The bad news: belly fat is not easy to shift... but you already knew that right? You can crunch until the cows come home, but if your six pack is sitting under a layer of fat, you've still got a layer of fat!

But after all, if it's worth having, it's worth working for, isn't it?

Why is belly fat so darn stubborn?

Fat that sits on the belly is often referred to in health circles as deep belly fat, or technically speaking 'visceral fat' which means fat that surrounds the organs in the abdomen. This fat is the most dangerous to have on any part of the body and has been linked to a number of health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes .
So, a flabby belly is not just an unsightly muffin overhang to your jeans, worse it is a warning flag of potential health risk to come. And visceral fat is not just for overweight people, like cellulite it can plague slim people as well if they are unfit.

So do you have dangerous deep belly fat or just a little bit of a love handle?

Find out if the size of your belly is a sign of things to come... grab a tape measure. With a relaxed stomach, wrap the tape around your belly so that the bottom of the tape sits at the top of your hip bone. Keep the tape straight and snug, but don't let it dig into your skin. Women shouldn't be too concerned if their waist is less than 88 cm (34.5 inches) around and for the men, a waist circumference of less than 100 cm (39 inches) means you're unlikely to have problems with insulin resistance. However, anything above these figures may put you at a higher risk.

Here's something you probably didn't know - stress is a contributor to the size of your belly. And it's slightly more complicated than the old 'I just ate a packet of Tim Tams 'cos I've had a bad day'... Because the body has such great blood supply in the abdominal region, it also has more receptors for the stress hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol levels go through natural peaks and troughs throughout each day, but when you are constantly under stress they stay at the same high level, and it's at this constant that more fat is accumulated in the stomach region due to the number of receptors there.

So, does that mean that losing your ab-flab is going to take more than just exercising? In a word, yes - you also have to now look at your stress levels. Meditation, yoga, relaxing walks - whatever it is that helps you de-stress start doing it now and do it often. We have a selection of great articles on managing stress so be sure to check out our Wellness section for advice.

Supplementation can also help you deal with stress , so look at your intake of the B vitamins, and make sure you take 'good fat' supplements such as flaxseed oil or omega 3's as these help balance your metabolism,  and allow your body to deal with stress more efficiently. Omega 3's also help reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease and type-2 diabetes.

OK, so let's say you have your stress under control, your diet is good - lots of fresh fruit and veggies, not so much alcohol and processed carbs, but you still have belly flab...

Let's get physical!!

Research from Duke University reveals that exercise is a more effective way to lose belly fat than diet alone, but it's the exercise type that really matters and cardiovascular exercise is the way to rid the abdomen of this visceral fat. According to Duke University researcher William Kraus, MD, "All exercise helps prevent fat gain... but to lose abdominal fat, you have to work harder." Cris Slentz, an exercise physiologist at Duke University Medical Center, has found that a brisk, 30-minute walk six times a week will only just keep visceral fat at bay, so if you already have a spare tyre then more strenuous activity is required to get rid of it. It comes as no great surprise that the researchers discovered that people who perform regular higher-intensity workouts were able to significantly lower their abdominal fat levels and lose weight relatively quickly.

Unfortunately, those that merely partook in low-intensity exercise (such as walking at an easy pace) for 30 minutes per day, five days a week did not lose any belly fat -- in fact they gained an average of 1 1/2 pounds over the course of the 8-month study!

How hard did the belly fat losers work? On a scale of 1-10 in effort, the successful losers aimed for an effort of 6 to 8. That's about what you would muster for brisk walking uphill, jogging on flat terrain, or pedaling a bike about 12 MPH.

Beginners should start with 10 to 15 minutes and slowly work their way up till they are achieving a longer exercise duration - ideally aiming for 30-45 minutes. If you are going to get serious about fighting the flab then you will need to commit to a cardiovascular regime to burn off the deep fat.