How Cardio Helps You Lose A Jelly-Belly

If you're trying to lose belly fat, cardio exercise is just one of the things you need in your weight loss toolbox. The trouble is figuring out how much you need, how hard to work and the best cardio exercises. Your first step in setting up an effective cardio program is to learn just what it can do for your body.

You already know that you lose stomach fat when you burn more calories than you eat. The best way to do that is with a combination of cardio, strength training and a healthy diet. But, the cornerstone of most weight loss programs is cardio, cardio, cardio.

• It helps you burn more calories in one sitting. Getting your heart rate up means your blood is pumping, you're breathing hard, you're sweating and burning calories.
• With many cardio exercises, you can burn 100 to 500 calories depending on how hard you work, how long you exercise and how much you weigh.
• Burning calories with exercise means you don't have to cut as many calories from your diet.
• You can do cardio exercise most days of the week without worrying about injury or over training.

Since cardio is important for weight loss, you should choose the routine you are most comfortable doing on a regular basis and stick with it. Remember, persistance is critical in reaching your goal of losing unwanted belly fat.