3 Solutions to Belly Fat

 

I've been slowly gaining weight as I nurse my knee back to health. One of the things that most worries me and frankly disgusts me is belly fat. I've put on some of it around my middle.

Abdominal fat is made up of two kinds of fat: subcutaneous fat sits just below the skin, the type you can grab with skin callipers; and visceral fat builds up deep in your abdomen around your organs and has been found to cause health problems.

Numerous studies have uncovered scary facts about visceral fat. According to a 10-year study of Chinese adults published in the August 2006 American Journal of Hypertension, larger waist measurements can raise blood pressure, regardless of total body fat. Another study reported by the Harvard Medical School discusses ‘lipotoxicity’ where free fatty acids accumulate in the organs and affect the regulation of insulin, blood sugar and lead to coronary heart disease.

But there's an answer... Exercise... More important, Running.

Here are some solutions to the belly fat delimma.

1. RUN AT A HIGH INTENSITY

Running at a lower intensity means you use fat as fuel and so are in the ‘fat burning’ zone, however, carb-dependent interval training and high intense workouts will burn more calories overall, and therefore more calories from fat. Follow the HIIT training programme and include regular Speed and Interval Training in your schedule to burn fat fast.

2. RUN TO BEAT STRESS

The hormone cortisol known as the ‘stress hormone’ has been linked to abdominal fat. High levels of the hormone cortisol cause fat stores and excess circulating fat to be relocated and deposited deep in the abdomen. The good news is that running is the ultimate stress-buster, as it releases feel-good hormones, like seratonin. Add to that the boost you’ll get to your self-esteem as it keeps you in shape and feeling fit and healthy and there’s no excuse not to run.

3. RUN TO FEEL FULL UP

As well as burning calories, running will help curb your appetite. According to an Australian study published in the journal, Metabolism, aerobic exercise beats resistance exercise when it comes to feeling hungry. Three groups of overweight, inactive men were studied over a period of 12 weeks, and it was found that when it came to appetite related hormones like leptin, they all reported the same feedback and felt less hungry than before they started exercise, but hormone levels remained the same whether doing resistance work or aerobic exercise. However, those doing aerobic exercise, like running, felt fuller quicker, so ate less.

 

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Benefits of Running

Heart: The maximum benefits occur in the heart as the muscles of two ventricles which pump out blood become thicker and both the interiors of these chambers become larger in size by 20 percent. This enables both the ventricles to pump out more blood with each beat.

The heart rate reduces and goes down to 40-50 per minute. Giving the heart time to relax as each beat pumps out more blood than usual. This also enables more blood supply to the heart muscles, giving it more power. Simultaneously, the coronary arteries which supply blood to the heart muscles become larger in diameter and supply more blood to the heart muscles, making it more powerful. Population studies have revealed that runners suffer less from heart attack.

Improvement of blood chemistry: Running reduces blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride which indirectly contribute to heart attacks. HDL cholesterol which protects from heart attacks increases with running and even goes up to 80 to 100 mg.

Psychological well-being: This, in my opinion, is the best thing that happens to a runner. Few scientific studies have been done in this area but some have shown that running addiction is associated with high frequency running and positive personality, though not with mood enhancement. Some scientific studies have shown that marathon runners are below normal in anxiety, low in tension, depression and hostility. Among runners there is improved self-concept, sense of control and body image. Runners have better concentration in professional work, a positive outlook towards life and better sleep.

Anti-obesity: Running reduces body weight and obesity.

Anti-smoking: The running habit stops smoking.

Anti-ageing: Runners are slower to grow old. Physiologically, age increases 10-15 percent in 10 years. But runners grow old by 5 percent in 10 years.

Respiratory Functions: With running, lung functioning improves and breathing becomes effortless after some time. Even asthma patients can improve by starting slow running.

 

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Robert's Observations

The average American spends at least 7 hours a month on Facebook, according to Neilsen. That's: Seven hours a month works out to 105 minutes each week, or 15 minutes every single day.

How about using that 15 minutes for a walk? Or better...how about a RUN?

 

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Musical NO

One big problem with listening to music is that it can remove you from the other sounds that running produces, such as breathing and footstrike, which are essential cues. They give you feedback on your effort. Running while listening to music also removes you from the environment you’re in, which can be unsafe. You may not hear a car or person behind you. You may not hear thunder in the distance. And in races it makes you oblivious of other runners and you can’t hear the directions being given by marshals. Would you ever drive or ride a bicycle with headphones on? Not likely, because doing so reduces awareness and increases reaction time. I want those things working for me. Finally, I believe runners can become dependent on music. Eventually you can lose a sense of what might be truly motivating to you, such as the energised feeling you get on the run.

 

Building a Habit, or Getting a Backmonkey

I end up speaking a lot about HABIT when I discuss consistency and the deep necessity of using constant workouts to build healthy, sound, and fit lifestyles.

Everyone who wants to be fit and healthy can start down that path, but even reaching the 'middle' distance of it takes a repetition and constant action.

 

For some of us, luckily I am included here, consistency is not so difficult to achieve and requires little from us but doing and almost no thinking.

 

But for others, it takes, demands, a strategy. Below are a few actions to help you turn a desire into a habit. Though I concern myself with running, these techniques are usable for other areas of interest. The below steps I will reference my own life, which has a running-based habit.

 

Now, turning a desire into a ritual requires willpower. As I have said for some this is no problem, but here are some ways to supplement your willpower.

 

Use these steps to optimize your routine:

 

Start slowly: Go to bed and wake up fifteen minutes earlier for a few days until this new schedule seems doable. (It's easier to get a running habit started in the morning. You start your day with an accomplishment, and feel good endorphins.)

 

Monitor your energy: Building a new habit takes effort, so take care of yourself while you’re trying. Eat right, eat enough, and surround yourself with supportive people who want to see you succeed. (Plenty of rest is necessary when building a running habit.)

 

Choose one new habit at a time to introduce: If you want to run, pray, and write in a journal, choose one of these and make it a habit before adding another. (Concentrate on running and not running plus another sport or sports.)

 

Chart your progress: Habits take weeks to establish, so keep track of how you’re doing for at least thirty days. Once skipping a session feels like you forgot something—like forgetting to brush your teeth—you can take your ritual up a notch. (A running journal, be it a paper journal or an online one, is essential to creating a consistent running schedule.)

 

Feel free to use bribery: Eventually habits produce their own motivation, but until then, external motivations like promising yourself a brownie or ice cream can keep you moving forward. (I reward myself with food: brownies or burgers.)

Stop Dragging Your Feet

If you’re dragging your feet and finding every excuse in the world not to go for your run, tell yourself that you’re going for a walk instead. Get out the door and walk a block or so, then start a slow jog. Increase your speed to your normal pace a little further in and you’re on your way. If you start to feel winded or in any pain, slow down your pace again. The point is to do the best you can on any given day, not to hurt yourself.

Runner or Jogger?

A runner can answer the questions about running such as “Is it normal for my toenail to be black?” or “What the hell is a fartlek?"

 

Run On

I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner. ~ Bart Yasso

Summer Fact

Wear the Right Fabrics

 

In the heat of summer, wearing the wrong type of clothing can add to your misery. Trust me. Even with the correct fabric, you can still have a tough time. So wear the least amount of clothing you’re comfortable with, and try to keep it somewhat loose-fitting. I try for loose light colors. Avoid cotton at all costs and any other absorbent materials, as they will just hold in moisture, fail to keep you cool, and cause painful chafing. See bloody nipples entry for how even with correct material it can be difficult. I can't imagine cotton.

 

Stick with light, moisture-wicking tech fabrics from head to toe, which pull moisture away from your body and dry quickly. Don’t forget to look for your summer socks (double lined socks) in these materials as well, to prevent blisters.

 

Runners Live Longer

In the latest analysis of data from an ongoing study of residents of Copenhagen, Denmark, researchers found that those who reported running one to two-and-a-half hours per week had an increased life expectancy of 6.2 years for men and 5.6 years for women, compared to sedentary residents.

 

Follow up on Smoking and Running

Where peer pressure or health concern hasn’t influenced people to quit, a new study says exercise may help kick the habit.

 

Dr. C.P. Wen, explained, “If smokers can continue to exercise, not only (will they) increase the quit rate, but (they can also) reduce their mortality for all causes and for CVD (cardiovascular disease) in the long run.”

Jogger or Runner?

The dictionary defines a jog as a “steady, gentle pace,” while a run is “a brisk speed faster than a walk

Runner or Jogger?

George Sheehan famously said the difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank.

Runner or Jogger?

I read there's a clear line between the runner and the jogger: a 40 minute 10K: If you’re faster than that time, you’re a runner; if slower, well…you’re not.