It's the insidious way it sneaks up on you but one day there you stand looking forlornly into the mirror wondering where that jiggly mass of flab that's hanging from your belly came from. Its starts there, the idea that it is time to get back in shape and get rid of that belly fat.

But where do you start? There are so many diet and exercise plans out there, not to mention all the fat burning wonder pill commercials you see on TV everyday. How do you know which way will work for you? You don't want to jump on the latest fat burning bandwagon only to fall off and not get the results you want.

Fortunately for you there is a fat burning machine built right into your body called your metabolism. If you can tap into its power you can lose that flabby stomach and create the body you've always wanted.

So how do you tap into this fat burning engine? It's not as hard as you think.

Your metabolism is the rate at which you burn calories. This can change through out the day depending on your activity level, what you eat, and what kind of overall shape you are in. If you are to get rid of that belly fat then you need to speed up your metabolism using the following two strategies.

Diet - The nutritional value of the food you choose to eat plays a large role in how fast your metabolic rate runs. It needs high performance foods such as protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins and minerals to function at its optimum level. Refined and processed foods full of simple carbohydrates (think sugar) are your metabolisms worst enemy because they are quickly and easily turned into fat stores as they are digested. Highly nutritious foods on the other hand take longer to digest which requires more energy in the form of calories.

Exercise - When you combine exercise with a healthy diet you can send your metabolism through the roof. Muscle is your most effective metabolism boosting tool. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you burn through the day. There are two important parts to any exercise program; cardiovascular exercise and some form of weight or resistance training.

Changing your diet and starting some sort of exercise program, even if it's only going for a walk every day or two, is the best way to increase your metabolism and get rid of the body fat. If you can get started and stick to it before long you will get rid of that belly fat that snuck up on you in the mirror that day.

To learn more about how to increase your metabolism and get rid of your belly and to find out how YOU can start turning your body into a "fat burning machine" today, visit the Metabolism website by Clicking Here.