Apart from being frustrating, especially when trying to fit into your favorite pants, visceral fat— the deeper fat in your belly and around your organs—is detrimental to your health.
Belly fat being hard to lose but easy to gain shouldn’t stop you from trying to get in shape, as your health depends on it. Losing belly fat is just the start; keeping it off means consistently sticking to healthier lifestyle choices. Let’s get into how you can start your waist-slimming journey.
Have a Well-Balanced Diet
A well-balanced diet emphasizing nutritious foods like vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains is a great way to shrink your waistline. Fried foods, pastries, sweets, and even too much rice or potatoes can prevent you from burning body fat.
Add Cardio to Your Workouts
Incorporating a minimum of 150 minutes of cardio a week into your exercise routine can burn more calories quickly and assist with the reduction of overall body and belly fat. This works out to around 20 minutes a day.
Strength Training
Strength training makes your metabolism quicker, encouraging fat loss, and builds muscle, which is a great plus! Maintaining and moving muscle mass burns more energy during the day, leading to a higher caloric deficit.
Avoid Stress
Stress can be a killer, but it also promotes fat buildup around your waistline due to the spikes in cortisol levels. To reduce stress, add meditation, hobbies, and deep breathing exercises to your daily schedule. Also, beginning your day with mindful activities like drinking your favorite tea or writing in a journal can help start the day on a positive note.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleeping between seven to nine hours a night significantly reduces your waistline. Not having enough sleep can disrupt your hormone levels, affecting appetite regulation and increasing cravings and hunger.