Measured your waist lately? If not, you may want to consider pulling out a measuring tape and getting it done. If your waist is 35 or more inches for women or 40 or more inches for men, you could be carrying a dangerous amount of abdominal fat.

Research shows that belly, or subcutaneous, fat can increase your risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, dementia, stroke, type 2 diabetes, asthma, migraines and certain types of cancer.

So how can you get rid of belly fat?

  • Cut the sugar. Stop drinking soda, fruit juices and other sugary drinks. Limit your alcohol consumption and avoid refined carbs like white bread and rice.
  • Love your fruits and veggies. Get plenty of fiber and leafy greens to keep the digestive system moving along.
  • Get moving. A combination of strength training and cardio are very effective in getting rid of belly fat. Lifting weight increases bone and lean muscle mass. Try full-body workouts with light to moderate weight. Cardio burns fat and muscle, so limit your cardio workouts to 30 minutes. Walking briskly, sprints or high intensity interval training are good ways to get your cardio in.
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