You may have a perfectly-toned butt and great thighs, but you may not be entirely happy with your body. Some people, even those with perfect butts and thighs, suffer from insecurity because they have a pot belly.
A pot belly refers to the skin or extra fat found on your waist that seems to flow out of your pants. It was never really a big deal until low-rise jeans came out on the market. Low-rise jeans make pot bellies visible and noticeable.
Pot Belly Origin
You can't control where fat goes – this is where the role of genetics comes in. Some people store fat in their hips, while others have it in their legs. The fat goes straight to your abdominal area because of your genes. Try looking at the tummies of your sister, mother or grandfather and if you see them all with pot belly, you surely got yours from your parents.
If you are the only member of your family with a pot belly, then you may want to check your lifestyle. If you are overworked, underpaid, uninspired, underemployed and just plain lonely, then you can say that stress is causing you your pot belly.
Your genes and lifestyle should not be an excuse for you not to improve your body and self-confidence. Pot belly is dangerous because fat in the abdominal area is unhealthy. In fact, the most dangerous fat is the fat that you can't see. Just because your aunt doesn't have a pot belly doesn't mean she doesn't have fat in her abdominal area. The fat that you can't see is the fat that surrounds the essential organs inside your body. If you don't get rid of abdominal fat and muffin top, you will have to deal with these dangers sooner or later. Expect psychological distress and an increased risk of heart diseases and diabetes.
How to Get Rid of a Pot Belly
Do you want to get rid of your pot belly? Here are some quick tips:
- Research show that aerobic exercises help you get rid of body fat, including those found in your abdominal area. Aerobic exercise can be done through swimming, stairmaster, eliptical machine, speed walking, running, spinning and biking at least four times a week. You need to spend at least 45 minutes per session. You should also walk as often as possible.
- Don't spend your whole life spot reducing because this won't help you in any way. Though abdominal exercises can tighten the muscle under the fat, these activities do not get rid of the fat.
- Strength training prevents the formation of belly fat as proven by Kathryn Schmitz of the School of Medicine in the University of Pennsylvania.In this study, Kathryn assigned 164 obese or overwight women, with ages ranging from 25-44, into two groups. The control group was handed a brochure suggesting aerobic exercise, while the training group was asked to go through strength training, where members had to spare an hour two times a week on strength training for the first year. On the second year, they had to spend 45 minutes on strength training.After two years, results showed that the members of the strength training group lost 3.7 percent of body fat. Members of the control group, on the other hand, lost 0.1 percent of body fat. The strength training group members gained only a small percent of deep abdominal fat while the control group gained 21 percent.
- Don't forget your diet. Regular exercise should be paired with the right diet. Keep a list of the food that you eat, expecially your caloric intake. Stay away from foods with high calories to stop the continuous storage of body fat. Do not consume more than what you can burn.
- Make sure that you stay away from processed grains and refined sugars as these will raise the level of insulin in your body. Your insulin level is proportional to the amount of fat in your belly. Eat whole grains, fruits, lean protein and vegetables. If you can't stay away from fatty foods, you can always eat heart-healthy fats.
The Right Attitude
Getting rid of your pot belly is possible when paired with hardwork, determination and discipline. To make your body healthy and strong, you just need to undergo regular weight training coupled with a healthy diet.
If you are young lady, you can put your age to good use by exercising as often as required because getting rid of a pot belly gets harder after you have given birth. If you are pregnant, don't worry about having a pot belly forever because with the right attitude and discipline, you can bring your tummy back to its normal size again. You just need to work extra hard, though.
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