Troubled by the belly fat? You are not alone as every person has belly fat but in different proportions. Those having flat abs also have belly fat but not very visible. The concern for belly fat has increased over years as this not only affects the external appearance of the person, but also affects the overall health and well-being of the person.
Due to the problems associated with belly fat, many health enthusiasts are coming up with different methods to reduce belly fat through diet, health drinks, supplements, exercise, or some special therapies. All of these would seem quite confusing as all would claim guaranteed results without any side-effects. Some diet plans would guarantee flat belly in few weeks while some others may claim miraculous results by melting belly fat.
Some fitness freaks would relate well-defined abs with health and perfect belly, but the fact is that visible abs in women may not always indicate health. Women tend to have fat around their belly due to their basic body structure. Even the thin women having fat deposited nowhere on the body would have fat on her belly due to her basic body structure.
The belly fat issues that concern the weight loss aspirants are – Why is belly fat the last to go? What makes it appear even when there is no excess fat found anywhere on the body? Is belly fat hazardous to health?
All these and many more queries are addressed here to help you know your body better!
Why is belly fat a health hazard?
Belly fat is not always a health hazard, but mostly it is alarming. Usually belly fat can be either of the two types of fats – Visceral fat and Subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat is the fat that deposits around the organs and is hard to touch. Subcutaneous fat on other hand is loose fat, which is soft to touch. It is the fat that lies under the skin.
Women having fat deposits on thighs and hips have more of subcutaneous fat and are usually represented by pear shaped figure. Most men have visceral fat deposits on their belly. This is the reason why men with thin limbs have huge fat on the belly popularly known as potbelly.
However, belly fat would not always mean visceral fat for men and subcutaneous fat for women. Belly fat becomes unhealthy if it is visceral type. Visceral belly fat gives way to various health problems like heart disease, high cholesterol, various types of diabetes, and fatty lever. More subcutaneous fat would affect your aesthetics, whereas more visceral fat would affect your body fundamentals.
How much belly fat is safe for your health?
More visceral fat is dangerous for health, but how to know the amount of visceral fat on your belly. You will have to carry out various tests to find out the percentage of visceral fat out of total belly fat. If you are not ready to undergo this process then there is a simpler way.
You need a measure tape to take the measurements of your belly around the belly button. The safe numbers are 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women. Anything beyond this number should be considered unsafe. If you find your waist measurements beyond the prescribed limit then it is time to get back to shape.
According to the studies, having more fat around hips and thighs is much better than having fat around the belly or abdomen. It has been seen that those having “apple” shaped bodies are at higher risk compared to the ones having “pear” shaped bodies. This doesn’t mean that you should have pear shape!
Ways to get rid of belly fat
Exercise and diet are two key things for belly fat reduction. Apart from that, you need to take proper sleep and reduce stress to make your diet and exercise routine work in the desired manner.
Take at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep to gain less visceral fat. Studied have revealed that visceral fat is found less in the people taking proper sleep. Meditation and exercise are also the tested tools to reduce stress and hence bring down the belly fat.
Don’t ignore belly fat as this fat would not only affect your appearance, but it would also affect your health!