The You Docs: Losing belly fat and lowering lousy cholesterol

I'm a university student with a 3-year-old, and when I'm stressed - which is a lot, especially during exams - I snack.

Now I've got extra weight around my waist and my triglyceride level is high. I use the bicycle and treadmill at the gym, but is there a way to lose belly fat faster?

- Keneisha, via e-mail

That university education already is paying off.

High triglycerides and belly fat are two signposts that you're on the road to metabolic syndrome, a condition that increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

You're on the right track to focus on whittling your waist with workouts.

High-intensity cardio really targets belly fat. Add some hills to your hikes to nowhere on the treadmill.

Ditto on the bike: Raise the resistance gradually, so you stay challenged. (Overweight people who ate 2,000 calories a day - not a diet that normally peels off pounds - shed waist inches by exercising like hamsters three hours a week.)

Here's how to get even more out of your cardio: For the last minute of every 10, kick up your intensity as high as you can (assuming your doc says OK) - either walk or pedal a lot faster or increase the incline or the resistance.

Finally, add strength training to your routine: Just 30 minutes a week (done in 10-minute segments if you like) can start to make a difference.

Working up a daily sweat also helps relieve the stress that's making your middle bulge.

Stress releases cortisol, a hormone that encourages fat storage in your belly.

Here are two ways to relieve that tension: 1.) Work out with your child. Our newest book ("YOU: Raising Your Child," coming Oct. 3) has great moves to do with your 3-year-old. 2.) Take a few meditation breaks throughout the day. No yogi needed to teach you how. Just sit quietly and breathe deeply for a few minutes.

I don't eat foods high in saturated or trans fat, yet my cholesterol is 234. I eat mostly salmon, chicken and turkey. Once a week I have eggs. I cook with olive oil and use Smart Balance on my toast. What more can I do?

- Blanche, Miami

First, find out how your total cholesterol is composed. Dr. Mike's total cholesterol is 180, but 105 of that is HDL cholesterol, the healthy kind. However, when lousy LDL numbers are stinko, the kitchen is the first place we look. But congrats. You're ahead of us in dumping bad fats. (You did get rid of simple sugars and added syrups, too, yes? They're as bad as aging fats at upping your LDL.) Here are more ways you can boot the bad stuff from your bloodstream:

First, get a move on. Just 30 minutes of physical activity every day lowers bad LDL cholesterol and boosts good HDL. It also lowers your blood pressure. Walk, cycle, swim, row. Or take the stairs: People in one study who did two minutes of stair-climbing five or six times a day lowered LDL and raised HDL - both by 8 percent - in just eight weeks.

Next, think about plants. Bread spreads like Smart Balance HeartRight contain plant sterols, which disrupt your body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food. But so do ... plants. Load your menu with fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and small amounts of nuts and seeds.

Stick with what you're doing and these steps for now, and write to us again if your LDL cholesterol doesn't come down to a healthy level.

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COCONUT WATER

Have you tried coconut water?

We YOU Docs have, and let's just say we're not overwhelmed. Still, we're betting our reusable water bottles that coconut water makes the top-10 list of food trends this year. Sales have topped $60 million (stores can't keep it on the shelves), and PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and even Madonna have invested in it.

We think coconut water belongs on the "everything old is new again" list. People who live where coconut palms grow have sipped the clear liquid in young coconuts for eons. Now that entrepreneurs have marketed it in the U.S., it's being pitched as "Mother Nature's sports drink," a healthy way to rehydrate after exercise.

True, coconut water scores higher than a sugary, Day-Glo-blue sports drink: Cup for cup, it has half the sugar (6 grams instead of 13) and fewer calories (46 versus 63). Plus coconut water boasts way more potassium (600 mg versus 37). But if you're watching salt, its 250 mg of sodium make it iffy.

It's also iffy if you're watching your wallet - $3 a bottle is no bargain. Does your body need it after a workout? If you're taking a spinning or hot yoga class that lasts more than an hour and leaves you drenched, maybe. Otherwise, stick with our top drink: water. It keeps you hydrated and has no calories.

If you like fizzy water, a home carbonation machine makes adding bubbles easy and will pay for itself over time.

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LOWER YOUR ODDS OF LOSING IT

A springy stride, a veggie-packed plate and a spot of tea. Put 'em together and you've got a shot at lowering your odds for brain-fogging dementia. We YOU Docs love finding new payoffs from great habits like these. It's like a health "BOGO" ("buy one, get one free"): Do something great for your body and - BOGO - your brain gets better, too. New research recently has turned up three of these, all easy.

The first one's a no-brainer: Moderate to vigorous physical activity translates into a 45 percent lower risk for dementia compared with light activity. So pick up your walking pace with high-intensity intervals for one minute of every 10 if your doc says you can, or add another activity to your day - like washing and waxing your wheels with intensity.

BOGO 2: The same good eatin' that tames high blood pressure slows the prog

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