Belly fat refers to the visceral fat surrounding the liver and the other organs in the abdomen. It is located close to the portal vein that carries blood to the liver. The worst part is that this fat can be very harmful to the body. So, any person suffering from this particular issue should focus on taking appropriate measures to reduce belly fat.
If you are thinking about losing belly fat, then the section below will help clear all of your doubts. Here, we will consider talking about the best approaches that will help to reduce belly fat effectively.
Major causes of Belly Fat
Contrary to popular belief, people with a normal BMI but having excessive belly fat are known to suffer from many health issues. Here are given some of the significant causes of belly fat that you should know about.
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the major causes of sudden gain in belly fat. It is evident from many of the research studies that overconsumption of alcohol is linked to an increase in belly fat.
Reports suggested that those men who consumed more than three drinks per day were 80% more likely to suffer from this condition.
Sugary Beverages And Food
Many of the studies have found a link between excess belly fat and high sugar intake. It is precise because of the excessive refined sugar that is added during the processing.
Any form of excess sugar can be very harmful to the body. The same thing applies to sugar-sweetened beverages.
Stress
Cortisol is most commonly known to be the stress hormone. The human body produces this hormone in stressful conditions. Stress is something that drives overeating. And cortisol causes the excess calories to be stored as belly fat.
Genetics
Genes also play a significant role in increased obesity risk. A lot of the studies also suggest that genetics may be somewhat responsible for the tendency of the body to store body fat in the belly portion.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Belly fat can also be accumulated if the activity levels of an individual are low.
A recent study suggests that people who performed aerobic exercise or strength training for a year after losing body weight were more likely to prevent abdominal fat gain.
While those who did not exercise experienced an increase in their belly fat.
Essential tips that will help to Reduce Belly Fat
One should always focus on following a well-planned routine for effectively reducing belly fat. Below are given some of the essential tips that will help you to achieve your belly fat loss goals:
Avoiding Alcohol
When consumed in limited amounts, alcohol can have a lot of health benefits. But, when consumed in excessive amounts, it can be seriously harmful.
Alcohol can negatively affect your body by increasing the risk of abdominal obesity. So, it is essential to reduce alcohol consumption if you are serious about belly fat loss.
Eating A Lot Of Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber tends to form a gel with water which slows down food as it passes through your digestive tract.
So, this type of fiber effectively promotes weight loss by helping you to feel full for a more extended period. Therefore, it prevents unnecessary intake of food.
Workout Regularly
Practicing belly fat exercise will help to restore your standard body shape. In this regard, aerobic or cardio exercises are found to be very effective.
But, the results achieved by practicing these exercises vary depending on the intensity of exercise necessary.
Along with these exercises, resistance training also helps to achieve fat loss. But, before you get started with high-intensity resistance training, it would be best if you consult with a personal fitness trainer.
They will effectively guide you throughout the process.
Drinking Green Tea
Green tea is known to be a very healthy beverage. It contains the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG, which is found to boost metabolism. But, when its consumption is combined with proper exercise, then its effects may be strengthened.
Getting Adequate Amount Of Sleep
It is imperative to get enough sleep if you want to stay healthy. Not getting an adequate amount of sleep can be dangerous, and you would end up gaining more weight.
Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing stops intermittently at night is linked with excessive visceral fat. So, it is recommended to get a minimum of 7 hours of quality sleep to keep your fat gain under control.
Tracking Your Calories
You should always keep a close track of the number of calories you are consuming and burning daily. It is one of the most critical steps you should adopt to avoid fat accumulation in the body.
Health Risks that are associated with the Belly Fat Accumulation
Along with the higher BMI, excessive belly fat accumulation can cause many of the health risks as follows:
- High Blood Pressure
- Type 2 Diabetes And Insulin Resistance
- Colorectal Cancer
- Sleep Apnea
- Cardiovascular Disease
It is not possible to reduce belly fat overnight. You will need to adopt a long-term plan to lose belly fat successfully.
However, if you follow all the above-given tips, you would be able to achieve your goals swiftly. So, it would be best if you talk to an expert before you get started on your weight loss journey.
Wrapping Up
Eating the correct type of food is very important if you want to reduce belly fat successfully.
As per your requirements and needs, you should always focus on following a well-thought-out diet plan. It is essential to stick to a meal plan to lose belly fat.
To successfully reduce your belly fat, you should make sure that your diet is balanced and perform belly fat reduction exercises. It includes mainly those exercises which target the abdominal area.
These types of activities are proved to be very effective in reducing belly fat. Some of the most effective ones include vertical leg crunch, bicycle exercise, crunches, bird dog, etc.
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