Heart attacks and Pot bellies

The way that your body distributes excess fat can influence your tendency to develop certain chronic diseases. A recent study indicates that having a large 'pot belly' or 'spare tire' around the middle is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis. This build-up of fatty plaques increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Hidden Fat
Experts explain that in addition to the fat rolls we can see bulging around our middles, there are also fat deposits inside the abdomen, wrapped around the organs. The presence of this intra-abdominal, or visceral fat increases the risk of having high triglycerides, high cholesterol and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

So what can you do to get rid of your excessive fat stores?

How to burn your fat away - consistently!

Improved nutrition and exercise can decrease fat stores and limit further fat deposition. In fact, exercise alone can make quite a dent in the fat. A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that women who exercised for 45 minutes each day (walking, biking, and aerobics) lowered their amount of intra-abdominal fat by 6.9%.

However, many find that losing the visible fat around the middle to be a tedious and grueling task. This is because when your body becomes deprived of calories and increases its metabolic needs through exercise, it goes into conservation mode. Studies have shown that the fat around the abdomen is more resistant to breakdown.

To continue to lose weight in this area, experts suggest that you remain diligent in your workouts and determine an appropriate, individualized diet. What works for your neighbour, or your sister may not be right for you. In addition, you should modify your workout routine every few weeks. The body gets 'smart' when we consistently exercise with the same style of workout or type of machine. It begins to perform the activities more efficiently so that you don't burn as many calories as when you started the regimen several weeks prior. This is especially pertinent to cardio machines due to their repetitive nature.

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