A low-carbohydrate diet should be a way of life and not a short-term fix. Here’s a typical day’s food plan: breakfast – 3 egg omelette with mushrooms & tomatoes or some meat. snack – 1 handful of nuts and an apple. lunch – chicken breast & avocado salad. snack – cottage cheese with chopped carrot, celery & peppers. dinner – salmon fillet with lots of steamed green vegetables. snack – natural yogurt with pumpkin seeds.

Visit Becky’s facebook page: onesixeightfitness

Antony Phillips, Personal Trainer AWP Fitness International

Reducing belly fat is best accomplished with a combination of proven techniques. First, and foremost, is proper nutrition. No matter the clients age, or respective metabolism, this is priority #1. It would be beneficial to measure RMR (resting metabolic rate) to get the exact daily caloric requirement. Then daily meals can be planned using this figure, minus no more than 20% of this figure to create a caloric deficit.

Note: this does not take into consideration a person who is exercising, which requires a caloric bump equivalent to the need to be effective. Meals should be spaced out at no more than 3 hrs. This can work as 4-6 meals per day.

Foods to avoid: I like the saying “if it’s white, don’t bite!”. This applies to products with flour, sugar, dairy, white rice & potatoes. These tend to be high glycemic creating blood sugar spikes, and thus fat deposits when inactive. Consume ‘clean’ proteins, ‘power’ greens, and ‘good’ fats. Next, and equally important, is hydration. For an inactive individual, 1/2 the total body equivalent in ounces of water per day will provide appropriate hydration.

The metabolic equation for fat loss requires proper hydration. The remaining tools, and least important, are increasing muscle mass & cardio activity. Increased muscle mass burns more calories during exercise as well as when at rest.

Remember, it is not possible to train properly without proper fuel at the right time. Most are genetically programmed to deposit fat in the mid-section first, and it is the last place the body will retain it when leaning out. Patience & resolve are vital. Good luck.

Visit Antony’s website: www.area44.com

Greg Brookes, Holistic Health, Fitness & Wellbeing Coach

We are all unique both inside and out. The huge array of diet and fitness books is testament to the fact that just one standised blueprint does not work. If you really want to lose your belly then you need to look inwards. You need to connect with your dreams, motivations and desires. You need to discover what really makes you tick. This is the true essence of happiness and ultimate secret to achieving a healthy looking body.

The biggest reason why most people can’t lose their belly is not usually down to the advice given but more to do with adherence. People just give up!

Your first step should be to develop a habit, the habit should be small, simple and manageable.

Second you need to look at effectiveness. What small habit will have the biggest impact on your belly? Exercise doesn’t even come close to nutrition when it comes down to reducing belly fat so my advice is to develop a small nutrition habit. Reduce sugar intake, eat more protein, go gluten free, avoid dairy etc. All these options can be broken down further into manageable habits. e.g.. Avoid eating wheat for lunch, reduce sugar in tea and coffee etc.

Develop small habits slowly and add to them day by day week by week. Once nutrition is in order start adding exercise. Try one exercise per day, like Squats, Push Ups etc. Again think about effectiveness and adherence!

Finally, anchor your innermost desires, motivations and dreams to your healthy lifestyle. Work on your nutrition to improve the lives of your kids. Improve your health to better enjoy life with your partner, family and friends. Nothing can stop the strongest desires of a man or woman who’s acting from within and following their dreams.

Over to You

What do you think of these answers? What are you going to do to reduce your Belly in 2013?