June is just around the corner, which means summer is practically here! As always, we would all like to go to summer vacation free of insecurities related to our beach bodies. Even though summer bodies often require exercising and sticking to proper nutrition all year long, there are some tricks that might help you lose some belly fat even at this point! First of all, although many people would like to get rid of abdominal fat due to aesthetic reasons, it's important to emphasize its effect on your health.
Everybody has a specific level of fat in their bodies, even fit people. You can mostly notice the fat accumulating just beneath your skin, but some amount of fat can be found around your heart, liver, lungs, and other organs. This happens when you gain too much weight, so your body allocates fat in unusual places, such as around the organs. This type of deeper fat is called visceral fat. People who have much of visceral fat often suffer from different health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart problems, type 2 diabetes, dementia, and even some types of cancer – colon cancer, breast cancer...
Even when you start noticing some weight coming off, it's still hard to get rid of midsection fat. In order to help you with this annoying problem that many people have, we've prepared a few bits of advice that should help to lose the belly fat.
Combination of diet and exercise
When trying to lose some weight most people opt for dieting or exercise. The secret to obtaining a slim waist is in the combination of these two. Exercise is responsible for burning calories and for speeding up your metabolism. Combining exercise with a low-calorie diet is the key to losing weight in this problematic area – belly. It is recommended to intake more fiber, nutrient-rich vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, carrots, kale, peas, as many others, make a very healthy and tasty addition to your meals. In addition, it is advised to avoid the consumption of processed foods and alcohol.
As for exercise, we recommend avoiding the abs workout. Yes, you read it well! Although crunches strengthen the abdominal muscles, they're not enough to burn calories in a proper amount. We recommend 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise 4-5 times a week. If you are prone to more demanding exercising, even better. The harder the workout, the more fat gets burned. Also, it is a good idea to boost the intensity of the workout during the time.
Stress management
Stress is a normal part of the life of almost every adult person. But one of the negative sides of stress is that it elevates the levels of cortisol, which decreases the fat burning in your body, and, it also has inflammatory properties. Furthermore, when we are under stress, we tend to overeat. To manage the stress we advise you to identify what triggers your stressed reaction in the first place. Then make a plan on how to avoid them, or at least be prepared for it. Make a to-do list and set some mini goals for every day/week, etc. Treat yourself right and get enough sleep.
Following these simple steps you will surely feel better about yourself, and your belly will start shrinking as the time passes.
Nessie L.B.