It takes a lot of time, effort and patience to develop a flat stomach and solid abs. It can be particularly difficult when you're down to the last few pounds in the places where it is hard lose the body fat. The so called 'love handles' or obliques can be the toughest places to burn the fat from, as well as the lower abs. Many people will have seen endless 'infomercials' about the latest abdominal devices that will perform miracles in less than 5 minutes of use each day. They might help tone your abs to a certain extent, but without the correct diet and exercise programme it just won't work. The key to losing fat from the stubborn areas around your mid section is using a combination of aerobic exercise, abdominal training, weight training and following a good diet.

Many people don't realise that you cannot spot reduce and lose fat from a certain part of the body. When you use more calories than you consume, you burn off stored fat for energy. This fat comes from all over your body. It is often the case that the first place you put fat on, is the last place it comes off. The reason for these stubborn areas is due to different genetic patterns of fat storage. For example, some women have difficulty losing fat from their hips, waist and thighs, whereas men often have trouble with the lower abs and obliques.

With the false idea that fat can be burned magically from one specific area many people will work for months doing countless repetitions. Whilst this will help tone and tighten your abs, it will do nothing for the appearance if there is a layer of fat covering them. You can also suffer from back pain if you do too many sit ups or leg raises as they put a lot of strain on the lumbar area.

The most effective way to burn the layer of fat from your abs is not to do more abdominal toning, but to do more cardio exercise. The real secret to burning fat is aerobic training, such as walking, jogging, cycling and elliptical exercise at a good pace. You need to exercise for enough time to burn fat, as during the first 10 to 20 minutes your body uses stored carbohydrates for energy. After this time your glycogen stores (carbohydrates) will be depleted and your body will start to burn fat.

Even if you are performing cardio training sessions each day, you won't see good results if you have a poor diet. Fat loss from your abs is a 50/50 combination of both exercise and diet. If you take in more calories than you burn you will continue to put on abdominal fat. It is best to spread the calories throughout 5 or 6 small meals a day as this keeps your metabolism high and aids fat loss. Reducing body fat not only makes you feel more confident in your appearance, it also has excellent health benefits too.

Overview:

1. Start now! Losing fat does take time, so be patient and don't expect to see results overnight.
2. Perform lots of cardio exercise to burn body fat or you won't be able to see them.
3. Use exercises or equipment to train the abdominal area, try and avoid exercises which put strain on the lower back such as leg raises.
4. Eat food in small servings throughout the day that are low in fat and calories.
5. Train with weights as well as cardio. Resistance training is excellent for burning fat and creating lean muscle.