Everyone has some belly fat, but large quantities of this subcutaneous fat can signal a weight problem. We all at some point have tried to get rid of that belly fat acquired over time. Some have tried pills, surgeries, miracle cures, and herbal remedies. Still they yielded no positive result.

It is, however, possible to get rid of belly fat naturally with a healthy combination of diet and exercise.

Fast facts on belly fat:

• Belly fat tends to increase with age, particularly for women.
• Having a high Body Mass Index (BMI) often correlates with more belly fat.
• Visceral belly fat is highly responsive to diet.
• Exercise is a key factor in eliminating belly fat.

Visceral Fat

Visceral fat is sometimes called “active” fat because of its active role in producing various hormones, which can be harmful to the body.

It is less visible than subcutaneous fat because it lies within the abdominal wall. It surrounds organs, and releases hormones that can lead to diabetes, chronic inflammation, and other serious health problems.

Visceral fat is not visible, but a slowly expanding waistline is a good indication of visceral fat. As visceral fat grows, so does the belly.

Some people find that visceral fat makes the stomach feel hard, while subcutaneous fat tends to feel soft and squishy.

The Dangers of Belly Fat

For people who have active lifestyles and healthy body weights, subcutaneous fat, even if the belly protrudes a little is not dangerous.

Research has shown that surgery to remove subcutaneous fat will not improve health, and may even be a risk factor for more visceral fat, particularly if surgery is not accompanied by healthful lifestyle changes.

Visceral fat which can otherwise be known as Belly fat is very dangerous. It releases hormones that can cause diabetes and inflammation. Inflammation is a risk factor for a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In women, visceral fat may increase the likelihood of needing gallbladder surgery. Visceral fat is also linked to breast cancer.

Anyone can develop belly fat at any age, but people who are overweight or obese and those who drink lots of sugary drinks are at a greater risk of developing visceral fat. Those groups include:

Dietary Tips on how to Reduce Belly Fat

Eating fewer calories than the body burns, can help burn both visceral fat and excess subcutaneous fat. Some other strategies to reduce visceral fat include:

Eliminating Sugary Drinks

Some studies have linked sugary beverages, such as soda and sweetened tea and coffee, to the development of visceral fat. Try to reduce the sugar in your coffee and cut out soda altogether.

Reducing Carbohydrate Intake

Simple carbohydrates such as Bread, Rice, Alcohol, Garri etc. are low in nutritional value, but high in calories. They are also linked to the development of abdominal fat. Replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain pasta and fruits and vegetables.

Eating more Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are a healthy alternative to simple carbohydrates. They also add fiber to the diet, which can help regulate blood sugar. Abdominal fat is a risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes.

Controlling Fat Intake

A high-fat diet can lead to more abdominal fat. Don’t try to eliminate all fat, and don’t choose packaged fat-free foods. Instead, choose healthy fats from lean meats, avocados, and other “real” foods.

Exercises

Research has found that exercise plays a significant role in eliminating belly fat. Targeted exercises, such as crunches and sit-ups, will help reduce the belly fat.

The following tips can help reduce belly fat naturally:

Become More Active

Increasing activity levels can help burn more calories. People who sit at desks for long periods of time should take regular stretching breaks. Parking away from a destination can encourage more walking, burn more calories, and improve heart health.

Embrace cardiovascular exercise

Cardiovascular exercise gets the heart pumping. It also burns calories, helping to reduce belly fat, especially visceral fat. Start slowly, with walking or swimming. Then work up to more intense cardio, such as running or jumping rope.

Strengthen Muscles

Strength training can improve body weight, because muscles burn more calories than fat does. Strength training can also help prevent osteoporosis and other chronic illnesses. Commit to strength training exercises, such as lifting weights or yoga, at least 3 times per week.

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It is usually estimated by measuring the circumference around your waist with a simple tape measure. Anything above 40 inches (102 cm) in men and 35 inches (88 cm) in women equals belly fat.

This belly fat can either be as a result of the Subcutaneous or Visceral fat stored in your body.

Subcutaneous fat is right under your skin. It’s commonly found in the thighs, butt, and abdomen.

Visceral fat is the toxic fat found deep in the abdomen. It can access major organs in the body thus preventing highway flow of blood through the blood vessels thereby causing major damage. It affects the liver’s ability to manage cholesterol putting one at a risk of heart diseases. This is the major cause/source of tommy fat.

The bad habits we indulge in that causes tommy fat is

• Eating late into the late
• Smoking
• Constant Fatty Food Intake
• Drinking Alcohol
• Excess Intake of Sugar

Eating Late into the Night slows down your body metabolism. Research shows that the earlier you eat before going to bed the quicker it takes the food to digest. The later you eat, the more calories you’re likely to eat, tending to store up as fat in your belly. The less sleep you’ll get. Less sleep equals a slower metabolism, and that means weight gain/ belly fat.

Smoking; Nicotine in cigarettes prevents fat-burning in the abdomen. Thereby putting smokers at a higher possibility of having more visceral fat than non-smokers.

Constant fatty food intake causes clogging fats which are more likely to go straight to your belly. One theory is that the body doesn’t know what to do with this excess fat, and the abdomen is a quick place to store it. These fats interferes with the insulin’s purpose of fat distribution throughout the body. Instead it stores in the abdomen.

Excess Intake of sugar and calories from drinks (alcohol) need to be avoided. Alcohol prevents fat-burning in the stomach. If you ensure moderation in sugar/drinks, the calories will burn off. But when you overdo it, they end up turning into fat in your abdomen. Research shows that. As a result, calories from alcohol are more likely to become part of your visceral fat layer, making the possibility of developing a beer (or margarita or wine) gut all too real.

Now, to get rid of the excess belly fat

• Begin to eat healthy
• Regular exercises
• Ensure adequate sleep and rest
• Adore your body
• Stay away from sweetened drinks, alcohol and sugar
• Reduce your carbs intake

Healthy Eating

Losing the belly fat is a gradual process. Cut down on your excess fat intake. The key is to get about 30 percent of your daily calories from fat. Women who ate a diet rich in healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocados, and nuts, slashed their risk of heart disease.

Also, watch your intake of some Nigerian meals especially the swallows. Eating meals like Eba, Fufu and Pounded yam constantly/ late into the night causes belly fat. Cutting down on some of these meal will reduce the tommy fat in no time.

Exercise All The Way

Regular heart-pumping exercise is one of the most effective ways to get fat off belly fat. Diet in itself is good. It will reduce your weight, but exercise helps give your body a unique shape Exercise keeps eliminate belly fat faster. Aerobic exercises in particular like walking, running, swimming, etc. cause major reductions in belly fat. Dedication to the exercise will ensure a rapid reduction in belly fat. This will help with a daily routine work out on getting rid of the excess fat.

Adequate Sleep and Rest

It has been observed that lack of sleep can make you hungrier, it kicks in the appetite-regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. These hormones make you crave sweet, salty snacks, thereby increasing the stress hormone cortisol, which may be associated with abdominal fat.

Adore your body

Don’t be laid back and hopeless. Get rid of depression. Depression is an excuse to allow yourself misbehave and do anyhow. It is a ticket to allow anything. Consciously get out of the phase of feeling depressed about your body. No one will love you more than you love yourself. Love and appreciate yourself. Give yourself the best care and pampering it deserves. Women who feel bad about their weight and themselves are more likely to give up on their diet goals and eat too much. Do good things for yourself. Make yourself happy.

You could:

• Take a walk.
• Visit the spa: get a massage. Before you know it, that extra belly flab will be a forgotten issue.

Anything above 40 inches (102 cm) in men and 35 inches (88 cm) in women, is known as

Stay Away From Sweetened Drinks, Alcohol and Sugar

Sweetened drinks, alcohol and sugar have uniquely harmful effects on metabolic health. Alcohol contains excess added sugar. Sugar is half glucose, half fructose, and fructose can only be metabolized by the liver in any significant amount. When you eat a lot of refined sugar, the liver gets overloaded with fructose, and is forced to turn it all into fat. This can lead to increased accumulation of fat in the belly.

Make a decision to minimize the amount of sugar in your diet.

Instead eat whole fruit, the amount of fructose you get from fruit is preferred to what you get from a diet high in refined sugar.

Reduce Carbs in Your Diet

Reduction in carbs (carbohydrates) is a very effective way to lose belly fat. When people cut carbs, their appetite go down and they lose weight.  Go on a low carbs diet. Studies have shown that low-carb diets are particularly effective at getting rid of the fat in the belly.

When you follow these steps and quit smoking as well, you would see a remarkable difference in the belly fat. If you have worked or currently working on your belly fat, kindly share some tips that have helped you thus far in the comment section.

The post 6 Ways on How to Get Rid Of Belly Fat appeared first on Hermaze | Relationship, Beauty, Fashion, Family Articles for Women.

High Cola Intake-

Daily consumption of cola makes one age faster than usual. Research has shown that the combination of caffeine and phosphoric acid in cola will result into a lower bone-mineral density thus causing one to age quickly.

Exposure to Carbon Monoxide-

Exhaust from cars, trucks, trains and buses that we are constantly exposed to poses a threat to our health. They do not only cause breathing problems but also aging and skin issues like eczema, acne and psoriasis which may result into cancer on the long run.

Consuming Inflammatory Foods-

Daily consumption of meals that tend to cause inflammation affect our looks. Constantly eating vegetables, red meats, margarine, oils, white bread, or sugary processed foods do our skin no good as they cause inflammation resulting into wrinkle formation. Eat foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid such as flax seeds, flax seed oil, avocados, salmon, and olive oil. Also, meals/product abundant in zinc, selenium, vitamin C and beta carotene help in the body’s production of collagen which  keeps the skin firm, supple and soft.

Smoking and Drinking Alcohol-

According to Huffington post on healthy living, Alcohol is a natural diuretic, as you consume you become dehydrated. This does not only suck away the natural moisture from your skin, drinking excessively causes rosacea outbreaks and exacerbates fine lines, acne, and wrinkles, which instantly makes you look older. Smoking does not only cause heart disease, infertility, bladder cancer, high blood pressure and lung cancer. It also heightens psoriasis, alcohol reduces the skin cell oxygen leading to a pale and uneven colouring. Smoking also leads to a breakdown of collagen which may cause a loose and saggy skin. This makes us age even in our youth.

Lack of Sleep/Stress-

The recommended amount of sleep per night should be between seven to nine hours. Not doing this may have a huge negative impact on ones health. However, long straight sleeps on one side of the face may cause wrinkles and fine lines. Sleeping on your back may be one fine way to avoid fine lines and wrinkles. Worry, anxiety and stress cause aging faster than anything.  Stress will age the brain, increase blood pressure and will make one loose sleep resulting in a more older look.

Daily Exercise-

Routine workouts and exercise makes one strong, firm and healthy. It eliminates excess fats which may make the skin saggy. Moderate exercise keeps us agile, sharp, alert and ensure we feel young.

Bad Makeup-

Wearing the wrong make up/ using expired and bad products could damage your skin. It is important that we go for quality and not quantity when choosing products for our skin. Take some time to research about the chemicals that has been put together to make the products. Applying bad make up such as heavy foundation and powder tend to settle into the skin causing wrinkles. These products clog our face pores and ruin skin luminosity.  To avoid an aging look it is very important that we go for good quality products.

*Google Images

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