How to Burn Belly Fat Into Muscle

That extra coat of fat over the belly can be embarrassing and a potential health risk. The Harvard Medical School states that high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease can result from excess fat around your midsection. Along with diet and exercise, there are other behavioral modifications that can help you shed belly fat and reveal strong abdominal muscles.

Woman doing situps (Image: Dean Mitchell/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Tighten your abdominals with targeted exercises. Ab crunches, bicycle crunches, sit-ups, trunk twists and side bends work all of your major ab muscles. Do not try to use this for spot reduction; these exercises tone your muscles underneath the fat. Aim for abdominal strength training three days a week.

Step 2

Do cardio exercise to blast the belly fat covering your muscles. Any activity you enjoy such as swimming, elliptical training, kickboxing, jogging or brisk walking will increase heart rate, burn calories and eventually burn away excess fat. Aim for at least 30 to 45 minutes of cardio training, five days a week.

Step 3

Manage stress levels to eliminate belly fat. Stress is a precursor to increase fat around the waist so you should find an activity that encourages relaxation. Some of these include deep breathing techniques, yoga, meditation and sitting in a sauna or steam room.

Step 4

Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins. According to the Mayo Clinic, our bodies are composed of 60 percent water and we should drink a minimum of eight 8 oz glasses daily. Water also helps you feel more satiated and reduces the likelihood of binge eating.

Step 5

Eat five or six small meals a day. Rather than starving for several hours and gorging on a couple of meals each day, eat more frequently to regulate blood sugar levels, inhibit cortisol production and keep your metabolism revved up through the day.