Of all the places your body stores fat, the belly says the most about your heart disease risk. Too much fat stored in this area is directly connected to an increased risk of symptoms and medical conditions that affect your heart health. If you store your excess body fat in your belly, reducing that fat also reduces disease risk.
How Much is Too Much
You can directly measure your risk with a tape measure. Stretch it around your waist and record how many inches around you are at the navel. For men, a waist size more than 40 is associated with increased heart disease risk. For women, disease risk starts to increase at 33 to 35 inches, according to MayoClinic.com. Remember, belly fat isn't the only risk factor for heart disease. Being overweight, regardless of where you store your fat, increases you risk. Belly fat just increases your risk more.
Heart Disease Risk
Too much fat in your midsection is directly related to your risk of high cholesterol, stroke and heart attack, according to MayoClinic.com. Having too much belly fat also increases your risk of other conditions that indirectly effect heart health, such as Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, insulin resistance and some cancers. Just like increased belly fat increases heart disease risk, reduced belly fat reduces your risk. Yu can reduce belly fat with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise.
How Exercise Can Help
Exercise helps burn calories you eat throughout the day. When you burn more calories that you take in, you lose weight. While you can't lose weight in just your belly, you belly will get smaller as you continue to shed pounds. Regular exercise also lowers bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and improves diabetes symptoms. Exercise at a medium intensity level for 30 minutes per day. Try to make exercise a five-day habit, but start out at three and work up to five if you need to.
Fine Tuning Your Diet for Heart Health
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, while grains, low-fat dairy and lean meat sources can reduce your risk of hear disease while at the same time, encouraging belly fat loss. As a basic guideline, use the American Cancer Society's calorie counter and aim to eat at least 100 to 250 fewer calories than the number required to maintain your weight. As you plan your meals, choose foods low in saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. Bake, broil or steam your food instead of frying it in oil or butter. Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times to control hunger.
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