For many Mid-Life Men, the beer belly is almost a badge of office. A pressured lifestyle, long working hours, staying away on business; these and other factors all contribute. Too often, the beer belly is the most obvious outward manifestation of deeper problems including unhealthy levels of stress, as well as a loss of drive and passion affecting business, relationships and income.

But how does the mid-life beer belly affect your drive, passion and the ability to handle pressure? It's not the beer belly that's at fault – that's just a symptom. But, if you'd rather not put up with this symptom and see the benefits in resurrecting your drive and passion, here are some simple practical steps to get to work on the underlying causes and get results – fast!

1. It's easy to eat a healthy balanced diet as a matter of routine when you know how and can fit this into a challenging lifestyle. Consistently eating a healthy diet with plenty of green vegetables, 25g of fibre a day, fruit, healthy fats and lean protein is one of the best ways to shift the beer belly and boost your drive, passion and income level at the same time.

2. Take a few simple supplements with a glass of water at the start of each day, including a multivitamin with zinc and iron. Zinc and iron are as effective in combating male pattern baldness as any prescription medication (but without the unwanted side effects and with a host of other added benefits).

3. Drink plenty of pure water. The body needs 2-3 litres of water a day to replace fluids lost through perspiration alone. Think of your body as a flowing river; to keep the river from becoming a stagnant pond in which the beer belly can thrive, it's vital to drink water. No other drink will do and it's easy to reach for food in the mistaken belief that you're hungry, when its water the body really needs.

4. Slowly rid your body of unhealthy toxins. Cut down on coffee, tea and of course beer and alcohol to help shift the beer belly – but you don't have to give these up entirely. Reduce your intake of processed foods (tinned items, pre-prepared meals etc) which contain additives and preservatives. A diet rich in natural foods without additives is one of the best ways to detoxify. This way, the body can metabolize away the beer belly more easily, freed from the more urgent task of disposing of large quantities of unhealthy toxins.

5. Get some exercise every day (preferably in the fresh air). There are dozens of health benefits of regular exercise including better sleep patterns, a stronger immune system, more passion and energy, fresher looking skin, healthier hair and nails, better stress tolerance…the list goes on. Make your favourite form of exercise part of the daily routine and you'll soon fall in love with the benefits too. Put the PE kit, a folding cycle, lights, helmet and a reflective jacked in the boot of the car when away on business, so that you can always get a quick and simple workout, whatever facilities might or might not be on offer.

Make a habit of doing these things and the beer belly will never be a problem for you ever again. Here's the thing – being as little as 14lbs (7 kilos) overweight with fat held around the middle, significantly increases your risk of contracting a life-threatening disease. Mid-Life Men often take better care of their cars than they do of that most important piece of machinery – their own bodies. Don't wait for yours to breakdown, when some simple preventative maintenance is all that's needed to keep you and your body in great condition.

Andrew Bridgewater

Chartered Psychologist & Author of ByeBye BeerBelly