What's up you say, where did all this fat around my tummy come from? You got used to it being round your hips, bottom and thighs but suddenly the midsection is making up for lost time and you are not impressed. Somehow it is shifting from the lower half and making your waistband tight.
You are not alone; many women notice an increase in tummy fat as they grow older - especially after menopause. And the fat in this location is particularly unhealthy when compared to other locations on your body. There are many reasons why it has stubbornly piled itself on to your waistline. It could be heredity or changes in your hormonal levels or even because you have become less active and your metabolism (your body's engine) has slowed while you have been eating the same amount of food.
This nasty belly fat increases your risk of disease so it is not in your best interests to have it hanging around. You see it is not just the fat that you can grab with your hands the stuff out front that is harmful. It is the fat inside that you can't see that is the real problem. This nasty villain lies deeper inside surrounding the organs inside the abdomen.
Researchers also found that these fat cells inside the abdomen aren't just dormant energy waiting to be burned up. The cells are active, producing hormones and other chemicals that can disrupt the body's normal chemical balance and affect your health.
Even if you are a woman who weighs a healthy normal weight, a waist measurement of 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy concentration of abdominal fat. New research has shown that even a measurement of 33 inches or more, increases your health risks regardless of what you weigh.
The good news is that a few lifestyle changes mainly in the form of a proper exercise program that is going to target and increase your metabolic engine along with a healthy eating plan will help you battle your belly bulge.
The way to fight this problem is to do exactly the same as you should do to lose any excess body fat. The idea is to increase your metabolic engine with a proper program that contains mostly strength training exercise. It is important to note here that no other low intensity activity such as walking, jogging or cycling will give you the increase in metabolism to burn off excess body fat, so spend your time on a proper program.
It is also important to make sure you are not only doing the exercises correctly but that you are using the correct level on intensity (degree of effort) otherwise it will not work.
A fitness professional is the person to set up your program, update it regularly and measure and monitor your body composition for true results.
Don't be part of the common myth that exercising the muscles beneath the fat on a certain body part will reduce the fat on that one body part. The same as cutting out one group of "bad" foods or doing lots of sit-ups in the hope of reducing waist size will not get the job done.
On the contrary, fat loss only occurs when the entire body is exercised properly with the right exercise program supplemented by a healthy diet. You will be delighted when you tone your muscles and notice your belly fat begins shrinking, too. In fact, you may notice that your tummy bulge is the first area to shrink when you start exercising and you can remain the slim, trim women you want to be.
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