What At-Home Exercises Can I Do To Lose Weight Around My Waist,

Abdominal fat isn't just unsightly, it's also dangerous for your health. Deep abdominal fat has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

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You can't spot-reduce, however. To lose belly fat, you have to lose total body fat, some of which will come from your midsection.

A routine of healthy eating and regular exercise is the only way to do this. The good news is you don't need an expensive gym membership. From raking leaves to doing push-ups on your living room floor, you can get a great workout without leaving home.

Cardio Exercises
To lose fat around your waist, you need to create a balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn through activity. The more cardio exercise you do, the more calories you'll burn for weight loss. And, the more intensely you exercise, the more calories you'll burn.

Cardio doesn't necessarily have to be a specific exercise activity, like jogging. It simply needs to get your heart rate up and hold it there for a period of time.

Here's a list of some cardio exercises you might do at home, with the calories burned in 30 minutes for a person weighing 155 pounds:

Jogging in place: 272

Jumping rope, moderate pace: 340

Jumping jacks, vigorous pace: 282

Dancing: 205 to 223

Low-impact aerobics: 205

High-impact aerobics: 260

Low-impact step aerobics: 260

High-impact step aerobics: 372
Some people invest in cardio equipment to keep at home, which makes fitting in cardio exercise more convenient. Here are some figures for calories burned on gym-type cardio equipment:

Stationary bike, moderate pace: 260

Stationary rower, moderate pace: 260

Elliptical trainer: 335

Some household chores are also good forms of cardio exercise:

Raking leaves: 150

Mowing the lawn: 167

Chopping wood: 223

Shoveling snow: 223

Aim to do one of these exercises, or a combination of exercises, most days of the week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise each week. However, to really see a difference in your waistline, the CDC suggests doubling those numbers.

Here are a few examples you might be familiar with:

Lunges

In a lot of cases, exercises you'd typically do in a gym that might require some equipment can be tweaked so you can do them at home, quite often with what you have on hand. For example:

Rows with a table: Position yourself underneath a kitchen or dining room table or desk. Grasp the edge of the desk wider than shoulder-width, and with your heels on the floor, pull your chest toward the table edge. Bring your elbows out to the side and keep your body in one straight line. Lower back down with control and repeat.

Step ups: Use a sturdy chair or bench. Place one foot up on the bench, transfer your weight and extend through the knees and hips to stand all the way up on the bench. Step down with the right foot and repeat. Then, switch sides.

Box Jumps: Instead of stepping, jump up on the bench landing with both feet flat. Extend through the knees and hips to stand straight up. Jump back down and repeat.

You can even use items you have around the house to add weight to these exercises. Hold a couple gallon jugs in either hand as you do squats, lunges or step ups. Cartons of milk, laundry detergent jugs, bags of rice, oranges or onions also work well. Use your imagination!