Are crunches and sit-ups the best way to deal with belly fat?
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Thus, too much fat accumulated in this area increases the risk of diseases. Visceral fat contributes to organ malfunction and, thus, ill health. This type of fat accumulation is also known as abdominal or central obesity. Men preferentially accumulate fat around their abdominal region because higher testosterone levels encourage fat accumulation in the belly region, contributing to central obesity when the lifestyle is unhealthy or due to an individuals predisposition to accumulating fat around their belly due to family history.
WHY INDIANS HAVE MORE BELLY FAT? WHAT IS THE LAST IN FIRST OUT PRINCIPLE?
As for Indians, there is a rising concern about the prevalence of central obesity. Research suggests that genetic factors make us more prone to this problem than other populations.
The human body is a complex system designed to sustain an internal balance within the body known as homeostasis, which roughly translates to staying the same to function well and survive. One of the vital elements of this well-designed system is regulating our body weight and fat stores. Hormones are essential in controlling where and how much we gain or lose fat. Hormones are chemical messengers in the body that control our energy (calorie) use, metabolism and appetite, which govern our behaviours that influence our weight and quantity of fat stored in the body, such as eating and exercising.
The body works as per the last in, first out (LIFO) principle regarding managing fat stores in the body. It will remove new fat before releasing and burning old fat for energy to sustain the survival of our species and give us energy when exercising. Thus we have no control over how the body stores and removes fat. By understanding these hormones and how to control them, we can reduce our overall fat levels in the body, which in turn will cause our belly fat to reduce.
HOW OUR HORMONES FUNCTION?
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Our pancreas releases insulin in response to food intake, which causes our blood sugar levels to increase after meals. When blood sugar is high, insulin helps clear excess blood sugar, store it as fat and store it in the liver as emergency stores of sugar. So whenever we habitually eat junk food or sugar, the body experiences high blood sugar and thus is forced to preferentially store excessive sugar in the belly and abdominal area as the fat tissues around this area are susceptible to insulin.
Another hormone that promotes fat accumulation around our belly region is cortisol, which is released in response to chronic stress. It is detrimental to our health and goal of losing belly fat. It is a hormone our adrenaline gland produces during emotional or physical stress to the body. When the stress of the modern world is combined with our modern high-calorie, easily palatable food, it increases our propensity to accumulate fat around our belly.
Thus, losing belly fat would require us to make it a lifestyle with healthy choices, look at and observe the problem holistically, and not just focus on crunches or sit-up exercises. We need to create an environment in the body to strike a balance in our hormones and achieve continuous negative energy balance by following a nutritious diet, regular exercise, including cardio exercises and weight training, regular practice of pranayama, meditation and seven hours of restful sleep every night to reduce chronic stress and cortisol levels. Doing so will result in an effective plan to lose belly fat.
THE HOLISTIC APPROACH
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A healthy diet would comprise millet, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, protein-rich animal foods, and naturally occurring fats that would ensure healthy insulin response and reduced appetite to attain a negative energy balance in the body without feeling hungry or deprived.
Cardio exercises such as walking 10,000 steps daily, going for outdoor runs, swimming, and joining dance or martial arts can help make your body insulin sensitive, improve your metabolic health, balance your hormones and will allow free flow of fat from the fat stores, including the belly fat to be used as energy during the day. Target to get a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or some combination of the two per week. Such an exercise regimen may also include weight training exercises targetting major muscle groups such as the legs, back and chest to help you improve your muscle mass, which will increase the lean stores in the body to put calories you eat and reduce fat storage burden in the belly if one tends to accumulate fat there. Also, high lean mass means better metabolism and calorie burning throughout the day.
Activities such as relaxing, joining yoga classes or doing online yoga sessions will help you manage your stress better and reduce chronically high cortisol levels, facilitating better fat loss from your belly.
Finally, its critical to note that the idea that one can burn fat from a specific body area or do spot reduction by doing targetted exercises is pseudoscience. Fat loss occurs throughout the body as per the LIFO principle. The best method is a holistic approach that includes making the right choices with diet, exercise, sleep, and, most importantly, staying in a negative energy balance.
Before making changes to your lifestyle, it is always recommended to consult with a healthcare expert who can assess your health status and design a suitable and personalised exercise and nutrition programme for you.
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Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 1:47 am