It's no secret that one of the greatest health problems plaguing
our modern society is excess fat. However, not all fat is equally
dangerous, and unfortunately, it's those extra pounds around the belly
region (the so-called spare tire) that are potentially the most
dangerous. While fat distributed more evenly around the body can simply
be a sign of different "body types", with a slower metabolism being
equated with more overall fat storage, the tendency to store fat
specifically around the abdominal region is more troubling. What is also
not a secret are that the masses of people searching for a quick answer
to the question: how to lose my belly fat?
Don't Just Think Cosmetics
The problem is that the majority of these people are only considering abdominal fat loss from a cosmetic perspective, hoping to improve their body image. When I began to look into how to lose my belly fat, I too was overly concerned with cosmetic appearance. What people should be understanding however is the internal health risks of fat around the abs, which are far more serious than external appearance. This article aims to outline some of the health risks of stomach fat, which can hopefully serve as an increased motivation on your goal to lose belly fat beyond the outside appearance only factors.
Let's begin with the specific health diseases that excess abdominal fat is linked to. The three big ones here are diabetes, all forms of cancer, and of course, cardiovascular disease. Even more dangerous than the visible fat around the middle region is the so-called visceral fat, which is the fat that we can't see which surrounds the inner organs of the abdominal region such as the liver and kidneys.
Even supposedly skinny people on the outside can contain high quantities of this visceral fat, hence the term "skinny fat". Excessive numbers of fat cells and especially visceral fat cells encourage the production of dangerous natural hormones which are linked to a whole host of health problems, especially insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes. Having excess fat stored around the abdominals is also linked to higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and eventually hardening of the arteries leading to heart attack or stroke. Bottom line, fat cells are a lot less healthy than lean muscle cells, and the more fat content of your body, especially around the abdominal region, the greater the tendency for the body to produce high levels of systemic inflammation. It is this low-grade, chronic inflammation that has been linked with virtually every illness, from lung diseases to Alzheimer's. So besides your visual assessment, what's an ultra quick way to gauge whether you're packing excessive pounds around the middle? Take a tape measure and find out the circumference around your waist, and then use this as a guideline: For the North American population, a waist circumference in excess of 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women is considered to be putting you at risk for the health consequences mentioned previously. If you're over these limits, you should think about losing belly fat.
Tips To Lose Belly Fat
Finally, this article was not intended to go into detail on how to lose belly fat quickly, but rather serve as a motivating factor by switching your mindset from the cosmetic only motivation to the much more important issue of your internal health. However, it can briefly be said that there is nothing better for belly fat loss than good old-fashioned simple aerobic exercise, no matter how many times you may have heard that before. This, combined with a low fat, high fiber diet is all you need on your journey to a flatter stomach and greater health, if adhered to faithfully, and thus really is the best way to lose belly fat. Never mind any specialized lose belly fat exercises or gimmick ab machines.
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Don't Just Think Cosmetics
The problem is that the majority of these people are only considering abdominal fat loss from a cosmetic perspective, hoping to improve their body image. When I began to look into how to lose my belly fat, I too was overly concerned with cosmetic appearance. What people should be understanding however is the internal health risks of fat around the abs, which are far more serious than external appearance. This article aims to outline some of the health risks of stomach fat, which can hopefully serve as an increased motivation on your goal to lose belly fat beyond the outside appearance only factors.
Let's begin with the specific health diseases that excess abdominal fat is linked to. The three big ones here are diabetes, all forms of cancer, and of course, cardiovascular disease. Even more dangerous than the visible fat around the middle region is the so-called visceral fat, which is the fat that we can't see which surrounds the inner organs of the abdominal region such as the liver and kidneys.
Even supposedly skinny people on the outside can contain high quantities of this visceral fat, hence the term "skinny fat". Excessive numbers of fat cells and especially visceral fat cells encourage the production of dangerous natural hormones which are linked to a whole host of health problems, especially insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes. Having excess fat stored around the abdominals is also linked to higher blood pressure, cholesterol, and eventually hardening of the arteries leading to heart attack or stroke. Bottom line, fat cells are a lot less healthy than lean muscle cells, and the more fat content of your body, especially around the abdominal region, the greater the tendency for the body to produce high levels of systemic inflammation. It is this low-grade, chronic inflammation that has been linked with virtually every illness, from lung diseases to Alzheimer's. So besides your visual assessment, what's an ultra quick way to gauge whether you're packing excessive pounds around the middle? Take a tape measure and find out the circumference around your waist, and then use this as a guideline: For the North American population, a waist circumference in excess of 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women is considered to be putting you at risk for the health consequences mentioned previously. If you're over these limits, you should think about losing belly fat.
Tips To Lose Belly Fat
Finally, this article was not intended to go into detail on how to lose belly fat quickly, but rather serve as a motivating factor by switching your mindset from the cosmetic only motivation to the much more important issue of your internal health. However, it can briefly be said that there is nothing better for belly fat loss than good old-fashioned simple aerobic exercise, no matter how many times you may have heard that before. This, combined with a low fat, high fiber diet is all you need on your journey to a flatter stomach and greater health, if adhered to faithfully, and thus really is the best way to lose belly fat. Never mind any specialized lose belly fat exercises or gimmick ab machines.