4 Reasons You Aren’t Losing that Stubborn Belly Fat

It is a widely known fact that the belly is the hardest part of the body to shed weight from. Despite spending several hours training at the gym, people find it difficult to loose belly fat. This beer belly or tummy has adverse effects on one’s health.  Studies suggest that the hip-to-waist ratio is a better health indicator than BMI. Following are the four biggest reasons to help you understand why your bulge will not budge despite a strenuous exercise regimen:

1. You are stressed out

Stress related adrenal hormones increase your body’s vulnerability of storing extra fat around your belly. If you’re aiming at losing weight around your belly by consuming lesser calories than you burn; you will lose fat from regions apart from your stomach. Studies show correlation between higher stress levels and high abdominal fat amongst women.

2. You aren’t doing the right work-out

Have you been doing crunches everyday from Day 1 to day 60? If yes, then stop! When it comes to the last few inches of losing belly fat, crunches will not make any drastic difference. Instead, one should switch to functional exercises that hit the core muscles- abdominals, back, obliques, glutes, etc. These exercises lead to a higher rate of calorie burn and are highly effective.

3. You consume a large quantity of processed food

Processed foods contain a high amount of fructose, which increases your risks of abdominal obesity. That’s because our body metabolism for fructose is different from other types of sugar. You must, therefore, avoid ultra-processed foods such as soda (including diet soda), frozen means, snacks or anything that is made of corn syrup which has alarmingly high levels of fructose. Fruits also contain fructose, but consuming them in average quantities will not cause any harm.

4. You are aging

Aging leads to changes in the bodies of both men and women. Changes include a decline in the metabolic rate; or the speed at which the body burns calories. There are hormonal changes as well, that disrupt the rate at which our body burns belly fat; especially women who experience weight gain in their abdominal areas after a certain age.

Understanding the reasons behind your stubborn belly fat, and working on the problem areas is imperative if you want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Exercises that targets the core and abdominal muscles; and a healthy diet should be taken up to achieve one’s aim of losing belly fat naturally.