Jane DoeThat moment when you bend down to knot your shoes and feel the bulge of your belly. Right at that moment you will remember all those desserts you have piled on and the fried food will flash across your eye to tell you where did the belly fat come from!
Immediately you want to get down and start your crunches, to blast that fat away. However, it isn’t so easy to melt your belly fat and there is definitely no such thing as a spot reduction. It so happens for most people that the first change in their body is at the stomach, so when you go in for a general weight reduction you will notice that your abdominal fat has decreased too.
Belly fat is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease and creates a lot of health complications and risks. The visceral fat or the fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity is stored around internal organs like liver, pancreas and intestines and hence a major threat to your well being.
Watching your diet and an exercise regime will get you started on your journey to reduce your belly fat and here is how you can do it:
Lifestyle Changes
- Stress is an important factor leading to belly fat as during stress a hormone called cortisol is secreted and it leads to accumulation of belly fat. De-stress by getting engaging in a hobby or take up meditation to reduce the stress
- Become more everyday active like walking to the nearby store, taking the staircase instead of the lift and going for short walks between work, get in at least 10,000 steps a day
- Monitor your weight and measurement regularly. You don’t tend to realize your weight gain until your pants don’t fit you! Ensure you are ahead of the game.
Diet Changes
- Regulate your meal times as having infrequent meals with big meals is a major cause of weight gain. It is important to start the day with breakfast as it sets the tone for the day and prevents you from over eating.
- Switch to whole grains instead of refined foods. This means no to maida and bakery products like breads and cakes. Have rotis or traditional Indian rotis like Bajra roti, jowar roti and shift to brown rice or millets instead of white rice.
- Shift to water instead of cool drinks as it will hydrate you and help you feel fuller
- Ensure you take in at least four servings of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day
Exercise Changes
- Have you ever noticed a fat yogi? Bet not! Yoga is celebrated across the world as a great physical exercise and while there are several versions like hot yoga that you can follow, the simplest and basic asanas like Kapalbhati Pranayam (Breathing exercise where you inhale and exhale with intensity) and Suryanamaskar (Set of stretching exercises clubbed together in a fluid motion) are the best for getting those flat abs
- High intensity cardio is the best way to jumpstart your weight loss. This will spur your endurance and lead to higher calorie loss through the day
- Resistance training or weight training is crucial for toning and strengthening of the muscles which is important for belly fat loss. Whether you are a man or a woman, weight training adds more to belly weight loss than just simple cardio.
Abdominal exercises like crunches are best for that lean stomach but just crunches alone won’t help as you may build strong muscles beneath the fat. Hence it is important to follow all the above tips and add crunches to the mix to get rid of your belly fat.
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