How to lose beer belly

As much as you enjoy your Friday night's out with your buddies, if the consequences of your actions, namely, an ever expanding beer belly have gotten you down, it may be time to step forward and do something about before it gets out of control. The most important factor to keep in mind is thataround the abdominal region is going to put you at a much higher risk of overall health problems than fat located in other areas of the body, so it's much more important that you take action and put a stop to your ballooning waistline. Learning how to lose a beer belly doesn't have to be that difficult provided you have a few smart steps in place. Let's go over the most important things that you need to know to get rid of your beer gut for good. Implement these and you'll be on your way to dropping pant sizes faster than ever before.

Step 1: Put A Cap On The Alcohol Consumption

As much as you hate to hear it, the very first and most important step to shrink your belly is the most obvious - cut back on the booze! Now, I realize many of you may not be able to give up the beer cold-turkey. And that's fine. If you want to go out on Friday night for one or two drinks, that shouldn't be a problem as long as you limit yourself. Remember, not only does alcohol contain empty calories, it puts the breaks on your lard-losing efforts. So for every sip of beer you take, the further back you move from achieving your goal - a fat free belly. Think about this next time you're tempted to go order another round.

Step 2: Focus On Intense Physical Activity

The great news about belly fat is that it tends to be more responsive to exercise training than other fat stores in the body. When creating your exercise program, intensity needs to be the name of your game. Focus on short sprint-style sessions for your cardiovascular workouts. Here's an example: Sprint for 20 seconds, jog for 10 seconds and then repeat for a period of four minutes. Do the whole thing three times with three-minute rest interval in-between. This high intensity, stop-start technique accelerates your metabolism and keeps it running in high gear long after you've hit the showers. The result? You eradicate belly fat in half your normal training time and continue to burn fat while you rest and relax.

To get the fastest results you need to pair your cardio workouts with resistance training in the gym. Your focus here should be on performing large, multi-muscle moves that have you working in the 8-10 repetition range. Focus on using compound exercises that work more than one muscle group at once - such as the push up, squat, dead lift, lunge and shoulder press - to produce the greatest overall spike to your metabolic rate. Don't forget to factor in rest throughout the week as well - rest is just as vital to success as the actual exercise sessions are. One day should be taken off completely and 1-2 other days should be devoted to light exercise only.

Step 3: Make a Few Changes to Your Diet

Forget about a totaloverhaul, losing your gut often just requires a few minor tweaks to your diet. What you'll want to do first is double up on your lean protein servings. Protein builds muscle and the more of the the belly-busting tissue you have the easier it will be to get shot of that spare tyre. Get your intake from protein-rich sources such as low-fat dairy, eggs, whey protein powder, lean meat and fish. Second, load up your plate half full with fresh vegetables and legumes at each meal. Lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli and asparagus are all great choices and are chock-full of healthy nutrients your body craves. And don't worry, vegetables are naturally low in calories, so you can eat til your full without worrying about your waistline. Last, you need

Step 4: Stress Less

Feel like some days you're so stressed out that you're 'this close' to losing it? If so, you need to learn some coping techniques that allow you to combat stress safely and effectively. Why? Stress is one of the biggest factors that can accelerate belly fat gain and put your health at risk. Take control by doing activities you enjoy and taking time to exercise regularly. Cardio, gym work and yoga are all great ways to relieve stress and put your mind and body at ease.