Many of us carry excess weight around our mid- section, but have you ever stopped to wonder why? There are several different types of belly out there and some people definitely fall into more than one category. Find out what type of belly you have and the best way to combat it.
Poor-Posture Belly
Having poor posture is definitely a sneaky culprit when it comes to developing an unwanted belly bulge. This one is mostly noticeable in smaller people as it gives them a little lump in their lower abdominals while the rest of their body is relatively small. Having poor posture causes this pouch because the muscles around your midsection are weak due to lack of engagement. This causes the pelvis to tilt forward more than it should, leading to that awful lower abdominal area protruding forward.
Best exercise to fix: Walking
Mind you, not just any walking; while you are walking concentrate on keeping your shoulders straight and your chest high. This will be hard to maintain at first but imagine how great you will look once you have strengthened your core, and your stomach is finally nice and flat.
Stress Belly
Stress is known to cause many health problems but did you know having high stress levels could actually lead to a belly pouch too? People with stress bellies have comparatively smaller arms and legs, the belly fat is usually hard, and the individual carrying this excess weight would generally be in a high pressure environment, be it at home or work. This is the best way to identify people with stress bellies.
Best exercise to fix: Anything active that helps to relieve stress.
Some people benefit from a nice long run. Others prefer combat sports such as boxing, and there’s always time to try out some meditation and stretch classes like yoga. Find what works for you and stick to it. Most importantly, ditch the stress!
Beer Belly
The beer belly has to be included because let’s face it, we are in the Caribbean and according to Lil Rick ‘All is Rum’. We all know that alcohol is a big part of anything that happens here. And while it may be responsible for turning a good night into a great night, it does quite the opposite for your waistline. Due to the high caloric content in alcohol, the foods we eat during a night out, and the fact that when you drink alcohol the liver burns away the alcohol instead of fat, are all factors that contribute to that awful layer of fat around our stomachs we call the ‘beer belly.’
Best exercise to fix: Put down the beer
Maybe not indefinitely, but after the third or fourth round you should probably start to consider having water (having five beers on a night out can easily cost you more than 500 calories). Also, try going for a 40-minute run. Cardio is one of the best exercises to help get rid of a beer belly, so try this at least three times a week to really notice a difference.
Food Belly
This is one that affects most of us. The food belly quite obviously comes from eating too much. Everything you put in your mouth contains calories and if the calories aren’t burnt off with exercise, they are stored in the body as fat. So if you are constantly eating and not working out, you will inevitably grow yourself your very own food belly.
Best exercise to fix: Cardio and weight training
Cardiovascular training is important because it burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time. Exercises like running, walking, cycling or dancing are great examples of cardio training.
Weight training helps to increase lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn when you’re at rest. Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its internal functions. So combining these two forms of exercise will turn your food belly into a six pack in no time.
Become the face of fitness you’ve always wanted to be and work out to gain the belly that’s perfect for you.
