Every phase of life presents new challenges. One of these challenges for women older than 50 is stubborn abdominal fat. Our metabolism naturally slows down as we age. We also tend to have more abdominal fat due to sedentary living and increased hormonal changes associated with menopause. This is a good thing. However, it requires a mixture of lifestyle changes as well as dedication to reduce the amount of fat that keeps coming back.
With age muscle mass slowly declines, and so your body’s fat content increases. Your metabolism will slow down or you’ll have less muscle mass. If you consume more calories than you burn, your body will store fat. Fat is stored when your daily intake of calories increases compared to what you ate as a young, more active person. Hormonal and genetic factors are key to how energy is burned. Because estrogen isn’t being produced enough, cells in women going through menopause produce more estrogen. In order to make more estrogen, cells store fat. Your metabolism slows down when estrogen is made, so fat cells cannot be converted into energy. The result is stubborn belly fat.
Subcutaneous fat is the abdominal fat below the skin. Subcutaneous fat is a cosmetic issue, however it does not necessarily pose a health risk. Visceral Fat is found deep in the abdomen and surrounds the body’s inner organs. Visceral fat can cause insulin resistance, raise blood sugar, change cholesterol and increase blood pressure. Excessive intakes of any type of fat may increase estrogen levels and lead to breast cancer, colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease. Although you cannot reverse the effects of aging or change your genes, there are some things you can do.
Your metabolism slows with age so you don’t need as many calories daily. So, reduce your caloric intake. The United States Department of Agriculture states that over-50s only require 1600-2000 calories each day. It seems that people who eat a nutritious breakfast (and fewer calories) more often will have a better chance of achieving this goal. You trick your body into eating less often. This is because your hormones don’t get the chance to tell your brain you are hungry. You can also keep your blood sugar stable by eating smaller meals more often. Your body will receive the same amount of calories but at different time intervals. Because your body will signal that it needs food, a crash diet can cause you to store more calories for the future. Better diets will include eating whole grains and plant-based foods as well as fruits, vegetables and reducing cholesterol, saturated fats, and sugar. Your body will signal you to stop eating any of these food items. This will cause your body to store more fat.
If you are looking to lose abdominal fat, physical activity is essential. The best method to eliminate fat is strength training (also known as resistance training). Strength training increases muscle growth, which can lead to a faster metabolism that burns calories and fat. You can choose to do resistance training in an isotonic or isometric mode. This is where your body is against gravity. It would involve lifting a weight several times. Isotonic exercises require you to place your body in certain ways to stretch the muscles. However, there is no movement of your body. These strength training exercises can tone the muscles and increase bone density. You can use resistance bands, weight machines or swimming machines.
For fat cell shrinking, it is important to do moderately intense exercise. For a healthier body, you should exercise 30 minutes per day at the most. You will need to work out for at least sixty minutes each day to lose fat cells. You can reduce calories and increase metabolism by exercising more. This will help you burn fat and shrink fat cells. A woman’s waist measuring 35 inches is considered unhealthy if it indicates excessive abdominal fat.
Another factor that can contribute to stubborn body fat is stress. Your body can produce cortisol when you’re stressed. This hormone may cause insulin resistance. Meditation, deep breathing and yoga are all options. Or you can just take a walk to get rid of the stress. When we feel stressed out, many of us eat. It is important to find a way out of stress that doesn’t involve eating. This is something you should be able to do if you’re not comfortable with. Stressful things can happen when you are trying to eat healthy. You will eat more if you place too much emphasis on the things you can’t eat. You can change your outlook by doing exercise or stress-management activities.
To lose stubborn belly fat, you will need to work harder and make a lifestyle adjustment. Visit your doctor first. A visit to your doctor is essential in order to rule out other causes of fat. You can talk to your doctor about a program you like and that will allow you to continue doing these types of exercises safely. You will require less calories due to your slower metabolism. Do not change the way you eat, however. Avoid alcohol that is high in calories and low in nutrients. To lose this unwelcome belly fat, you must make lifestyle and educational changes. You also need patience. You can still lose weight after 50 if your commitment is strong.