Everyone knows that stomach fat is unattractive. But most people don’t know that it’s dangerous as well.

It can definitely have negative long term health effects if you aren’t careful. Believe it or not, while having general body fat is bad for you, stomach flab is particularly harmful. And there are two kinds of it:

Subcutaneous Fat

This is located right below the skin but above the surface of the abs. It’s the less dangerous of the two.

Visceral Fat

This is the more harmful variety. It’s even further down in the abs under the tissue. It completely engulfs the body organs and actually pushes the abs outward. This is the variety that really overweight people have.

So what are the dangers?

Down the road, tummy fat can cause all sorts of serious diseases such as heart problems, cancer, diabetes, and many more. In other words, it’s a serious condition.

So how do you get rid of it?

Fortunately it’s not as hard as you might think. It’s just a matter of making a commitment to changing your diet and exercise habits.

Eating a variety of whole foods and incorporating exercise 3 to 5 times a week into your schedule is a great start.

What are the best exercises?

Body core exercises, because they target the correct muscles. Not only are they important for strengthening the midsection, but also for strengthening the back.

In fact, improving your core section will help your entire body get powerful. Which core exercises are the best? Here are two of the top ones:

The Plank

For this one you need to lie facing the floor. Then just boost yourself up using your toes and forearms as support. Make sure to relax your elbows while doing so.

Also be careful not to bend your back, but keep it perfectly straight. This exercise targets the abs, but is also effective for strengthening the back and hips.

Superman

This is another very effective way to strengthen your core. Start out lying down, keeping both legs side by side without space in between. Do not bend them.

Then just extend your arms out and upwards, while maintaining a still midsection. Do the same with your legs.

You will look a little like superman, which is obviously where the exercise got its’ name. Try to maintain this for half a minute.

The bottom line: there are many more core workouts you can try, but these are a few to start with. The real key is to be consistent with them. Perform them at least 3-5 times a week and you will see fast progress.