Top 5 Reasons Why Your Belly Fat Increases

Most of us dream to have a flat belly or ‘six-pack abs’; but sadly the reality is different, as prominent Indian population has a bulging belly. The biggest reason behind is the sedentary lifestyle which we live owing to numerous demands that surround us, like the 9 hour jobs involving sitting continously at one place, etc. and these end up causing numerous diseases, conditions and also resulting into a bloated belly. Your arms, legs may be in the right shape but, a bloated belly not only damage your personality but also, severely affects your health. Despite of all the consequences it may lead, we still, manage to ignore it until some health problem arise. Moreover, even the fat around our waist is more dangerous than, being overweight. This is mainly because fat which accumulates around your belly can even increase your risk to heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cancer too. Hence, reducing your waistline is the first step towards experiencing healthy living and opting for periodical complete health checkup is the second for early detection of health problems due to bulging belly.  

All of us have belly fat, yes you read it correct. Even the ones with abs have belly fat but, below the permissible limits. Protruding of tummy is commonly found in middle age individuals, especially women who have been pregnant or men with a habit of heavy intake of alcohol. But, beyond understanding the age group with high risk of developing a round middle, it is also important to understand the reasons behind it and what you can do to avoid it! The secret behind reducing excess of belly fat lies out of reach, beneath our abdominal wall, and are known as visceral fats. Surprisingly, it comprises only 10% of total body fat and the rest 90% is subcutaneous fat. Visceral fat covers vital organs like liver, pancreas and intestine in order to act as a cushion for these organs. 

So, now the biggest question in front of you must be exactly what causes this visceral fat to increase beyond the permissible limits. Here are top 5 reasons your belly fat increases: 

1. Diet: 
What you eat, will definitely affect your heartbeat. Strange but very true that, diet alone plays 80% role in maintaining of everyday health. So, eating junk food, foods which are comprised of high fat and sugar is the biggest reason behind your extra belly fat. Hence, high sugar containing foods such as cakes, candies, muffins and flavoured beverages such as soft drinks, sweet tea and artificially sweetener & preservative added juices are a big NO to prevent bloated belly. Also, incorporating lean meats, fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet becomes essential. 

2. Alcohol & Beer belly: 
You must have observed those who consume alcohol frequently tend to have bloated belly. This is because alcohol slows downs your metabolic rate leading to burning of lesser calories. And thus, excess calories from alcohol are stored in the form of belly fats called as ‘beer belly’. 

3. Genes:                                        
Your genes can also be responsible for the bulging belly. One of the factors responsible for increasing the paunch is if it is running in your family. According to family tree your body shape tends to become either apple-shaped or pear-shaped. Most of the men tend to have an apple shaped body type which can be inherited from the parents. 

4. Stress: 
Cortisol is a ‘stress hormone’ which is secreted by the adrenal glands in response to stressful situations. If it is produced in excess due to recurrent stress, it leads to weight gain in the abdominal region. This is mainly because, cortisol hormones sends chemical messages to the brain to store more calories to fight against stress.  

5. Gut Health:
Any imbalance in gut micro flora hampers gut health and indirectly affects the immune system too. Numerous types of bacteria live in our gut, with some being helpful while others being harmful. Any imbalance in these gut micro flora can lead to abdominal fat deposition. 

Now that you are aware of the reasons for increase in your belly fat, ensure to take extra precautions and start implementing remedies to enjoy healthier, happier and a confident life.   

6 Stress Induced Health Problems Which Can Be Prevented.

Today’s life style comprising of long working hours, unhealthy eating especially junk food, intolerable bad sleeping habits, lack of physical activity, all of these are totally making it difficult to pay heed towards maintaining good health. All of these factors cumulatively lead to few adverse effects on health inducing stress. The stress is not just a mental but also, physical issue which occurs when excess of pressure, even exceed your limit or capacity due to inability to cope. The exact definition of stress is very challenging to state for researchers as it is a subjective phenomena that varies as per individual. The most prevalent form observed is work related stress which is often regarded as negative stress because of worry, tension, anxiety, and agitation. The alarming signal is when it remains for longer period of time, advance into chronic stress depleting physical and mental health. 

There are certain signs and symptoms of it which consist of frequent headaches, nausea, stomach pain, difficulty in breathing, back pain, disturbing dreams, obsessive behaviour, skin rashes, chest pain, insomnia, frequent urination, loss of appetite or stress induced food cravings, difficulty in staying focus or concentrating and suspicious nature. The major health hazards of it includes, depression, heart disease, problems with digestion, also affects skin, hypertension and auto-immune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and parkinson’s disease, etc. Here are some interesting ways to prevent this problems : 

1.Depression : Higher stress levels directly affects mental health, by disturbing thought process and inclining towards negative side developing anxiety as well as nervousness.So, to deal with it, practicing for some relaxation techniques such as meditation and Yoga. It’s better to fix a specific time of a day to perform deep breathing exercises for relaxation of body and to increase focus and concentration. 

2.Heart Diseases : Prolonged stress helps to trigger increase in blood pressure levels, which is a risk factor for heart attack or stroke. Low fat containing food is preferred for healthy heart beats. Good food can also, help to cheer positive mood. It is advised to avoid unsaturated fats, oily foods, high sugar containing desserts, processed food, dishes prepared using artificial colourous, and junk snacks, etc. All of these can be responsible for problems in digestion leading to stomach pain. Hence, diet which include leafy fiber containing vegetables, healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids, meals with appropriate proteins levels, etc , helps to boost energy levels, maintaining activeness.  

3.Hypertension : It has been proved that, people with history of hypertension tend to be more submissive and introvert this again escalates the stress levels indirectly affecting blood pressure. Hence, right composed attitude and calmness is key to recover or inhibit stress. You should be aware of ways to calm yourself down when you’re feeling angry, or overwhelmed by a situation. When ever you are in stress, remember all the things for which you are grateful, thank God and your love ones who have been always there to stood for you. After this you will realize how much lucky you are and all the stress will fade away. 

4.Skin Problems : Stress causes skin rashes due to infections as the immunity of skin has been already weaken due to it. The vessels suppling blood to skin constrict can cause tightening of skin. Also, it causes excess of sweating and itching. For preventing from this, one needs to drink ample of water every day also, can use moisturizing lotion or taking bath using moisturizing soap to keep skin healthy.  

5.Rheumatoid Arthritis : It has been observed that chronic stress can generate low white blood cell counts making body more susceptible to infections. Also, it has been proved by certain evidences that, stress accelerates release of immune factors such as cytokines. Over production of these causes inflammatory response which is often characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. The good side of it is, with advancements in treatment disease progression can be inhibited. Hence, if your body not receiving appropriate response to treatment, do not hesitate to discuss this with your doctor instead of facing the burden of stress. Also, appoint an expert physical therapist to guide you in exercises which can periodically saw marked improvements. 

6.Parkinson’s Disease : Many individuals experience the psychological stress and pervasiveness of the same can be a dominant reason for development of number of diseases and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is one of them. There are many evidences which proved worsening of Parkinson’s symptoms due to psychological stress. Hence, discovering new ways to manage stress is very crucial for PD patients. Also, the best way to do it is by identifying people and resources which will surely be helpful in order to manage few tensions, worry full responsibilities and critical aspects in your life. 

So, now you know the solutions, try to figure out are you or any body suffering from it and follow or guide others to win over stress to get what you deserve the best.