There are so many ads out there that tout a spice or a pill as the answer to all of your body fat issues. One a day, and the flab goes away…you've heard this, right?

The question is, do you really want to be serious and lose fat, especially belly fat?

The first and most important thing to know is this…fat is fat. In order to reduce fat anywhere on your body, you have to burn it off. This involves either a reduced caloric intake, exercise or ideally…both.

Spot fat burning, i.e., doing abs exercises to burn fat off your abs, is not THE way to burn fat per se, but it can go a long way in helping you obtain the flat belly that you want. The reason it is not the magic bullet is this…it IS exercise, but it does not usually get your heart rate up into a fat-burning mode (no matter how quickly you can crank out those sit-ups).

If you really want to burn belly fat, one of your best bets is an overall cardio workout. (this can be running, fast walking, stair climbing, jumping rope, etc.).

Another great way would be interval training (which you can do either as cardio, or in a weight-training session). Interval training (training at moderate speeds, then jumping up to a higher speed, and coming back down to a moderate speed repeatedly) helps you to burn fat and calories well after your workout is done, lending to great results!

Why would you want to do ab workouts then if your goal is to burn fat?

Well, once you strip away that body fat (and you CAN do it), you'll want those muscles underneath (the ones that truly are what you're seeing when you see six-pack abs) to look beautiful!

Not only will abs exercises help you achieve this, but also you'll notice that, even when you're not at your goal of burning off all the fat you wish to, your tightened muscles will help you to hold that remaining fat in, providing you with a leaner look. AND, and added benefit…your abs are part of your core.

A strong core is GREAT for overall health and fitness…something that's always good to focus on for overall health and fitness, yet something that often is overlooked.

Are there certain foods that contribute to belly fat, and some that you can eat to help you towards your goal of six pack abs? Absolutely! Fructose is a big no-no for achieving a flat belly. Coconut oil may actually help in your goal!

Remember in all of this…you MUST burn fat in order to have the lean abs that you want. However, don't skip your ab workout and ONLY focus on fat burning. Strengthening your ab muscles not only will help you to achieve the look you do want, but your strong core will lend to overall health and fitness…an added bonus to looking great!

There are certain foods that can actually DIRECTLY help eliminate belly fat. Learn more about these foods here…

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