When people reach middle age, there are old people and young people, not only the physical and mental pressure is huge, but also the body is also prosperous. Being bloated and having a pot belly seems to be a hallmark of this age group. The increase of body fat, especially the excess growth of belly fat, seriously affects the health of the body. Why is it that when you are young, you don’t get fat and don’t have excess fat on your belly, but your belly gets bigger and bigger as you get older? Today’s topic is to talk about why most people have more and more abdominal fat when they are middle-aged, and what practical lifestyle can be used to change this problem and make our body healthier.
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After reading this article, you will gain the following three aspects
Causes of belly fat with age
The physical harm caused by excess belly fat
Build a healthy lifestyle for a flat belly
Causes of belly fat with age
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Many friends I always feel this way. No matter how I eat when I’m young, my body doesn’t seem to gain too much fat, and my stomach won’t get bigger. Even if you eat fat and gain weight, after a few days of diet control, you will soon return to the previous level. But with age, it seems that some of the original methods of losing weight are no longer effective. The fundamental reason for this is the change in the level of internal body hormones. Our diet, exercise, sleep, and mood affect our hormone levels, which indirectly reflect changes in body composition.
First, bone and muscle changes
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From birth to growth, our skeletal and muscular systems are constantly growing and changing. Generally speaking, when the human body is about 30 to 35 years old, the overall skeletal and muscular system reaches its peak state. Before this, bone density was mostly in the process of osteoblasts being larger than osteoclasts, which means that bones are constantly growing, and growth requires a lot of nutrients to provide energy. At the same time, because our muscle system has a relatively high muscle mass when we are young, the body’s ability to consume and burn excess fat per unit time is also relatively strong. Therefore, before the age of 30, our body’s energy intake is basically in a state of evenly matched our body’s consumption. As long as we pay a little attention to diet and exercise, the body fat rate will not be too outrageous.
Second, changes in body hormone levels
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With the increase of age, not only the musculoskeletal system will change, but more seriously, the levels of various hormones that affect our body composition are also in a state of decline, especially testosterone and estrogen level. Women’s testosterone levels are only a dozen times that of men, but they all peak in their 20s and then decrease year by year. Decreased levels of the hormone testosterone make the body more inclined to store fat. At the same time, the levels of thyroid hormones that regulate body weight and metabolism in men and women also decrease due to age. In addition, they do not pay attention to the management of diet and exercise, and gaining weight has almost become a high probability event. Due to natural selection and evolution, men tend to accumulate fat in the abdomen, while women after menopause will have hips and legs turned to the abdomen where fat accumulates due to changes in estrogen levels.
Third, dietary choices and stress levels
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If changes in skeletal muscle and hormone levels are internal factors, diet choices and attitudes toward stress are more external factors. Poor diet structure, the long-term diet is mainly refined carbohydrates and high fat, and lack of exercise not only increases calorie intake, but also causes various inflammatory reactions in the body due to the unbalanced diet, laying down hidden dangers for chronic diseases. At the same time, middle-aged people also face the most stressful time in their life, and the stress hormone cortisol in the body is also excessively secreted. When cortisol secretion is abnormal, central obesity occurs, that is, abdominal obesity becomes a high-probability event.
The physical harm of excess abdominal fat
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< p>A moderate amount of body fat has many benefits to the human body, such as the maintenance of body temperature, the buffering of internal organs, the synthesis of body cells and various nutrient elements are inseparable from fat. But fundamentally, the potential problems and negative effects of excess fatThe sound can not be ignored, especially belly fat. It looks like a bloated belly, but it is actually visceral fat that obviously increases the burden on the body. More blood sugar problems, insulin resistance, chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and other problems are inseparable from the accumulation of excess visceral fat. .
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In addition, due to the increase of abdominal fat, the center of gravity of the human body will also change. Due to the forward leaning of the center of gravity and the lack of muscle strength to maintain the entire human body, coupled with the sedentary lifestyle and less movement, problems such as the skeletal posture of the human body are aggravated, such as pelvic forward tilt, such as joint inflammation and other problems.
Building a healthy lifestyle for a flat belly
It’s not so much about losing belly fat as it is about reshaping a healthy lifestyle. Our body is most likely a reflection of our lifestyle and habits, so if we want to have a healthy body, we still need to start with our daily diet, exercise, sleep, and mood. The suggestions below are also relatively practical, if you can slowly add them to your living habits, and then adjust your physical state.
First, balanced meals
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The generation of a calorie gap is a prerequisite for reducing abdominal fat, but at the same time, the gap should not be too large. About 300~500 calories are recommended. If the daily diet cannot be quantified, it is recommended that 7 points per meal are enough. We should not only lose excess fat, but also lose weight healthily. However, healthy weight loss requires a balanced diet, that is, the comprehensiveness of nutrients during fat loss. The original dietary structure of fine carbohydrates, high fat, low protein and lack of vegetables and fruits should be adjusted to an appropriate amount of complex carbohydrates, a medium protein ratio, and more vegetables and fruits and fat intake in daily life in the future. Mainly beneficial fats. Make a balanced diet, give priority to clean and fresh ingredients, 7 points per meal, less sugary diet and alcoholic beverages, etc., and integrate them into the daily diet little by little. For more detailed and quantifiable operations, you can refer to Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents.
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Recommended ingredients:
Complex carbohydrates: brown rice, oats, corn, sweet potatoes, etc.
Protein: deep sea fish, eggs, beef, seafood, and whey protein, etc.
Beneficial fats : Salmon, nuts, egg yolk, olive oil, etc.
Vegetables: broccoli, asparagus, kale, okra, spinach and other dark vegetables, etc.
Fruits: berries Mainly, orange, kiwi, peach, apricot, etc.
Second, moderate exercise
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A good lifestyle is inseparable from exercise. It is not so much that exercise is for muscle gain and fat reduction, it is better to say that exercise is a way of life, or Exercise can also be regarded as one of the nutrients needed by the human body. Short-term high-intensity exercise is the most effective way to reduce abdominal fat. This way of exercise can increase the body’s adrenaline in a short period of time, and is the most efficient for decomposing abdominal fat. However, for people who have no foundation in exercise and who are sedentary and less active, this exercise method is too intense and unsafe. Therefore, the initial goal of people who resume exercise is to find an exercise pattern that suits them and can be sustained. First, start with a love of exercise, slowly integrate it into daily life to form a habit, and then consider matters related to exercise intensity. .
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Exercise should also use anaerobic exercise and aerobic exercise A combination of sports. Anaerobic exercise can improve human muscle strength, increase bone density and muscle mass, and aerobic exercise can improve the body’s cardiopulmonary level and the ability to use oxygen. The combination of the two is good for physical health and the reduction of abdominal fat. had the best effect. Anaerobic exercise generally uses compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and presses, while aerobic exercise uses running, brisk walking, and swimming. But no matter what the form of exercise, it should be noted that safety and action mode are always the first, followed by the gradual loading of exercise load. Take exercise as a habit, even if it is a ten-minute stretch and stretch between work, the benefits to the body are huge.
Third, stress and sleep
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I just said that excessive stress is also one of the reasons for central obesity, so timely adjustmentStress hormone levels, allowing yourself to completely relax is also one of the key points for abdominal weight loss. Learn to release stress, get rid of stress, or talk to a friend, or relax yourself through exercise, yoga, outdoor walks, or meditation. Managing stress, in a sense, also manages physical condition and belly fat.
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In addition, good sleep quality can adjust hormone levels And fat loss is also very important. High-quality sleep can not only adjust the stress hormone cortisol into an appropriate range, but also increase the level of testosterone, and the stability of the overall hormone level will help reduce abdominal fat. At the same time, a regular schedule also reduces the chance of overeating in the diet.
Conclusion
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The high probability of body shape is daily life Therefore, in order to fundamentally change the status quo, we must check from the source. Adjusting the dietary structure and nutrition, choosing clean and fresh ingredients as much as possible, and gradually integrating exercise into life, as well as maintaining regular work and rest and managing emotional stress, only in this way can we completely change our body and life. Take a week as a unit, change one point every week, and gradually you will find that your physical condition is improving, and your body is changing unknowingly. If you are working hard in the right direction, you will not be afraid of the long road. Come on, everyone. Let’s encourage each other.