Love handles, those pinchable rolls of fat that sprout from the waistline, are one part of the body we love to hate. Even "six-pack" abs don't look their best with handles attached. So what's the deal with this extra jelly that clings stubbornly, frustratingly around your belly? Is there any way to get a handle on those handles?

Absolutely. And the approach is twofold: Burn off body fat, build muscle.

While you can't spot reduce your love handles away -- that is, selectively melt away the fat from around your stomach -- toning up your middle muscles will definitely give them a tighter, flatter, firmer appearance. And when you lose weight overall, you're bound to downsize your waistline. Love handles generally begin disappearing on men when they reach a body composition of 12 percent body fat; on women, it starts to happen when they reach 20 percent body fat.

To lose weight, combine a sensible diet with four to six moderately intense, fat burning workouts a week. Cardiovascular activities like belly dancing, kick boxing, martial arts, race walking, mountain biking and rowing not only do a great job of incinerating calories, they also place a great deal of emphasis on your obliques and rectus abdominals, the muscles that reside underneath that spare tire.