The colloquial term “beer belly” is used to refer to excess fat stored around the organs of the abdomen. While beer isn’t the only way to grow a beer belly–too many calories from any food or drink can cause them–beer is a common culprit since it’s high in calories and low in nutrients. It’s not possible to target fat loss from a specific body part, but any exercise that burns calories will help you lose abdominal fat.
Running
The Mayo Clinic lists running as the single most efficient calorie-burning exercise. While calories (and therefore quantity of fat) burned per hour vary with intensity, a 240-pound runner can burn almost 1500 calories per hour (given an 8 mph pace), according to the Mayo Clinic. If that’s a bit fast for you, you can still burn almost 900 calories per hour jogging at 5 mph.
Bicycling
If you have bad knees, bicycling is a great exercise option because it’s low-impact but still allows for high-intensity exercise. Even a slow, social bike ride at less than 10 mph burns 436 calories per hour for a 240-pound person, according to the Mayo Clinic. The harder you bike, the more calories you’ll burn–hills are a great way to increase caloric expenditure, for instance.
Golf
Losing your beer belly doesn’t have to feel like work–even leisure activities require energy and therefore burn calories and fat. HealthStatus, an online calorie calculator, indicates that a 240-pound individual burns 662 calories an hour playing golf (provided they’re carrying their own clubs). If you go for a golf cart instead, you’ll burn 374 calories an hour.
About this Author
Kirstin Hendrickson is a writer, teacher, coach and athlete. She’s been teaching, coaching, and writing about health, wellness and nutrition for more than 10 years. She has a B.S. in zoology, a B.S. in psychology, an M.S. in chemistry, and a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry.
