Excess calories will eventually get converted to fat when they are not used up through physical activity.

But not all fat gets stored. Everyone needs to eat fat for health reasons, but many of us are eating too much of it and burning very little.

• Depending on age and sex, fat is more readily stored in certain areas compared to others. Women store fat on the hips, thighs, buttocks and triceps (back of upper arms), while men store it on the abdomen, mid-lower back and hip.

• The older we get, the more fat we store because of a reduction of the rate at which our body burns calories.

• The exact distribution depends on the individual’s metabolism, which is determined through genetics, but can be helped or harmed by our lifestyles.

• Fat cannot be spot reduced, that is, you cannot target certain areas on your body with an exercise or two to reduce fat from them.

Fat can only be burned in the presence of oxygen. Hence, the fact that we are breathing means we are continually burning it, but the bad news is that we are burning it at such a slow rate that the result is insignificant.

The good news is that when we exercise, the rate of our breathing and heart rate increases — and so does our metabolism.

Thus in order to burn fat, you must select cardiovascular exercises, such as brisk walking, running, swimming or aerobics, that increase your breathing rate, and perform them for long enough to burn a substantial amount of fat.

When working out, the first thing to keep in mind is safety. It is never a good idea to exercise so hard as to cause injury.

It is better to start out easy and progress gradually to higher and harder intensities so you can burn more calories over time.

Keep in mind that the harder the workout, the shorter it should be. Don’t push yourself so hard for so long.

Conversely, the longer you want to workout the more you will want to reduce the intensity of the workout.

Just don’t laze around in the name of wanting to exercise for longer. Remember the harder and longer you work out the better, as long as you keep it gradual.

To make the most out of your time, half an hour to an hour of moderate to intense exercise is advisable.

Finally, select different exercises and do not forget strength exercises that are safe, challenging and fun. This is because certain exercises work and challenge specific muscles

Keep in mind the age-old advise that you eat a balanced, low fat, fresh food diet in sensible portions. Combined with an active and healthy lifestyle, good feeding habits should keep your fat peeve away.