Excess belly fat can be attributed to many things including menopause, beer, and food consumption, but the health risks are the same, regardless of the cause. Breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just three of the many health concerns attributed to too much belly fat. The worst part of this problem is not the visible fat but the deep fat surrounding the abdominal organs. The good news is that you can improve this problem by following some simple steps. Let's look at a few of the now.

There is no substitute for eating healthy foods in healthy amounts! Make it a priority to learn about food pyramid recommendations, nutrition fact labels, and proper portion sizes. Study this information, commit it to memory, and practice it on a daily basis.

Water should be your main source of hydration! Skim milk and unsweetened tea are acceptable as well, but sweet drinks and drinks containing artificial sweeteners, should be saved for very special occasions. Severely limit all sweet food choices. They provide no nutritional value and slow weight loss.

Probably the single most important factor in the battle against belly fat is an exercise program! Weight training and target exercises should be two components, but the cardio workout is by far the most important. A minimum of thirty minutes each day should be spent sweating, huffing and puffing! Running, biking, playing basketball, jumping rope, swimming laps...all can be good cardio workouts.

Limiting or eliminating stress is imperative! The hormone cortisol is released during stress, and researchers believe that it stimulates the storage of fat around the abdomen and belly. They determined that a fat belly is most likely to develop in stressed men of any age, and older stressed women!

While other steps exist to aid in the elimination of this condition, these are by far the most significant ones. It takes several months for the physical benefits to be evident, so patience is a must! Following these steps consistently can eliminate or greatly reduce dangerous belly fat.