What is the most hated area of the body in men and women? Yep, the BELLY. It seems rare for anyone to get away from the “Belly Fat Demon.” At some point in your life it’s inevitable that your jeans will suddenly become tighter, and (the absolute horror!) “muffin top” will make a debut.

(For a full array of Muffin Top Perpetrators walk around Wal-Mart for an hour.)

So, how do you get rid of belly fat? Once moved in, it’s like an unwanted guest who doesn’t know when to leave!
Here are three Belly Fat Myths, and a few correct tips for losing belly fat for good!

1) Endless crunches will eliminate belly fat

This is SO NOT TRUE. While crunches will certainly strength your core and provide back relief—even improving posture—crunches will not shed the fat. Try it. Lie your Buddha belly on the floor and crunch to 300. Even after weeks you will not see a significant difference.

The plus to physical exercise:

Exercise, particularly of the cardio variety, will reduce stress, lowering insulin levels and thus cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for storing fat, particularly around the belly.
Incorporate “spot training” into your day—walk for five at a good clip and then burst into action with an intense two minute run. Repeat for at least 30 minutes. Take your dog—she’s as overweight as you are!

2) Waist Bands will tone and slim your belly area

Come on! If losing belly fat was as simple as buying a slimming device like a neoprene band and wearing under your clothes for a few months, we’d again be a society of “garter wearers” circa 1850!
Waist bands will cause you to sweat and lose water inches. That’s not a reduction of belly fat.

And there’s a reason garters went out of style…

What to do instead:

Try incorporating light weight training into your day. Compound lifting is best—which is a gentle way of describing sweat-inducing exercises like “squats” and “lunges.” These moves while not fun, use multiple joints and muscle groups at once—and the bigger the muscle used, the harder your body fat will fall.
Bottom line, waist bands are for wimps. Compound training requires commitment. Commitment=inches lost around the belly.

3) Belly Fat Fighting Foods

You’ve all seen the internet ads that pop up while you’re viewing your email–“Foods to eliminate belly fat.”

Yeah right.

That’s far too much responsibility to place on food!!!

To lose belly fat—and fat from other areas—you need to lower your caloric intake by 10-20%, period. Any statement that backs certain foods specifically targeting belly fat is gimmicky.

You can eat right however :

Adding whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal and barley to your diet benefit your digestive system, which slows down digestion and prevents blood sugar from spiking. This regulation of blood sugar and can decrease fat cells in the abdominal region. Plus normal blood sugar can lead to decreased appetite and cravings for sugary snacks.

And remember, belly fat is predominantly genetic. If your mama has it, you’re likely to have it too!

You love your mama—try not to be too hard on her.

(Maybe she can lose it with you!)

Chances are, you’ve done enough sit-ups to wear off the novelty. And you’ve probably even done so many crunches that they’re probably not even crunchy any more.

But you most likely aren’t incorporating
these exercises that can engage your entire core at once, allowing you to spend less time working out but get the same results.

The truth is, six packs aren’t reserved for movie stars and gym rats, you can have your perfect abs too if you simply branch out of your usual routine. But in order to get a ripped middle section, you must first get rid of the fat that might be causing your muscles to go under cover.

Since this is usually the biggest milestone for your average joe, here are some workouts that you can do to eliminate the fat that builds up in your core, helping you look and feel leaner.

Chinup Knee Raise

This slight variation of a classic allows you to get your heart rate moving even faster while you’re doing an upper body strength workout plus an ab strengthener. Since the key to calorie-burning is keeping your heart rate up, this will help you burn more fat while building muscle as well.

To do this, hang from a chinup bar, pull yourself up above the bar while raising your knees to your chest. Pause, then slowly lower your body and your knees at the same time. Repeat at least 10 reps.

Pushup Row

Another twist on a classic workout, the pushup row allows you to engage your core constantly, while also getting the added plus of a complete upper body workout.

In order to do this workout, you need to hold two dumbbells in your hands as you bend down into a pushup. When you raise yourself to the top of your pushup pull up your right hand until your elbow is at a ninety degree angle and then repeat with your left. Try to do at least 10 reps.