The way your body stores fat helps to determine your overall shape. Individuals with an apple shape tend to gain a majority of fat around the abdomen, while pear-shaped individuals tend to store more fat in the hips and thighs. Diet plays an important role in weight loss, although you can’t lose fat in just one location. Exercise can help burn calories and tone your abdominal muscles, improving the appearance of your waistline.
Abdominal Fat
Both men and women can develop an apple-shaped body, although women generally develop more abdominal fat after the age of menopause. The fat that gives you a rounded waistline includes both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is the fat that lies under your skin, while visceral fat forms inside your abdominal cavity. Belly fat increases your risk of developing serious health disorders, such as insulin resistance, certain cancers, sleep apnea, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. A waist measurement over 35 inches in women and over 40 inches in men leads to a greater risk of health complications.
Exercise Suggestions
Both aerobic and strength-training activities can help you burn belly fat. Most adults require at least 150 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week for optimal health, although you may need more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week to lose more than 5 percent of your body weight. Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise includes activities that require repetitive movements of your large muscles, such as bicycling, jogging and swimming. Performing strength-training exercises twice each week can also help you tone your muscles. Core exercises, such as situps and abdominal crunches, focus your toning efforts on the muscles in your abdominal area.
Diet Suggestions
Reducing your calories can help you lose the fat around your middle as well as fat from other areas of your body. Consuming plant-based foods, low-fat dairy products and lean sources of protein can help you lower your body fat. Limiting the amount of saturated fat in your diet can play a major role in helping you meet your weight loss goals.
Precautions
Talk to your doctor before beginning a strict weight loss regimen, especially if you have a medical condition that requires a special diet or medication. Avoid fad diets and diet aids that claim to help you lose fat quickly.
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