If you're on a weight loss journey, it is important to understand that losing belly fat is perhaps going to be the most difficult part of the process. Abdominal fat, which is medically referred to as visceral fat is the accumulation of fat deposits in and around your waistline and it is safe to say that it is predominantly caused by a fatty liver as a result of a spillover effect, among other things such as a bad diet and sedentary lifestyle.
The belly fat can also spread and surround multiple other vital organs such as the pancreas and the intestines. What makes losing visceral fat difficult to shred is the fact you can't target the spot for weight loss, which is essentially true for the entire body.
However, while a combination of cardiovascular exercise and weight training can help tone your entire body and add muscle, to lose belly fat, you will also need to control your diet and remain consistent.
In light of this, we're going to talk about some great ways you can lose fat to optimize your health and fitness and discuss the importance of promoting a more active lifestyle – even when you're at work.
Things You Should Start Doing to Lose Body Fat and Promote Your Overall Wellness
Do More Resistance Training
While cardiovascular exercises such as cycling and running can help promote your stamina and lower your calories, resistance training such as weight lifting can help increase your strength and endurance. Combining both types of exercises is a great way to lose belly fat along with increasing your muscle mass for a more shredded and stronger physique.
And it doesn't have to be anything crazy. If you're looking to break your sedentary lifestyle, you can start by walking for 20-30 minutes per day and do compound weightlifting exercises at least 2-3 times a week.
Eat Healthy
Don't confuse eating healthy with eating very little food every day. It's all about switching from highly processed and sugary foods to adding more leafy green veggies and proteins such as chicken, fish, and beef. Understand that there is a dangerous link between belly fat and inflammation and eating foods high in refined sugars and processed ingredients may increase your likeliness of developing the risk of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular issues.
Plus, eating healthy foods is also going to combat insulin resistance, which is a major reason why a lot of people can't lose their belly fat and continue to give in to their hunger pangs and cravings. With healthy foods, you will be able to enhance your satiety levels by being fuller for longer while controlling and lowering your calories to promote weight loss.
Try To Work Standing Up
There is plenty of scientific research backing the fact that living a sedentary lifestyle can be immensely harmful to our health. From causing symptoms associated with diabetes to poor cardiovascular health and joint issues, an inactive lifestyle coupled with hours of sitting can lead to very serious health consequences. In addition, it is also said that too much sitting may potentially increase your aging as it can destroy your chromosomes over time.
However, compared to sitting, one study unequivocally highlighted that standing could significantly help an individual burn more calories compared to a person sitting and working all the time. In the research, it was seen that an average individual weighing 65 kg if stood for 6 hours can burn up to 54 calories compared to someone who is sitting down.
Over time, let's say 3-4 years, if you vary between sitting and standing you may lose up to 10 kg of fat. Plus, standing and working are now very easy thanks to height-adjustable desks such as the FlexiSpot 4-Leg Standing Desk E7Q.
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The standing desk is made from long-lasting carbon steel and comes with easy height control buttons for a more flexible and versatile adjustment.
Consume Healthy Fats
Fats are vital nutrients that can help boost your energy and satiety levels when consumed in moderation. Along with helping you build muscle, monounsaturated fats that come from various sources such as fish and eggs, which are also known as omega-3 fatty acids, can also help combat inflammation and potentially improve your cognitive health.
However, it is important to keep in mind that consuming too much of these fats can be counterproductive as they can spike your overall body fat and increase your caloric intake. So, if you're on a fat loss journey, you should keep your fat intake moderate or better yet, consume them in the form of omega-3 supplements.
Alternate Between High and Low Workout Intensities
According to exercise science, it has been revealed that a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be hugely beneficial to get rid of stubborn belly fat. Some of the best ways you can do that is to do a few minutes of brisk walking on the treadmill and then immediately start sprinting for 10-20 seconds (depending on your fitness level or stamina). Alternating between high and low intensities for some exercises (not all) once or twice a week can be great for building stamina and achieving your ove
rall weight loss goals.
Minimize Stress as Much as You Can
Increased levels of cortisol (stress-inducing hormone) in your body can lead to a gradual accumulation of stress. This, in turn, can lead you to do things that can be counterproductive to your weight loss journey such as missing out on workouts, eating snacks and sugary foods, not getting enough sleep, etc.
However, if you're feeling stressed out due to your workload, one of the best ways to combat work-related stress is simply, to stand up. Yes, standing up can help stretch your legs and promote better circulation. One of the best ways you can do this is by using the FlexiSpot Next-Generation Height Adjustable Desk E7 PRO. The desk comes with a USB charging port, a 4-way memory controller for height adjustment, and a child lock. It's a great accessory if you're working from home.
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