Losing weight and keeping belly fat in check is about more than vanity. It’s about living a long, healthy life. One of the biggest predictors of cardiac death can be as simple as your waist measurement. What’s the ideal waist circumference? It’s a simple number that compares to your height to waist ratio….you want your waist to be less than half of your height. If it’s not, you’re at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related ailments compared to those who carry their weight in their hips, buns, and thighs.

The string test is an easy way to indicate your height to waist ratio. Here’s how to do it…

Try the String Test

• Cut a string to the length of your height
• Fold it in half and wrap it around your waist
• If the ends of the string overlap, then your waist is less than half of your height…right where you want to be!

If the string is snug, you’re not alone. In fact, two-thirds of all women are affected by abdominal obesity. If you’re a woman, you fall in this category if you have a waistline of more than 35 inches. For men, abdominal obesity is defined as a waistline of more than 40 inches.

To outsmart belly fat, check out Flat Abs Over 40, a step-by-step 8-week workout and eating plan… LEARN MORE ABOUT FLAT ABS OVER 40

Remember… Not all fat is created equal! There are two types of fat, subcutaneous and visceral. Knowing the differences between the two is an important factor in understanding how to shed the pounds!

SUBCUTANEOUS FAT is the soft, fleshy fat just beneath the surface of the skin. That’s the fat where you can “pinch an inch,” but it’s also that fat that we can lose most quickly through diet and exercise.

VISCERAL FAT – The more dangerous type of fat is called visceral fat…It’s associated with a variety of health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and sleep difficulties. Visceral fat is located underneath the abdominal wall, that’s marbled through your muscles, organs and intestines. Imagine the marbling in a ribeye steak.

If the ends of your string still have a few inches to go, here are 2 ways to combat belly fat:

1. Prep For The Week 

The key to healthy eating is to plan out your week. When you prepare your meals throughout the week, you keep down both your expenses and preparation time. I like to carve out Sundays as a day to prepare extra chicken breasts and freeze for the upcoming week. During this time, it’s also helpful to chop up veggies for fresh and tasty salads. Put these ingredients in mason jars and store in the refrigerator, so when it comes time to eat your lunch, all you have to do is pull out your pre-cut veggies, put on your chicken breasts, and within a few minutes, your lunch is made! Try out this recipe:

On-The-Go Quinoa Mason Jar Salad

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
1/3 C. zucchini
1/3 C. red peppers
1/4 C. peas
1/4 C. radishes
1/3 C. cooked quinoa
1/2 C. spinach

Directions:
In the bottom of the mason jar, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard and honey. Mix together until the oil and vinegar combine. Layer in zucchini, red peppers, peas, radishes, quinoa and spinach.

2 – Go For Broke with HIIT

It’s possible to burn fat, particularly that stubborn visceral fat, with HIIT training. One study compared two groups of exercisers….one group did HIIT training three days a week, and the other group did low-intensity exercise for five days a week. After 16 weeks, the group that participated in HIIT training lost more abdominal fat…both visceral and subcutaneous fat.

HIIT is a simple concept. After warming up, push yourself with bursts of high intensity, then pull back the intensity to a steady state. Burst…then pull back, and repeat. This type of training will help burn the fat on your body, including your belly, in the fastest time. These workouts push you out of your comfort zone, and that’s when change starts to happen…in your workouts, your body, and your weight.

Ready to beat belly fat, save time, and up the ante? Check out this 10-min HIIT routine!