Men and Belly Fat

Our modern lifestyle focused on comfort, leaves us with very little spare time that most of us spend watching too much television, eating too much, using excessively technical gadgets, and finding no time for exercising. All of these lead very often to obesity and weak overall condition. We have struggled out of proportion to fulfill the expectations from our family, relatives, coworkers, bosses, etc and live up by their standards. The list is pretty long. In that mode of hyperactivity many of us have difficulties to find time to walk, spend some time in nature, exercise, have a good sleep, eat healthy, etc. All these factors affect our health and can cause obesity. The dynamic is very simple – hyperactivity leads to exhaustion, which in turn causes us to reach for comfort food, full of fats and sugar and together with our physically inactive lifestyle leads to accumulation of fats around our waist area, known as belly fat. According to doctors, belly fat is one of the greatest factors for many diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, cancer and sleep apnea. The article “Belly Fat in Men: Why Weight Loss Matters” gives us techniques on how to check if we have belly fat, and then continues with the tips on how to reduce these dangerous fat deposits.

How can you tell if you have too much belly fat?

So how do you know if you have too much belly fat? Simply measure your waist:

• Stand and place a tape measure around your bare stomach, just above your hipbone. If your belly droops, lie down to take the measurement.
• Pull the tape measure until it fits snugly around you, but doesn’t push into your skin.
• Make sure the tape measure is level all the way around.
• Relax, exhale and measure your waist, resisting the urge to suck in your stomach.

For men, a waist measurement of more than 40 inches (102 centimeters) indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems.

How do you get rid of belly fat?

You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won’t get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat does respond to the same diet and exercise strategies that can help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat. To battle the bulge:

• Eat a healthy diet. Emphasize plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy
products. Limit saturated fat, found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter. Choose moderate amounts of monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats — found in fish, nuts and certain vegetable oils — instead.

• Keep portion sizes in check. Even when you’re making healthy choices, calories add up. At home, slim down your portion sizes. In restaurants, share meals
— or eat half your meal and take the rest home for another day.

• Include physical activity in your daily routine. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic
activity, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging, for at least 75 minutes a week. In
addition, strength training exercises are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to
exercise more.

According to doctors, the term “belly fat” does not affect only fat people. Skinny people can also develop a hidden belly fat, which spread around the stomach organs. The risks are the same as in fat people. Occurrence of belly fat increases with the aging process and is conditioned by genes. Some people are genetically predetermined to accumulate fat around their belt, and this type of body composition is known as “apple” shape. People, who have their fat collected around the thighs and hips, are a “pear” shape. Although our genes impose on us probability for developing belly fat, there are a lot more we can do about our lifestyle and our habits. Reducing calorie intake and regular exercising can make a miracle.