Visceral body fat may look unsightly around your waistline, but its danger lies within its viscera – not visible to the naked eye but nonetheless raising risks such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and stroke.
Genetics play an integral part in how your body stores fat, but diet and exercise are the two best ways to combat visceral fat storage. Start with healthy eating practices before adding in regular aerobic exercises like walking, jogging or running to increase heart rate and reduce visceral fat storage.
1. Diet
If you want to effectively shed visceral fat, eating well is the first step towards doing so. Aim for a diet low in carbohydrates but rich in fibre. Eat whole foods rich in proteins and calcium while limiting trans fats, added sugars and sodium intake; boost soluble fibre intake through foods such as almonds, berries beans and oats while making sure at least 25 to 30 grams are taken every day.
Visceral fat is a type of abdominal and organ fat stored within organs like the liver and intestines, making up approximately 20% of total abdominal fat storage. Visceral fat poses significant health risks such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and inflammation – and could even serve as an early warning sign of certain cancers.
Visceral fat can be effectively combatted through diet and exercise changes, so adopting healthier habits should help visceral fat dissipate over time. You could consult a nutritionist for assistance in planning meals and finding healthier alternatives to processed foods; keeping a food diary or using an app may also prove useful in tracking what you eat.
One effective strategy to reduce visceral fat is getting enough sleep. Studies show that inadequate rest increases stress hormone cortisol, which in turn can increase visceral fat accumulation. Physical activity and strength training is also key; adding strength training into aerobic workouts will build muscle while simultaneously burning more calories, thus further decreasing visceral fat. Exercise that target large muscle groups such as squats and deadlifts are particularly effective at decreasing visceral fat.
Visceral fat can take time to dissipate, so consistency in diet and exercise routines are necessary for effective visceral fat reduction. You could try eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting back on alcohol, caffeine and smoking; if this fails then consulting your physician might help; they can check blood pressure, heart rate and may take samples of blood or pee to give an overall assessment of your health status.
2. Exercise
While some levels of belly fat can be beneficial in protecting organs, excess visceral fat poses an enormous health risk. This type of fat secretes proteins which trigger inflammation, affect hormones that control weight and blood sugar control and increase heart disease, diabetes and other serious conditions risk. Exercise and diet that limit added sugars may help reduce visceral fat.
Visceral fat can accumulate as you age, as well as be made worse by certain medical conditions, but most people can manage to reduce it through diet and exercise alone. Eating nutritious whole food meals featuring an abundance of fruits and vegetables; restricting fats found in meats and dairy products with high saturated fat content; limiting added sugars – are all effective measures that may reduce visceral fat.
As you exercise to reduce visceral fat, prioritize exercises that target large muscle groups in your legs and back. Such workouts have been proven to burn more calories and fat than other forms of physical activity – activities like running, cycling and swimming may help. Furthermore, strength training exercises targeting the core and upper body such as sit-ups, push-ups or deadlifts may be particularly effective ways to accomplish this task.
Sugar is one of the primary contributors to visceral fat accumulation, so cutting back is crucial. Read food labels carefully in order to avoid added sugars found in processed foods and drinks. Aim to limit your daily sugar consumption to less than 10% of total caloric intake; if this proves difficult for you, substitute natural sources of carbs like starch as a potential alternative solution.
Stress may play a part in visceral fat accumulation as well, as adrenal glands respond by secreting more cortisol – known for its association with fat storage (63). Therefore, find ways to relieve your stress like relaxing with friends or engaging in regular meditation practices such as a mindfulness practice or regular physical activity.
Visceral fat can take time to shed off, but adopting healthy habits such as MyFitnessPal can help accelerate this process and give visible results. A great place to start tracking progress would be using MyFitnessPal.
3. Sleep
Sleep is essential to keeping our bodies running optimally, and can even help visceral fat go away. Without enough restful zzz’s each night, the hormone ghrelin increases, leading to cravings of sweetened foods that store as harmful belly fat. Aim for at least 7-8 hours each night for best results.
Sleep deprivation causes liver cells to produce more fatty acids, leading to an increase in belly fat accumulation. Sleep loss disrupts normal circadian rhythms and alters how our bodies handle fat by increasing stress hormones like cortisol – this shifts where fat stores itself toward our stomachs while increasing visceral fat deposits deep within.
Fat is typically stored under the skin as subcutaneous fat; however, when people sleep less than seven hours per night, their bodies start storing it viscerally instead. Even after they caught up on their sleep hours again, their excess abdominal fat remained and this highlights why getting enough restful restful sleep is essential to overall health.
No doubt about it – belly fat has long been associated with heart disease, diabetes and numerous other chronic health conditions. Yet contrary to what many fad diets and workout routines claim, there’s no single exercise or pill that will magically reduce visceral fat. Instead, for the best results it’s essential that we eat a balanced diet consisting of lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy and plenty of fruits and vegetables while watching processed sugar and sodium consumption levels.
4. Stress Management
Visceral fat produces inflammatory molecules that contribute to high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglyceride levels, as well as low-level inflammation which may eventually lead to heart disease. Furthermore, visceral fat can inhibit normal organ functioning causing pain, swelling and discomfort.
Excess belly fat can lead to serious health complications, including insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease and cancers. To reduce visceral fat you can adopt a healthy diet and regularly exercise. If this still doesn’t work for you then other measures such as keeping a food diary, sleep hygiene and stress management could also help.
Visceral fat may be more difficult to reduce than subcutaneous fat, but it can still be managed with healthy lifestyle practices. Aim to consume foods rich in lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables and low-fat dairy while cutting back on sugars, sodium and processed food intake. You could even try an intermittent fasting diet for short periods to lower carb consumption and train your body to burn fat as fuel instead. Getting at least seven hours of sleep each night may further decrease visceral fat by decreasing hormones that fuel food consumption and stimulate arousal.
As part of your effort to track calories, be sure to carefully read nutrition labels and check ingredients of every item you consume. Sugars, artificial fats, refined carbs, and excess sodium all can contribute to visceral fat storage; be mindful of what and how many calories are entering your system every day.
Regular endurance exercises such as running, swimming, rowing and cycling are an effective way to reduce visceral fat. Implement these workouts into your weekly workout routine gradually until reaching moderate intensity levels. Focus on exercising the lower body muscle groups specifically as these tend to target visceral fat more effectively. Strength training may also help you reduce belly fat; try exercises such as squats and deadlifts for maximum fat reduction.
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