Yoga has long been extolled for its stress-relieving benefits, but it's also proved to be one of the most effective workouts for blasting stubborn fat. Research shows it increases insulin sensitivity, signaling your body to burn food as fuel rather than store it as fat, and reduces body weight by as much as 13.6 percent.

Get started on yoga now, and coupled with the following yoga diet, you'll see the results in as little as 3 weeks.

Yoga Diet

Yoga has a long tradition of diet recommendations, which are rooted in the philosophy itself. "How and what we eat is part of maintaining a healthy, pure body," explains C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., and co-author of Yoga Basics.

Yoga encourages the eating of natural fresh foods -- basically fruits, vegetables, cereals, whole grains, fresh fruit juices, milk, butter, cheese, legumes, nuts and seeds, oils, and herb teas. At the same time, cut back on processed products, which includes foods that are canned, preserved, bottled or refined. For example, replace white flour, refined sugar, and polished white rice with whole grain flour, raw sugar or honey, and brown rice in your diet. "When food is in the most natural state possible, people gain the best nutrition from it," adds Simpkins.

Alcohol and caffeine should also be avoided. Instead, keep your body sufficiently hydrated by drinking fresh water. Drink water between meals, and sip it slowly.

Yoga Workout

What you need: A yoga mat
How to do it: Do this routine at least 3 times a week. Hold each pose for 30 to 60 seconds while breathing deeply, before moving on to the next. Repeat the entire series 3 times.