What can I do to lose weight around my stomach?

HERE IS A QUESTION I GET ALMOST EVERY WEEK...hopefully this will clear some of the confusion.

Q: What can I do to lose weight around my stomach? I've been doing lots of crunches but they don't seem to help. A: There is no way to target weight loss to a specific area of the body because your body decides where it wants to put on weight and where it wants to take it off (genetics). The midsection is a common "problem" area for many people, especially for females. :( The best way to lose fat is through exercise (both strength training & cardiovascular) & diet. It is important to do a variety of abdominal exercises (e.g. crunches, reverse crunches, plank, etc.) to keep your core strong, but until that excess fat is gone, you will not see the muscle definition.

So if you're not doing your "cardio" and eating right, crunches are not going to help get the 6-pack some of you are hoping for. And speaking of "6-packs", you need to know that as a woman, achieving a "washboard stomach" is sometimes difficult. Due to genetics and hormonal systems, you naturally carry more fat around your hip & abdominal areas.

For a woman to have a visible 6-pack, she most likely has a body fat percentage below 15%, a number that is challenging to maintain on a day-to-day basis. A combination of regular cardio exercise (at a challenging intensity, that is!) strength training and a healthy diet is your ultimate bet! "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi~