It’s perfectly normal not to have a washboard stomach. But if your belly feels uncomfortably big or disproportionate to the rest of your body, it might be visceral fat, which has some serious health implications.
Visceral fat is fat that wraps around organs in the abdominal cavity. It has been linked to potentially dangerous health conditions including heart disease, insulin resistance, fatty liver, systemic inflammation and high levels of bad cholesterol.
Concerned that spare tyre maybe evidence of something more than that extra dessert? Here are some of the major reasons why you might be holding on to extra belly fat. And you’ll be happy to learn the solutions are pretty simple!
1. You eat too much sugar.
You probably knew this was coming. But seriously. Over 3,000 scientific articles (with hundreds of thousands of participants) support the theory that excess sugar consumption leads to the development and worsening of metabolic syndrome. One of the main factors of metabolic syndrome? Abdominal obesity, which is very often a sign of visceral fat.
The solution, frankly, is to quit sugar. Many people have reduced the fat on their waistline when they quit sugar, including Joyce who lost 10cm (4 inches)!
2. You don’t get enough sleep.
Are you the type to stay on your computer way into the wee hours? Or maybe the kids get you up during the night? Whatever the cause, emerging studies have found that less than five hours of sleep increases visceral fat.
If you fall into this category, it’s worth taking a hard look at your sleep hygiene and working on some habits to increase your forty winks. Maybe press snooze every so often (yep, we say so!) or get a few early nights.
3. You don’t eat enough protein.
Studies have also shown a link between increased protein consumption and decreased abdominal fat. We don’t need to tell you what to do here – go eat some protein!
4. You smoke.
Just to add to the multifarious side effects of smoking, heavy smokers have been found to have more abdominal and visceral fat. One more reason to give up the cancer sticks!
5. You stress too much.
There are increasing links between stress hormones and belly fat. In fact, one study found that women with higher waist-to-hip ratios exhibited symptoms of uncontrollable stress and bad mood.
Sound like you? Hmm, us too. Try putting it some mindfulness practices in your day-to-day routine – meditation, exercise, even cooking. Your body (and mind) will thank you for it!
Are you ready to transform your life and quit sugar for good?
Hurry! There's only 4 days left to join our 8-Week Program!
0 comments :
Post a Comment