A flat tummy helps you maintain proper posture and a slender figure—there are these and many other reasons why you would want a flat stomach. I think the most important of all is to keep risks to your health at bay. You may already know that gaining extra pounds around your waist increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. That’s especially true when you reach middle age, with other attributes including visceral fat surrounding your heart and other organs.
However, a few simple lifestyle changes can help you reduce this unhealthy fat. Learn the natural way women can lose belly fat and live longer lives.
Here are some tips to help you get started.
Introduce new nutritional habits to reduce belly fat:
1. Cut back on carbohydrates. Many studies show that low-carbohydrate diets improve several important risk factors for heart disease, including the cholesterol profile (HDL, triglycerides). It is also typical to see improved levels of blood sugar, insulin, and blood pressure. A low-carb diet reduces hunger, makes it easier for you to eat less, and can even increase fat burning at rest. Studies time and time again show that eating fewer carbohydrates is smart to lose weight and improve some important health markers.
2. Eat more natural fats until you are satisfied. Using butter and cream in cooking can make food taste better and make you feel fuller. Try a béarnaise or hollandaise sauce. If you buy pre-made, check if they contain starches or vegetable oils in the ingredients. Better yet, prepare them yourself. Coconut or olive oil are also good options. All of them are healthy fats.
3. Eat real food. An effective low carbohydrate diet that is effective in losing belly fat should be based on real foods. Real foods are what humans have been eating for thousands or, rather, millions of years, e.g., meat, vegetables, eggs, butter, olive oil, nuts, etc.
4. Avoid consuming lots of fruits. This advice is controversial as the fruit currently has an aura of magical health food. People believe that fruit is nutritious, but unfortunately, fruit contains a lot of sugar: about 10% of its weight (the rest is mostly water). You have to try an orange or grape; they are quite sweet, right? The sugar in fruit can stop fat burning. This can increase feelings of hunger and delay weight loss. For best results, skip the fruit or enjoy it now and then as an occasional indulgence.
5. Limit artificial sweeteners. Using calorie-free sweeteners to lose weight can backfire. Many people replace sugar with artificial sweeteners, believing that this will reduce their calorie intake and cause weight loss. Several studies have been unable to show any positive effect of consuming artificial sweeteners instead of normal sugar for weight loss. This could be because the body releases insulin when it anticipates sugar in the blood; when this doesn’t happen, blood sugar drops, and hunger increases. Scientific studies, artificial sweeteners can increase appetite and keep cravings for sweet foods.
6. Enjoy the vinegar. If you love sour flavors, you’re in luck. Vinegar has been shown to stimulate metabolism and burn visceral fat. It can also make almost any food more delicious, so add it to vegetable salads, poultry dishes, and more.
7. Eat only when you’re hungry. Forget the clock and listen to your body. On a low carb diet, you should try to eat when you are hungry. What if you are not hungry? Do not eat. There is nothing that slows down weight loss more than frequently eating a lot of food you don’t need. In fact, this is so important that it deserves a full article to talk about it.
8. Supplement with vitamins and minerals.
1. Understand the myth of spot reduction. Your body gains weight all over and loses it the same way. Forget about the miracle gadgets advertised on television that promise instant results. Save your money and devote your energy to more sensible eating and regular exercise.
2. Do aerobics daily. Aerobic exercise is the best way to burn more calories. Take a daily walk or run. Go swimming or skating. Aim for about 30 minutes of activity a day. Supplement that with lifestyle changes like using the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Strengthen your upper body muscles. Building strong muscles in your shoulders, chest, and back will improve your posture and keep your abdomen from sticking out. Do some weight training or Pilates a few times each week.
4. Tone your stomach muscles. Spot exercises are effective in combination with aerobics and strength training. Crunches and leg lifts tighten and tone your stomach muscles.
5. Pump your heart. A cardiovascular activity like jogging and swimming will reduce body fat. Follow a regular schedule with at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least 5 days a week.
6. Build your muscles. Resistance training changes the composition of your body so that you replace fat with muscle. You can lift weights or do push-ups and other bodyweight exercises.
7. Try interval training. Gradually increasing your workouts’ intensity will also help you burn more calories—alternate short bursts of hard work with gentler exercise and short rest periods.
8. Have fun. Make your exercise routine enjoyable, so you’ll want to stick with it. Design a variety of activities. Reward yourself when you make progress towards a slimmer waistline.
Other tips to reduce belly fat:
1. Watch out for your mental and emotional health.
2. Sleep well. Make an effort to get adequate and good sleep, preferably every night. Try to wake up refreshed and on your own, without depending on the alarm clock. If you’re the kind of person who wakes up violently in the morning to the sound of the alarm clock, your body may never get adequate rest. One way to prevent this is to go to bed early enough for the body to wake up on its own before the alarm goes off. Allowing yourself a good night’s rest is another way to lower your stress hormone levels. Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, goes hand in hand with sugar cravings. Plus, it hurts self-discipline. It makes it terribly easy to fall into temptation (it’s no coincidence that sleep deprivation is used as a common interrogation technique). Similarly, sleep deprivation weakens your determination to exercise.
Finally, make sure your room is dark enough and has a comfortable temperature. Sleep well!
3. Manage stress. Chronic stress can increase the levels of stress hormones like cortisol in the body. This can cause increased hunger and lead to weight gain. If you want to lose weight, you should consider possible ways to reduce or better manage excess stress in your life. Although this usually requires significant changes, it may affect stress hormone levels immediately, and perhaps weight as well.
Conclusions:
To live a healthy transition to menopause and continue enjoying a full and joyful life, decide for your health and get a coach experienced in managing this stage in women’s lives. You might be surprised by your results.
I think you have done great work on this post. You got a lot of useful tips that can really make the difference. Like I never thought that my stress could be a factor in my belly fat.
I have to say that my stress management is quite bad and it is true that my coping method is eating some snacks. But I try to make them myself because the process helps me too. So, now I need to check all of that and try it less when am stressed. Or would you advise me on another method to cope with my stress?
Thanks
Thanks, Adyns68! I appreciate your kind words. Stress is absolutely manageable, and you have already found a good anchor, preparing snacks; Perhaps there is a great talent that you could harness to develop your resilience skills. Cooking for other people has its charm, especially if your dishes are healthy in addition to being delicious. I love cooking too.
I will be more than happy to assist with some additional recommendations; please email me at drgala@dragalacoaching.com.
Wow. This text is phenomenal. And the truth. I mostly agree for sleep. This is very important in the functioning of each person. All molecules that regulate all important functions in the body are secreted at a specific time and the maintenance and observance of circadian rhythm is therefore extremely important. When we respect the circadian rhythm and sleep on time and for at least 6 hours, we keep the body healthy and vital.
Thanks, Jelena,
I’m so glad you liked my article and that it drew your interest in taking care of your health by applying these simple tips. Sleep is definitely one of the most important factors for balanced health. Especially when it comes to losing weight.