Help your body incinerate that stubborn spare tire by drinking this metabolism booster before your workout.

We're not talking Red Bull here. We're talking green tea. In a recent small study, extracts from green tea helped men burn 17 percent more fat during a 30-minute cardio workout.

Burn, Baby, Burn
It's not clear how green tea boosts metabolism. Researchers suspect that something in the healthy brew makes fat more available as fuel, so you oxidize more of it when you exercise. Proven bonus: Green tea remains an excellent source of heart-healthy antioxidants called catechins. Here are six more reasons to sip the green stuff.

It Starts with a Workout
Bottom line: Sipping green tea won't do much for your middle if you don't work out, too. The only way to shrink a spare tire is by dropping some pounds. So here's some extra motivation for getting yourself moving:

• Get tips on measuring even the smallest progress with this article.
• Don't leave the house! Create a workout you can do in your own home.
• Watch the experts -- and do what they do! Get started with these easy fitness videos.

Recipe Corner
When it's too hot for hot green tea, try these three icy twists on the traditional brew.

Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation, and glucose tolerance in healthy humans. Venables, M. C. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008 Mar;87(3):778-784.