Losing the belly fat can feel like an ongoing drama. It is an area of our bodies that seems to be quite easy to gain excess fat but difficult to remove it. When we think of fat the first thing that comes to mind is the fat that lies just beneath the surface (Subcutaneous Fat). As this is the fat we can see we do become very self- conscious about ridding this from our bodies. What we need to be very aware of though is another fat called Visceral Fat which is the fat surrounding our internal organs. Obviously we cannot see this fat so it slips our minds. Visceral Fat is the most important fat to be rid of as it is quite dangerous to have too much in our bodies. At MissFit we offer an In Body Scan six times per year to help our clients manage their Visceral Fat along with many other benefits.
Here are five reasons you may be gaining belly fat:
- Pregnancy – this is to allow cushioning & protection for the baby and so that our skin can stretch to make room for the baby
- Hormones – oestrogen levels can cause weight gain in during pregnancy as they reduce. This can cause weight gain around your tummy and thighs in preparation for breast feeding
- Stress – this encourages your body to produce large amounts of cortisol which can cause your body to store fat directly to your stomach
- Genetics – can determine where your fat is stored
- Eating Wrong Foods – processed foods, foods high in sugar that the more you eat the more you crave
Five tips to REDUCE the belly fat:
- Breastfeed – this causes your uterus to go back to normal size
- Weight & Strength training – building lean muscle mass will give you long term results as your muscle takes fat takes energy from your stored fat
- Consume less Alcohol – alcohol & sugary drinks make it difficult to shift tummy fat as they may it difficult for your body to build muscle
- Eat right – we all know it, the key is to plan your weekly meals and prep them in advance
- Exercise your whole body – don’t focus just on you tummy as this can leave you unbalanced.
Join our next Baby Boot Camp and train with other mums who have the same goals as you.