How to Lose Belly Fat
Here is an overview of belly fat and the things that you should know about it when you are a woman.
Whether a woman has belly fat because of changes in hormones, aging, or heredity, a lot of women discover that they have an abundance of fat in their belly as they age, and most often after going through menopause. The fat that is in the belly is unhealthier when it’s compared to the other spots where fat gathers.
When someone has a lot of fat in their stomach, they are at a greater risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. When it comes to belly fat in women, women shouldn’t give up. They should know that there are exercises that they can do and there are also changes to their lifestyle that will help get rid of that fat in the midsection.
When Fat is Gathering in the Abdomen
As a person ages, your metabolism is going to slow down and therefore you will discover that there’s more fat in your body. For women, it’s a bigger gain of fat than men do. One particular time that a woman will notice more fat is right after menopause, when fat is distributed to legs, hips, arms, and abdomen.
One of the big mistakes that people make is that they concentrate just on the fat that they can see right in front of them. But the truth is that the fat you should really worry about is the fat that isn’t visible. The visceral fat is fat that lays deep inside your abdomen and which surrounds the organs found in the abdomen. This type of fat gain is what is linked to things like diabetes, heart disease, and other kinds of health problems. Fat that you see, which is known as subcutaneous fat, is found between your abdominal wall and skin but it poses less of a risk to your health.
Even though a decrease in physical activity and a slower metabolism is going to be one of the reasons why you gain weight with age, those aren’t the factors which influence the accumulation of visceral fat in a direct way. One of the culprits may be heredity. Another thing that plays a role in visceral fat accumulation is hormones. They change the way that fat is broken down and stored, which means that your belly is going to accumulate more of it.
There are even women who find that heir waist is widening even though they haven’t gained any pounds. Even though you may not be seeing the numbers on the scale climb, your midsection may be increasing as the fat in your legs and arms goes down. Even if you don’t weigh too much, when fat is accumulated in your belly you are going to be at risk for health issues.
Health Issues Linked to Belly Fat
-
Breast cancer
-
Heart disease
-
Diabetes
-
Metabolic syndrome
-
Gallbladder problems
-
Colorectal cancer
-
Elevated blood pressure
Research has been done that has discovered that the fat cells in the abdomen aren't simply energy that is dormant and waiting for you to burn it off. These are active cells and they produce hormones and other kinds of substances that are going to affect your health. For example, one of the things that hormones from fat cells can promote is resistance to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Another thing that these hormones can produce is estrogen after you go through menopause, which is something that increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer.
Now that we have gone through how belly fat on women affects them, now we’ll take a look at how belly fat on men affects them.
Why belly fat is a concern in men
Even though men don’t go through menopause, they are more likely to gain the weight around their waist then women. They have serious health issues that they are susceptible to as a result of an increase in belly fat. Some of the health risks that are associated with belly fat in men.
-
Stroke
-
Heart disease
-
Some kinds of cancer
-
Type 2 diabetes
-
Sleep apnea
-
Insulin resistance
-
High triglycerides
-
Metabolic syndrome
-
Reduced levels of HDL(good cholesterol)
One of the things that you should do to determine whether or not you have too much belly fat is to measure your belly. This is going to tell you whether or not you have too much fat in your belly. These are the steps for you to take in order to find out what your waist size is.
-
Take a tape measure and put it around your abdomen, making sure that it’s bare, right above the hipbone.
-
Pull your tape measure and pull it so that it’s fitting snugly around your body but isn’t pushing into the skin.
-
Check to ensure that it’s level all around your body.
-
Relax your body, exhale, and take the measurement of your waist. Make sure you don’t suck your bell in!
A man’s waist should be no greater than 39 inches around and a woman’s waist should be no greater than 34 inches around. Anything more than this is going to put them at risk for health problems.
For men and women, their age can be a factor when it comes to belly fat. That is why it’s important to stay active and keep exercising as they age. There is no reason why anyone needs to gain weight as they grow older if they live an active lifestyle and keep exercising.
Keep in mind that it belly fat gain isn’t inevitable when you age. As long as you do the following things, you will discover that you are keeping fit and trim no matter what your age is.
-
Eat right – Ensure that you are eating lots of healthy food. Stick to whole grains instead of white bread and pasta, make sure you get your recommended daily allowance of fruit and vegetables, and stick to the lean meats.
-
Exercise – Make sure that you’re exercising each day. Even if you just do some walking, this is going to help your metabolism and your heart. Find something that you enjoy doing exercise wise and it won’t seem like such a chore.
-
Drink water – Finally, make sure that you are getting plenty of water to drink. This is going to keep your body hydrated and help you to stay healthy.
When you discover that you have lots of belly fat, this article has a lot of good information about what belly fat can do to you, some of the contributing factors, and some of the things that you can do to reduce your belly fat.