Health is wealth!
Of all the e-mails I get sent every day, by far the most common - from men and women alike - are questions about how to lose stubborn belly fat. A pot belly... love handles... the spare tire... call it what you will. It seems to be the area of your body that you'd really like to do something about. Read on, and I'll explain why belly fat is so bad, and what you can do to get rid of it. Not only is a firm, flat stomach the ultimate symbol of sex appeal, researchers have found that losing abdominal fat is one of the most important steps you can take to stay healthy for life.Most people realize that excess fat is unhealthy, but the key is where the fat is distributed. People with apple-shaped bodies (fattest in the abdomen) have a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than those with pear shapes (fattest in the hips, buttocks, and thighs). Several studies have found a link between abdominal fat and markers of chronic inflammation. The research is based on a relatively new idea that fat is an “organ” that produces substances — such as leptin and cytokines — that can affect your health. In other words, there's more to the fat around your waist than what the scales and mirrors reveal.What is inflammation and why should you care? Most doctors will tell you that the best way to avoid a heart attack is to lower your cholesterol. What they won't tell you is that routine cholesterol tests identify less than half of all patients who are at risk for heart disease. In other words, a patient can receive a "normal" cholesterol reading one day and still suffer a heart attack the next. The truth is that many cardiologists believe we should be looking beyond cholesterol.
As scientists delve deeper into the fundamental causes of heart disease and other illnesses, they are starting to see links to an age-old defense mechanism called inflammation. This is the same biological process that causes the redness, swelling and pain if you cut a finger. Inflammation is a vital process in the first line of defense against disease. But problems begin when, for one reason or another, the inflammatory process persists. One way to test for inflammation is to measure levels of C-reactive protein in the blood. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein are linked with a higher than average risk of heart disease.What's interesting is that higher C-reactive protein levels are linked with body fat, especially the belly fat stored around your waist. Fat in the midsection is stored deeper inside your body, in and around the liver and other organs. It's called visceral (pronounced viss-er-al) fat. Fat in the hip and thigh region is mainly stored just under the skin. This is called subcutaneous (pronounced sub-cue-tain-ee-us) fat.
Why is Lossing Stomarch Fat Important?
Although the link between belly fat and health is not entirely clear, experts do know that people with a lot of belly fat are at higher risk of health problems than are people who accumulate fat in other areas — and men are more likely than women to put on weight around the waist. Our bodies are designed to store fat for release during times when there is not enough food. But when we put on weight and never have these lean times, fat cells begin to release fat molecules into the blood at a higher rate. This affects normal metabolism and the way the body uses insulin. These metabolic changes can worsen or increase your risk of health problems, including: Diabetes, Some types of cancers, High blood pressure, Sleep apnea, Abnormal lipids — high triglycerides and low HDL ("good" cholesterol) Insulin resistance, Metabolic syndrome.When you lose fat through exercise and improved eating habits, you improve your metabolism. This reduces your risk of health problems — and may improve existing health problems.
What is a Solution?
An excess of fat in the midsection has been linked to a number of debilitating illnesses and conditions such as diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Many people find it increasingly difficult to lose weight as they age, and most men tend to gain weight around the midsection first. However, by following the five steps outlined below, it’s possible to reduce belly fat, lose weight, decrease the risk of certain diseases, and increase your overall quality of life.
1. Eat Healthier Meals
Research suggests that a diet rich with omega-3 fats can reduce the production of adrenaline, which is a stress hormone that contributes to belly fat. Omega-3’s can be found in foods such as fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. Also be sure to get the right amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and avoid processed foods and those that are high in animal fat.
A combination of aerobics and stomach-toning exercises coupled with a healthy diet will help tighten abdominal muscles and reduce belly fat. Exercise for at least 20, if not 30, minutes a day for the best results. Many people are surprised to learn that traditional sit-ups really aren’t the best way to reduce belly fat. Exercises such as pelvic lifts and tilts are much better for toning and strengthening weak or flabby abdominal muscles.
Incorporate strength training into your exercise routine to help reduce belly fat. Regular weight lifting is beneficial because muscles burn calories. The more muscles your body has, the more calories it will be able to burn. Muscles also take up roughly a third of the amount of space that fat does, which helps us to not only feel better, but look better as well. Fitness trainers recommend strength training only every other day to allow the muscles a chance to rest and to avoid injury.
A hormone called cortisol is released during periods of stress and then remains at an elevated level. The fat in the abdomen acts differently from fat cells found in other parts of the body mainly due to the large blood supply in this particular area. The abdominal region also has more receptors to stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. All of these factors make it easier for fat to be stored here and settle around the abdominal area.
Try to limit your levels of tension by incorporating stress relieving activities into your daily schedule. At some point during the full 24 hours of each and every day, it’s imperative to make time for yourself in order for good mental and physical health. Read, talk a walk, listen to music, talk to a friend, soak in the bath, or simply nap or meditate for a few minutes each day. Research has shown that reducing stress does have a positive impact on the body’s ability to reduce belly fat.
This final step to reduce excess belly fat is just as important as the other four. The extra fat that you’ve accumulated around your midsection didn’t appear overnight, and likewise, it won’t disappear that quickly either. By fretting and worrying about plateaus or stalls in weight loss, you may actually cause yourself to gain weight due to the extra stress on the body.
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