Belly Fat Health Risks

Did you know that most people today carry excess abdominal fat? Many studies have already proven that around 70% of people in first world countries like the United States are now either overweight or obese. Most of these people carry not only unsightly but also dangerous belly fat. In fact, there are numerous belly fat health risks that are already proven.

Health Problems related to Belly Fat

A new study conducted by the highly regarded Mayo Clinic proved that people who have excess belly fat are at a greater risk of having health problems. However, belly fat is more common in men compared to women. Here’s a fact for you. Men tend to store fat in the abdominal area while women tend to store fat in other areas like the hips and legs.

Nevertheless, regardless of sex and overall weight, carrying a large amount of belly fat increases risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, insulin resistance and many other health problems.

Types of Belly Fat

Let’s examine this idea closely. There are actually two types of belly fat namely subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is the type of belly fat that is located directly beneath the skin above the abdominal muscles. On the other hand, visceral fat is the type of belly fat that is located deeper in the abdomen beneath the abdominal muscles. Visceral fat surrounds the internal organs.

Now, listen closely. Although both types of belly fat are serious health risk factors, several studies indicate that visceral fat is more dangerous compared to subcutaneous fat. This is because this particular type of belly fat releases more toxic substances to the body.

How to Minimize or Eliminate Belly Fat Health Risks

Here’s the bottom line. The best way to minimize or eliminate these serious health risks of belly fat is to reduce belly fat or to lose excess weight. To stress, the best way to do so is through a proper diet and exercise program. Focus here. You cannot spot-reduce or specifically lose belly fat through abdominal exercises, okay? You have to create a daily calorie deficit by eating less and exercising more.

Everyone knows that although dieting alone works, exercising helps make the process faster. Also, exercise has numerous health benefits like better cardiovascular health, new brain cell development, anti-depressant properties and many more.

Fact! A high carbohydrate diet leads to insulin resistance after some time and this is one of the major reasons why some people carry more visceral fat. This means that you have to minimize sugar and starch intake in order to prevent the accumulation of visceral fat. Also, according to studies, high fructose intake is one of the major causes of having excess visceral fat. In terms of exercise, the best way to reduce visceral fat is through high intensity exercise like interval training and circuit training. Undeniably, these are proven to be more effective in weight loss and reducing belly fat compared to traditional low intensity cardiovascular exercise and abdominal exercises.

Do you have your own belly fat health issues? Share with others how you conquered them.

Getting Six Pack Abs – Cardio, Cardio, Cardio

Getting six pack abs is not a walk in the park. If it was, we’d all have toned midsections and no one would make an effort to do cardio training anymore. I mean, what would be the point?!

Let’s face it. If you want six pack abs, it will take a lot of hard work, determination, and commitment to achieve it. Sure, it can sound a little daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it and start to see results, you won’t even notice how grueling it is anymore.

Cardio training IS an important part of a complete six pack abs workout. Getting six pack abs can be achieved faster by incorporating cardio exercises into your fitness program. Even after achieving your ideal weight and rock-hard abs, you would still need to do some form of cardio exercise.

When someone brought up the word “cardio” to me in the past, I remember cringing from the sheer thought of it. But the truth is, without cardio training, you can’t possibly get rid of excess fat that quickly.

It’s Cardio Time

If you want six pack abs, you’d have to do something about it. The best way to maximize any cardio training routine is to practice the orthodox system and not rely mainly on machines.

The orthodox system simply refers to common cardio exercises like running, jogging, walking, and climbing stairs. This system greatly compliments any six pack abs workout. The best time to do cardio training is early in the morning, from six to nine.

Getting six pack abs can be achieved just by doing cardio training on an empty stomach, which allows your metabolism to burn more calories and also forces your body to use energy from stored fat. If you can’t help doing cardio before breakfast, your next option is to perform it after your weight training session. During this time, glucose (sugar) is used up in the process as well.

Cardio Training: The Miracle Workout

Vince Delmonte, the Canadian fitness author of the bestselling core workout “No Nonsense 6 Pack: The Fat Loss System,” recommends that you perform cardio workouts three times a week. He believes that cardio training (e.g. walking at 4.0 mph for thirty minutes, running at 6-7 mph) is as close to a miracle pill as you can get. Once you start doing your cardio workout, your body responds by burning fat, keeping your heart strong, and building muscle – all beneficial in getting six pack abs.

Keep the Program Alive!

I totally get it when friends say cardio training is boring. I used to think the same way, too. The secret to cardio training, or any kind of physical exercise for that matter, is to CHANGE IT UP.

Jog or run on the first day, jump rope or climb stairs on the second, then join a spin class on your third. Shuffle these activities every week, invite friends to work out with you, and you’ll surely have a fantastic time getting six pack abs.

How do you get the most out of your cardio exercises? Let me know with your comments.

How to burn belly fat – 3 Ways to Make it Easier

Who doesn’t want to know how to burn belly fat?  I never knew a person who wants a flabby and saggy stomach.  In fact, people have continuously searched every possible technique they could gather to lose layers of fat, particularly in their mid section.

Six pack abs have been the epitome of fitness and vigor.  In order to burn off belly fat, you need to know not one, but several workout strategies. This can be difficult at first. But once you get the hang of it, believe me, it’s not hard at all.  You just need the right guidelines and the correct mindset.

By now you might want to know how to burn belly fat in three easy ways.  Well, I won’t make you wait much longer.  Just read on and find out the best techniques to burn belly fat fast.  And you will be surprised how easily you can get the perfect abs everyone desires.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet.

Eating unhealthy foods can ruin your entire abs training.  When working for six pack abs, you must eliminate all the unnecessary fat in your diet.  Food like chips, French fries, soda and candy bars are some good examples of fatty foods that can be harmful to your health and add more layers of fat on your body.

You might be used to eating some of these foods because they are really delicious, but it’s a proven fact that it won’t do you any good.  So try to concentrate on eating foods that will help you build lean muscles such as protein-rich foods and balanced, healthy meals.  Include a few good fats in your diet like vegetable oil, nuts, avocado and fish as this will surely help you out.

2. Perform Abs-Targeting Workouts.

How to burn belly fat fast? Perform the exercise that focuses on toning your abdominal muscles.  Some of the simplest yet effective abs-targeting workouts are crunches and bicycles.  You can perform these

3. Do Full Body Workouts.

The final step on how to burn belly fat is full body exercises.  Nothing will burn fat faster than working out every muscle in your body. Complete body exercise is one of the best workouts you can do that will tone your muscles all over.  Remember that building a lean body with excellent muscle tone can definitely speed your metabolism and makes it easier for you to burn belly fat fast.

You perform full body workouts like push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting, yoga and boxing.  This kind of workout along with excellent abs exercise can definitely maximize your training program.

Just remember this guideline. How to burn belly fat easy? Eat a healthy diet, perform abs-targeting exercises and doing full-body workouts. Just remember, these are just guidelines to ensure that your efforts are put to good use.  Now that you know how to burn belly fat real fast, it is entirely up to you to make it a habit.  Keep in mind that performing these techniques regularly will get you ripped abs sooner than you can imagine.

Have you tried other ways of burning belly fats easier? Add a 4th tip by sharing your story below.

All about Interval Training—Equip Yourself with Accurate Information

There are a lot of myths about weight loss— lose pounds in 5 minutes, fast weight loss, instant weight loss, and other compelling ads. The truth is it surprises me why many people get fooled by such unproven techniques. Listen. The key is knowing how to dig up accurate information and how to put it into practice.  You’ve probably heard about Interval training. Do you want to learn more about it? Now I would like to help you.

What is Interval Training?

Ok, let’s start. Basically, interval training is a type of exercise that consists of an activity performed at a high intensity for a period alternated with periods of low intensity. This activity is performed around 15-30 minutes alternating between the two periods or intervals.

So let’s talk about the 2 intervals used in Interval training: Sprint Interval and Rest Interval.

Sprint Interval

Listen here. The period of high intensity is also called sprint intervals. It can either be measured by time or distance. An example would be sprinting or running as fast as you can for 30 seconds or for a distance of 100 meters.

Rest Interval

The period of low intensity is also called rest period or rest interval. It’s important to understand that during this period/interval, the person performing the activity doesn’t stop but continues to perform the activity at a low intensity, allowing him/her to recover from the high intensity period.

Read these facts carefully. The length of the rest interval depends on the fitness level of the person and kind of sprint interval performed. This is very important in interval training because the rest period allows you to perform sprint intervals at the optimum intensity.

Is Interval Training the Best Way to Burn Fat?

Absolutely. You don’t want to miss this one! Many studies have already proven that high intensity interval training (HIIT) helps burn fat up to 9 times compared to regular aerobic exercise. Fact! Notably, this is because HIIT drains the muscles of their inbuilt source of energy. It can take up to two days for this to happen.

During this time, the body uses fat reserves as a source of energy. This is only the immediate benefit of HIIT. In the long run, this type of exercise increases the body’s ability to convert energy directly into the muscles. This results to the immediate use of consumed carbohydrates instead of storing it as fat. Interestingly, HIIT turns your body into a fat burning machine.

Types of Interval Training

Pay close attention! Interval training has two major types, namely fitness interval training and performance interval training. The difference is the intensity and duration for the sprint intervals and rest intervals. For people who are just trying to lose weight, fitness interval training is ideal. On the other hand, performance interval training is for athletes and advanced fitness enthusiasts.

Basic Interval Training Routine

I’ll get straight to the point. A basic interval training routine would start with a warm-up period of 5 minutes. Pick any cardiovascular activity like running or using any cardiovascular machine. Follow the warm-up period with 1-2 minutes of a sprint period or perform the chosen activity as hard as you can.

After the sprint period, perform the activity at a low intensity allowing your heart rate to go down for about 2-3 minutes. Repeat this 5-10 times or until you complete 15-25 minutes, then follow with a cool down period of 5 minutes. This interval training is to be done 3 times a week with one day rest in between.

Is Interval Training for You?

The bottom line is this. Interval training is a good way to lose weight, break a weigh loss plateau, improve fitness/performance and improve recovery time. However, it is not for everyone. People with cardiovascular problems, knee/ankle problems or low fitness levels may encounter problems with interval training.

Now, keep in mind that it is still best to check with your physician before starting interval training or any form of exercise. Let’s examine this idea closely. For people with low fitness levels, it is better to build up fitness levels before trying interval training. People with knee/ankle problems will have difficulty in running but can use cardiovascular machines like elliptical trainers and stationary bikes for their interval training routine.

What is your typical interval training routine? Share it with us by leaving your comments below.

Get a Six Pack – 3 Tips For A Flat Stomach

We have collected and summarized three essential tips for a flat stomach, which we believe are the key factors in achieving those six packs you’re dreaming of. By strictly following these guidelines, you will be able to get the results faster than you think.

The first thing you have to watch out for in flattening your stomach is your daily diet, this is, after all, the main cause of fat build up in our bodies. If you are used to eating junk foods, it’s time for you to change all that. By eating five to six smaller proportioned healthy meals each day, you are encouraging an increase in your metabolism. When your metabolism is increased, your body is automatically programmed to burn more calories, even the stubborn fat deposits from your belly. Heed these tips for a flat stomach and you’ll get a six pack in no time.

The tips for a flat stomach also include undergoing daily cardio exercises as your fat burning workout routine. Let me tell you this, we all have six packs. The only reason why we can’t see them is because they are covered with thick layers of fat. When we eliminate the fat, we will eventually see our six packs emerging. Cardio exercises don’t always have to be jogging, sprinting, cycling, or any other common notion about cardio exercises. You can choose from various sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton and a whole lot more. As long as they get your heart rate up, then you’re clearly burning off those calories from your body, especially on your mid-section.

For a leaner, more toned, and sexier flat stomach, you will need to do abdominal exercises. This is one of the best tips for a flat stomach. However, you won’t be able to achieve a flat stomach by doing this tip alone. You should incorporate the previously mentioned tips as well. Once you have eliminated the fat covering your six packs, toning and building your six packs will be much easier.

What’s your best flat stomach tip? Let other users know by sharing your comments below.