GUY'S TIP: Beer Belly Can Kill!

What male doesn't love beer? Whether you crack open your can while watching the footy or after a hard slog on the sports field, beers are normally consumed in numbers. Perfect snacks to accompany the beers are potato crisps, hot chips, actually anything that's fatty and salty. Session after session of beer drinking plus junk food munching adds up to the pot belly that is becoming all too familiar among Australian males.

Sorry to disappoint you fellas, but your beer fat is a health hazard. Having excess fat around your stomach means that there is more fat closer to your heart and around your organs. Abdominal fat just doesn't hang out and do nothing; it's active. It releases free fatty acids that impair your ability to use the hormone insulin. Too much insulin can lead to diabetes. Abdominal fat is also to blame for many health problems because it presses on so many organs (including the heart and liver) and interferes with their daily function.

While women store weight on their hips, thighs and butts, men's natural inclination is to store fat on their stomachs. And this is one of the main reasons that heart disease levels are higher in men than women. Men with waist circumferences greater than 100cm are at increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Australian guidelines recommend that men maintain a waist circumference less than 94cm and this will help to reduce the risk associated with disease.

A male with a flat stomach and six-pack (always a winner with the ladies) is the picture of strength and good health. He looks good in clothes, he looks good without clothes. Ripped abs define fitness and are a sign that the guy is in control of his body and more importantly his health. Even better, strengthening your abs and your lower back gives you stamina and strength for sport and sex.

Abs of steal can help you maintain motion control in any position you chose which is important for staying power. Cutting down on the size of your waistline can also help with erectile function. One of the major causes of erectile dysfunction is being overweight as the cholesterol that clogs up your blood vessels that lead to your heart and brain, also bind up the blood vessels to your genitals.

When you eat high fat foods, consume excess kilojoules or have a Friday night alcohol binge session backed by a Saturday night session, plague forms in your arteries. As the plague builds up, the amount of blood flow decreases. Think of a 3 way highway, bottlenecked into one lane - how slow does the traffic go. Like the road, your blood vessels can become so blocked in your pelvis area that a sufficient supply of blood can't get through to form an erection. This means:

increased fat = decreased blood flow = softer or no erections = unsatisfied mrs!

So boys, get out that tape measure and start measuring your waist. Losing just 10 per cent of your waist circumference can reduce your risk of developing a number of diseases. To lose some weight of your waist, follow these waist shrinking tips:

• Reduce alcohol consumption. Instead of having 2 big drinking sessions a week, limit yourself to one (if you have to have one) and reduce the number of alcoholic drinks you have on that night. You really don't need as many as you have.
• Reduce portion sizes. A serve of meat is the size of the palm of your hand or 80-100g of cooked meat. A piece of steak that you would normally get when you eat out would be 250g to 500g. Reduce your steak serve by at least half and instead of feeling up on mash potato or chips have vegies or salad as a side.
• Keep active. Exercise on most, preferably all days of the week. Choose a range of cardio exercises and don't forget to do some resistance exercises.
• Compete against a friend. Have a challenge with a friend to see you can reduce their waist size the most in a certain amount of time.
• Keep a food diary. Monitor what you eat with a food diary. It will make you more aware of what actually goes into your month.
• Eat only when you are hungry. Don't eat just for the sake of it i.e. sitting down watching the footy. Ask yourself - are you really hungry or is it just a habit?