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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : April 22, 2019 3:16 PM IST
Abdominal fat is considered toxic and is capable of provoking inflammatory pathways. © Shutterstock
Belly fat is the most dreaded type of body fat and the reason is quite simple: It is the toughest to get rid of. Abdominal fat not only gives you a rather awkward and protruding midsection making it difficult for you to fit into your favourite dresses, it is also the most notorious foil to your weight-loss plans. So, when you work hard to shed those extra kilos with a well-planned diet and fitness regimen, you will start seeing changes everywhere starting from your arms and legs to face. But the one stubborn spot that disappoints you is your belly. Well, experts have an explanation to this. The cells that compose your belly fat are known as beta cells. These cells do not respond well to the process of breaking down fat. On the other hand, your arms, legs and face have more alpha cells, another type of fat cell, which are easy to break down.
Apart from keeping you away from the body of your dreams, abdominal fat affects your health in more ways than one. The fat tissue accumulated around your belly is to be considered toxic and is capable of provoking inflammatory pathways. It interferes with your body s normal hormonal functions as well. This fat becomes unable to do its job of storing extra calories for energy production and that makes the calories get diverted to vital organs like heart, liver, and pancreas causing heart disease, fatty liver disease, and diabetes. Apart from these, belly fat is known to increase your risk of Alzheimer s disease, stress, sleep apnoea, colorectal cancer, high blood pressure, and premature death of your baby.
So, it is important to attack your abdominal fat right from the beginning of your weight-loss mission. But in order to tackle that tummy pooch, you need to have a balanced approach. Neither exercise, nor diet alone will help. While it is a must to consult a nutritionist for your meal plans, it is important to seek the advice of a fitness expert if you want to trim your tummy. Here are a few simple exercises that will help you do that.
Crunches are considered to be one of the best ways to lose fat and strengthen the muscles in the midsection of your body.
How to do it:
This exercise not only helps you lose weight but also strengthens your muscles. Though the name suggests that you need a bicycle to do this, you can effectively do bicycle exercise without one. Apart from burning the unwanted fat in your belly, bicycle exercise helps reduce risk of high blood pressure and heart attack. Doing it regularly can increase the levels of good cholesterol in your body and reduce the amount of bad ones.
How to do it:
Rolling plank exercise is known to enhance your body s metabolism. This helps in burning more calories and thus contributes in reducing belly fat. Apart from this, it improves your posture, reduces back and spine pain risks, and strengthens your core muscles.
How to do it:
This is a breathing exercise best known to give you a flat tummy. It helps by strengthening your core muscles and burning the muscles deposited inside the intestine.
How to do it:
It helps in weight loss by targeting the abdominal muscles. Also, doing this exercise daily can reduce your body pain. When you lift your legs higher than your waist during the captain s chair exercise, pressure gets exerted on your midsection. This helps lose the stubborn body fat.
How to do it:
