Health Dangers
If you are always passionate about protecting your health, you might consider taking a measurement of your waist. Stand up straight, suck in your belly and use a tape measure to record your waist, just an inch or two above your hip bone.
We are mostly concern about how we fit into our clothes but the result of the measurement has far greater implication than any concerns you might have. Generally, if your waist measures 35 inches and above for women and 40 inches or more for men, chances are you’re harbouring a potentially dangerous amount of abdominal fat.
You don’t have to be obese or overweight to face health challenges if you harbour excess fat inside your abdomen. Even those of normal weight can accumulate harmful amounts of hidden fat beneath your abdominal wall. Meanwhile, this is not fat you can shed by simply toning up abdominal muscles with exercises like sit-ups and the likes.
Scientists are also learning that visceral fat pumps out immune system chemicals called cytokines — for example, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 — that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These and other biochemicals are thought to have deleterious effects on cells' sensitivity to insulin, blood pressure, and blood clotting.
Another reason excess visceral fat is so harmful could be its location near the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestinal area to the liver. Substances released by visceral fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can influence the production of blood lipids. Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance means that your body's muscle and liver cells don't respond adequately to normal levels of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that carries glucose into the body's cells. Glucose levels in the blood rise, heightening the risk for diabetes.
Life Style Change
This is really a tough one to make, it's easier said than done. Dropping belly fat can be a challenge. If you feel your efforts aren’t giving you the results you want, here are ways to change things up;
Exercise more: Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more you have, the more pounds you’ll torch, even when you’re sitting still. Do strength training exercises twice a week. That’s on top of at least half an hour a day for 5 days a week of a moderate activity like walking or biking.
Stop processed foods and eat real food: Processed foods are not your friends. When you’re in a rush, it’s easy to overlook the fact that packaged foods are often loaded with trans fats, sugar, and salt -- all guaranteed to boost belly fat.
Eat more of veggies: They should fill up at least half your plate, especially at your biggest meal. Choose more nonstarchy varieties (think leafy greens, broccoli, and beans) than their carb-filled kin (potatoes, corn, and carrots).
Stand up and move around: Sitting all day and all night isn’t. Even if you get enough exercise during the week, it won’t do as much for you if you’re on your rear end for 8 to 9 hours a day. If you sit too much:
Take short breaks every hour and move your body. Stretch at your desk or take a stroll around the office.
Gesture while you're talking and tap your foot when you’re sitting down.
Skip the elevator and take the stairs.
When you get home, keep the TV off and do something more active.
Skip the fruit juice and fizzy drinks: It might seem like a healthy swap for sugary colas, but it’s not. All the fat-reducing fiber in the fruit has been removed, leaving only the pure fruit sugars that go straight to your waistline.
Don’t skip sleep: Lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and other health problems. Four or 5 hours a night just isn’t enough. Try to get between 7 and 8 hours.
Minimize Stress: The stress hormone cortisol can override your diet and workouts. When it goes through your body, fat deposits relocate to your belly area. Exercise and meditation can both be great ways to dial down your stress to nontoxic levels.
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