Forget crunches. For a workout that really flattens your belly, get up and move your feet. Studies show walking is one of the best ways to shed belly fat, in less time than you think. Researchers reviewed 40 years of studies on exercise and belly fat and found that just 2 1/2 hours of brisk walking a week—about 20 minutes a day—can shrink your belly by about 1 inch in four weeks.
Why does walking work so well? It appears to help reduce deep belly fat (called visceral fat) first, explains Tim Church, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University. "If you exercise enough to lose 10 percent of your body fat, you may actually reduce visceral fat by 30 percent," says Church.
All walking burns belly fat, but for best results, crank up your weekly MET (metabolic equivalent) hours—the number of calories you burn. "Shaking up the intensity with on-again, off-again bursts of energy will give you the most time-efficient, calorie-burning workout possible," says exercise physiologist Peggy Pletcher of Source Endurance, an online coaching service based in Austin, Texas.
Walk 20 minutes a day with our workout and your waistline may shrink an inch; double it and double your results. Or go an hour and lose inches everywhere. Try our belly-flattening strength moves and smart eating tips and you could drop a size or more this month!