The Best Cardio Exercise to Lose Belly Fat

If your belly is one of your biggest trouble zones, you're right to turn to cardio exercise to transform your midsection. Cardio can help you burn hundreds of calories in a single workout, and shed fat all over your body. But before you dedicate yourself to any single form of exercise, it's important to understand how fat loss works so you can go into a new cardio regimen with realistic expectations.

Belly Fat Basics

Unfortunately, spot reduction -- the idea that you can target fat on a certain area of your body -- is a myth. When you lose weight, you lose it from all over your body, and you can't control which parts will shed fat first. In fact, Jessica Matthews of the American Council on Exercise reports that for most men, and some women, the belly can be the toughest area to slim. But by burning more calories than you eat, you'll force your body to use stored fat for energy and you'll soon see fat loss, including from your belly.

Types of Cardio

Since you can't target belly fat, there is no single form of cardio that is superior for slimming down your midsection. But you can shed fat faster by focusing your efforts on high-intenisty cardio that maximizes your calorie burn. Running, jumping rope, swimming, high-impact step aerobics and vigorous biking are all good choices for burning significant calories in a single workout. However, it's important to gradually work up to higher-intensity exercise, and to discuss your exercise plans with your doctor before starting, especially if you've been sedentary.

Cardio Guidelines

While there's no magic formula for determining how often and how long to engage in cardio, you should aim for a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes five days per week; the more intense your workouts, the less time you'll need to spend exercising in order to see results. If you're having trouble finding an hour a day to exercise, break up your workout into smaller sessions; a 20-minute run in the morning and 40 minutes of step aerobics after work is just as effective as a single 60-minute workout.

Interval Training

Steady-state cardio is a surefire way to burn calories and fat, but to take your workouts to a new level -- and see faster results -- try interval training. Interval training consists of alternating short bursts of very high intensity cardio with longer periods of moderately paced work, and you can try it with virtually any form of exercise. Incorporating a few interval-training sessions into your weekly regimen can help you shed belly fat faster since you burn more calories both during your workout and in the 24 to 48 hours afterward, according to Shape magazine. To try it, walk or bike at a moderate pace for two minutes, then sprint or cycle vigorously for one minute; repeat the cycle for a total of 15 to 20 minutes.

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