Major Factors That Cause Fat Accumulation Around The Belly
You gain fat around the belly area due to several reasons. The main causes of belly fat are diet and lifestyle choices.
Belly fat, in particular, results from a diet heavy in high-calorie foods, such as sugary treats, sodas, and processed foods. When you combine these dietary choices with little exercise or movement, fat gets stored commonly around the midsection.
Other causes of belly fat, besides a poor diet and lack of exercise, include:
Your Workouts Might Be Causing Your Belly Fat
What? I know, its the opposite of everything youve ever heard, but heres the truth: during and after menopause, your workouts arent giving you the same benefits as they used to. All these years, estrogen has been regulating your periods, but it has also been helping your muscles recover after hard workouts. All exercise is a stress on your body, and thats not necessarily a bad thing. Thats how your body adapts and gets better and stronger. But that when youre not recovering, then youre not actually adapting and getting better and stronger. Instead, youre staying in a chronically stressed state, which will cause your body to store fat. Specifically, belly fat.
How To Burn Fat
If you want to efficiently shed body fat, you’ll need to take into account various factors such as your diet and daily activity levels ), as well as your time spent exercising.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis describes the calories burned from all of the movement you do during the day that is not exercise, and it can make a difference in your weight loss, Margo says. Examples of NEAT are cooking, shopping, walking and gardening essentially day-to-day activities.
Alongside increasing your exercise levels and NEAT, the third key component to burning fat is finding an appropriate diet. You will need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn each day but it is important this deficit is not so great that its unsustainable.
…Make sure to get enough sleep . Lack of sleep is linked with obesity in general and also lower fat loss on a low calorie diet.
Biochemist Tim Bond, a researcher from the Tea Advisory Panel, adds: Fill up on fiber as this has a prebiotic effect
Also, emphasize whole grains rather than processed grains and focus on intake of fruit and vegetable and bean intake.
Another recommendation Bond proffered was to try and reduce your stress levels, as research shows stress increases adrenal gland hormones like cortisol which increase habit and increase central fat storage.
You May Like: On Running Shoes For Women
Lifestyle Changes For Weight Loss
Beyond diet and exercise, there are other lifestyle changes you can make to aid your weight loss.
Healthy habits tend to have a domino effect. If you can add one or two healthy changes to your routine, it will become easier to add more as time goes on.
Here are some to consider:
- Drink plenty of water.
Recommended Reading: Best Exercise For Kidney Health
Winning The Battle Of The Bulge
As you get older, it may seem like it’s impossible to get rid of those unwanted pounds. If you want to eliminate unwanted belly fat, remember the weight loss formula and find the exercises that work best for you. It’s your body and you will have to do the work, but you will eventually see results if you stick with your plan. For as stubborn as belly fat is, you can overcome it if you continue to follow a healthy exercise routine and commit to a healthy diet.
You May Like: White Dress Suit For Women
Half Seated Reverse Crunch
Target Lower abs, upper abs, and glutes.
How To Do
What Not To Do Do not scrunch your shoulders or curve your lower back too much.
Behavioral Mood State And Feelings Of Hunger And Satiety
Psychological mood state changes over the course of the study were assessed with the Profile of Mood States questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study to quantify changes in six major mood states tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue, and confusion. Total mood disturbance was also calculated using the following formula:
Feelings of hunger, satiation, and desire-to-eat were assessed with visual analog scales at baseline and week 13 to evaluate the impact of the lifestyle interventions .
Read Also: Women’s Care Center Pasadena
Here Are The 6 Exercises Included In This Abs Workout:
- Kneeling Ab Wheel – 10 eps
- Side Plank Hip Lifts – 20 reps
- Leg Raises – 10 reps
A post shared by SWEAT on Oct 5, 2020 at 1:35pm PDT
Set a timer for 12 minutes and see how many laps you can do. Work towards doing 2-4 rounds of the workout for effective results. You can pair this workout along with your usual cardio or weight training routine. Half an hour or running, cycling, brisk-walking, jogging, etc can be done along with this abs workout.
Also read: Do Not Miss These Tips That Can Help You Shed Belly Fat Effectively
The Best Exercises To Lose Belly Fatwhy They’re A Myth
Our experts were unanimous in their insistence that, while certain movements may help tone the ab area, no specific exercises will help you shift belly fat alone. “It is a myth that you can spot reduce fat in a particular area,” says Jenny Hutchins, personal trainer and founder of JNY Personal Training . “If you want to lose fat in one areasay, your tummythen you will need to lower your overall body fat percentage.” The healthy range for women, in their forties and fifties, is between 14% to 27%if you want to check where you’re currently at, you can get a good idea with one of these best body fat scales.
In order to lower your body fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit. “That’s burning more calories than you consume,” explains Hutchins. “The best way to do this is through a combination of regular exercisewhich increases your daily energy expenditureand also reducing the number of calories you eat as part of a nutritious, balanced diet.” Aiming for a 15 to 20% deficit on your daily calorie burning is recommended by personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long . “This means its sustainable and youll maintain the results,” she explains. “Bit by bit, your body fat will start to lower. It may take longer in some areas, but stick with the process and you will see the results.”
Don’t Miss: Women To Youth Shoe Size
Dont Forget To Consult Your Doctor
As with every people, there are individual reminders when it comes to exercises. Especially, belly fat is influenced by several factors, including your lifestyle, diet plan, and any underlying medical condition. Before doing any of these practices, it may be best to visit a professional gym trainer or physical fitness instructor after consulting your doctor.
Crunch Belly Fat Away
Let’s face it, we all want the secret to six-pack abs. According to the American Council on Exercise, having a defined midsection is a combination of toned muscles and low body fat. Following a regular exercise routine along with a healthy diet is essential.
The following exercises will strengthen your abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis. This muscle allows you to bend in different directions. It is also responsible for giving you that ripped, six-pack look.
These three exercises will crunch belly fat away ââ¬â however, you may be surprised to find out that there are no sit-ups or crunches included.
Move 1: The Tension Plank
This exercise goes beyond the basic plank as it requires you to tense different parts of your body to challenge and strengthen your core.
Move 2: The Bear Crawl
You May Like: Nike Women’s Size Chart
Managing Stress Is The Real Key To Losing Menopausal Belly Fat
Probably the most important thing that you can know about belly fat, is that managing the stress in your life is the way to banish it forever. I know that got things in your life that are stressful your job, your elderly parents, your pets, and more. And heres what to do: get all of those thoughts out of your head and onto paper so that you see that its your thoughts that are causing stress for you. My friends, getting rid of mental stress is truly as simple as journaling. When you take care of your stress, your body will take care of itself.
Have friends who deal with menopause belly fat too? SHARE this with them!
Understanding The Risks Of Belly Fat
Don’t Miss: 12 Women In The Bible
How Can I Lose Tummy Fat Fast
If youre trying to lose belly fat and have trouble with it, youll need to focus on a diet that will allow your body to burn fat and build muscle while youre losing fat from all over. If your diet has a lot of sugar, you can lose fat from your stomach, but you wont have a ton of muscle mass to support your weight.Youll also want to make sure you eat enough protein and fat. Protein will help your body build muscle while fat is essential to keep your metabolism going. You can eat a lot of carbs to lose fat from your stomach, but youll be burning muscle as well as fat. If you do this for too long, youll start to lose muscle mass, which will make you look even more like a tub of lard.If you have trouble with your metabolism and want to build muscle while youre losing fat, you can try a low-carb diet. Youll be able to eat plenty of protein and fat while keeping your body burning calories for hours after you eat. The best way to do this is to eat a diet that includes lots of eggs and chicken breast.
Why Are Crunches Not Effective
Although crunches are useful, they are not the most complete or efficient abdominal workouts. Therefore, if your objective is to lose weight, you shouldnt rely solely on it.
Batra says, Crunches are an exercise which only works your abs muscles not your core muscles thus you dont burn enough calories that are required to have flat abs with crunches. Targeted fat loss, also known as spot reduction, is also not possible, no matter how many crunches you do. The only way you can have flat abs or lose fat from your belly is to lose fat from your entire body.
So, try to focus on full-body movements that recruit a lot of muscles at a time. And this is possible with the right set of exercises.
You May Like: Best Exercises To Burn Fat
Read Also: Wide Width Women’s Shoes
Feel The Burn And Tone Your Tummy With This Fun Workout
Reducing belly fat is a combination of paying attention to your nutrition and having a regular exercise routine. Try this series of exercises to fire up your muscles and tone this common trouble area.
Andi will demonstrate how to properly perform these five exercises. When you feel comfortable, move through each exercise for 30 seconds each.
As always, safety is key. If you have a chronic condition , an injury, or balance issues, talk to your doctor about how you can exercise safely.
Give your midsection and all your muscles! some TLC every day with a SilverSneakers class! A good one to try? SilverSneakers Circuit. Classes are offered both in-person and online. Check your eligibility here.
How To Do Side Plank:
- Lie on your right side and place your right elbow underneath your right shoulder.
- Place your left foot behind your right foot on the floor.
- Lift your hips off the floor to form a straight line between your head, shoulders, hips and feet.
- Breathe normally.
- Complete one set before changing over to the left.
Be safe: If you find this exercise too hard, keep your knees bent until you get stronger
Also Check: Shapewear For Plus Size Women
Diet To Get Rid Of Excess Belly Fat
Consuming more calories than you burn can make you more likely to develop visceral fat. It sometimes accumulates around the abdomen.
Eating the right foods may help aid weight loss. Avoid or limit foods that are highly processed and high in refined sugars and bleached grains. Theyve been linked to blood sugar instability and inflammation in the digestive tract.
Instead, focus on adding healthy protein and fiber sources to your diet. Cruciferous veggies may help keep you full for longer and contain many nutrients. These include:
Protein can boost your stamina and energy without adding a lot of calories to your daily calorie needs. Some protein sources include:
- hard-boiled eggs
- beans and legumes
Avoid or limit artificially sweetened drinks, including energy drinks and diet sodas. Stick to anti-inflammatory beverages, such as unsweetened green tea and water.
Losing Belly Fat After Childbirth
You May Like: Women’s Skechers Memory Foam Sandals
Best Exercises For Belly Fat Over 60
All the best exercises for belly fat over 60 to help you feel great
When it comes to the best exercises for belly fat over 60, theres quite a selection. These are exercises that will help to shed unwanted weight whilst also helping to tone the stomach muscles that lie underneath.
As we get older, our bodies change and so can our workout routines. A combination of taking care of our nutrition with things such as the best supplements for joints, and staying active can make a real difference to how we feel.
You may want to lose belly fat for aesthetic reasons, however, targeting stomach fat can also help improve health as research has consistently shown how excess fat around the middle can increase the risk of problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure, to name just a few.
Below, weve rounded up six of the best exercises for belly fat over 60 that dont involve machines. Instead, they work with dumbbells, other weighted items, or simply just using your own bodyweight.
Sean Butt has held a career in the fitness industry for over a decade. As a practicing personal trainer who frequently works with MyProtein he applies his qualifications in personal training, strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports and exercise science and sports psychology toward helping people achieve their goals.
