Trouble performing in the bedroom? You're not
alone. It's estimated that 1 in 10 men worldwide
suffers from erectile dysfunction (ED), which is an
inability to get or maintain an erection. If this
sounds like you, check your middle. Belly fat doesn't
just spell trouble for your heart and blood vessels.
Having a spare tire is horrible for your love life, too.


How does belly fat affect you below the belt? Deep
abdominal fat, known as omentum fat, takes up
residence around your liver and other vital organs.

When fat is released from the omentum, some of it
goes straight to your liver and then on to your
arteries. And omentum fat can do serious damage
to your blood vessels. Clogged arteries and blood
vessels reduce blood flow not just to your heart but
also to other critical organs, including your genitals.


Without good circulation down there, men can have
trouble getting or maintaining an erection. And
both men and women need increased blood flow
in sensitive areas to maximize sexual pleasure.


(Related: Here's a simple no-pill solution for
erectile dysfunction.)
Did you know? Carrying as little as 9 extra pounds
increases your risk of blood vessel damage (and
heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers).

The
good news? It doesn't take much to turn up your
fat-burning furnace and get your energy levels, self-
esteem, and sex life back on track. Here are four
easy steps to lose belly fat fast:


1. Walk more. Walking is one of the best exercises
for minimizing that gut. Taking a brisk 30-minute
walk every day helps keep your fat cells from
expanding. Burn even more belly fat by adding 10
minutes of weight training twice a week; increasing
muscle mass will whittle your middle even faster.

(Related: See how exercise can curb your
hunger, too.)


2. Grab a tape measure. Waist size may be a better
indicator of health than the numbers on your
bathroom scale. Your waist should be a little less
than half the number of inches in your height.

And
as a general rule, anytime a man's waist size
reaches 40 inches, his health and sex life are at risk.

(Women's waists should be no more than 36
inches.)

3. Grab the whole grains. When it comes to foods that burn belly fat, you can't beat whole grains.

And it's a pretty simple trade-off. Just replace some of the processed foods in your diet with three daily servings of 100% whole-grain cereals, breads, and pasta to lose inches off your waist. (Related: Findout how the vitamins and fiber in whole grainsmake your RealAge younger. )


4. Get your ZZZs. In one study, dieters who slept 8½hours a night lost twice as much fat and retained more lean muscle compared with the folks in the study who slept only 5½ hours nightly.

The longer sleepers also burned an extra 114 calories a day.

That type of additional calorie burn can translateinto as much as 10 extra pounds lost a year!

(Related: Sleep better tonight with this bedtime
checklist.)


Gut Check

Losing that spare tire isn't just about getting healthy.
It's about living a better life and feeling your best,
too. Let's face it -- few things feel as good as a little
extra room in your waistband. And looking in the
mirror and liking what you see is a pretty great
feeling, too.


Culled from: RealAge.com