Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is often the hardest area of the body to shed. Worryingly, visceral fat can be harmful to your health as it attacks vital organs in your body.

When you conjure up the image of fat in your head, your thoughts might go straight to the jiggly substance that you can pinch. However, visceral fat is different. 

It lurks inside your abdominal cavity, wrapping around your organs, including the liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestines.

This tricky location means that the culprit can trigger serious health problems, ranging from diabetes to heart disease.

Fortunately, a personal trainer has revealed a key step to losing this type of fat. Chris Gagliardi also explained that tackling harmful belly fat could also help you lose weight on the rest of your body. 

The expert described going for a walk as a “good entry point” to this goal. He told the Mirror: “Even if your starting point is a one-minute walk, if that’s more than what you’ve been doing, there’s health benefits to that. Starting slow and working your way up is better than overdoing it and giving up.”

The expert said that one good way to approach your daily walk is to commit to going for a quick 10-minute stroll after you’ve eaten your dinner, and slowly increase the time you walk as you become more comfortable with daily movement.

Don’t just take this expert’s word for it as Dr Eric Berg has also spoken out about the benefits of walking for weight loss on his YouTube channel. 

The doctor stressed that exercise is undoubtedly a big part of the weight-loss puzzle. He advised opting for a combination of walking and high-intensity interval training. 

Walking will not only help with weight loss, but it can also reduce stress and improve your sleep. The doctor explained that not sleeping enough is a “big barrier” to losing weight.

However, high-intensity exercise is also important as the intensity is what activates certain hormones that are related to fat burning, Dr Berg explained. The doctor said: “The more intense, the better. Of course, work up to it and make sure you don’t hurt yourself.”