Everyone has some abdominal fat, even those with flat abs. That is typical. But excessive abdominal fat can negatively impact health in ways that other fat cannot.
Some of your fat is directly beneath the skin. Other fat is located deeper within the body, near the heart, lungs, liver, and other organs. Even for slim people, visceral fat, which is a deeper type of fat, may pose the highest health risk.
Deep Belly Fat
You require visceral fat. It provides protection for your organs. However, excess amounts may increase the risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and some cancers, including breast cancer and colon cancer.
If you gain too much weight, your body will begin to store fat in unexpected locations. People whose normal fat-storage areas are so packed that fat is stored in organs and around the heart are becoming increasingly common as obesity rates rise.
How Much Abdominal Fat Do You Possess?
A CT scan or MRI is the most accurate method for determining visceral fat percentage. But there is a lot easier and less expensive way to check.
Take a measuring tape, wrap it around your waist at the belly button, and measure your circumference. Assume a standing position and ensure the tape measure is level. For the benefit of your health, your waist size should be less than 35 inches for women and less than 40 inches for men.
A “pear shape” characterized by larger hips and thighs is regarded safer than a “apple shape,” characterized by a larger waist. If you have more abdominal fat, it’s likely that you also have more visceral fat.
Even thin people have it.
Even if you are slim, it is possible to have excessive visceral fat. It depends in part on your genes and in part on your lifestyle, particularly your level of physical activity.
Visceral fat enjoys sedentarism. According to one study, those who were skinny but did not exercise were more likely to have excessive visceral fat. No matter one’s size, the goal is to be physically active.
Four Steps for Losing Abdominal Fat
There are four elements to controlling abdominal fat: exercise, diet, sleep, and managing stress.
1. Exercise: Physical activity reduces all fat, even visceral fat.
Perform at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days per week. Walking is acceptable as long as you break a sweat, breathe harder, and have a quicker heart rate than usual.
To achieve the same outcomes in half the time, increase your pace and engage in vigorous physical activity, such as jogging or walking. That would require 20 minutes every day, four days per week.
If you are not yet fit enough to jog, walk on a treadmill with an elevation while walking quickly. Also useful are vigorous workouts on stationary cycles, elliptical or rowing machines.
Increasing your heart rate for at least 30 minutes, three times a week, is also beneficial. It slows the accumulation of visceral fat. To burn visceral fat, though, you may need to intensify your workouts.
Before beginning a new fitness program, it is prudent to consult with your health care practitioner if you are currently inactive.
2. Diet: There is no magic diet to reduce abdominal fat. But when losing weight on any diet, abdominal fat is typically the first to go.
Increasing your fiber intake can aid. People who consume 10 grams of soluble fiber per day without making any other dietary modifications develop less visceral fat over time, according to research. Simply consume two small apples, a cup of green peas, or a half-cup of pinto beans.
Even if you changed nothing else but moved to a bread with a higher fiber content, you could be able to maintain your weight better over time.
3. Sleep: obtaining the proper amount of shut-eye is beneficial. In one study, participants who slept between 6 and 7 hours per night developed less visceral fat over the course of 5 years compared to those who slept 5 or fewer hours per night or 8 or more hours per night. Sleep wasn’t the only thing that mattered, but it was an integral part of the picture.
4. Stress: Everyone experiences stress. How you respond matters. Among the finest things you can do are spending time with family and friends, meditating, exercising to release tension, and seeking counseling. Thus, you are healthier and better equipped to make wise decisions for yourself.
If you could only devote time to one of these activities, it is likely that exercise would provide the most immediate advantages, as it combats both obesity and stress.