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Community Corner

Tips for a Better Belly—J. Lo Style

It's bathing suit season and everyone is talking about how to have a smaller waistline and flatter stomach.

In the past few trips to the grocery store, I can’t help but notice how many magazines are advertising and talking about belly fat. Just today as I was checking out, I could have picked up three different popular health and trendy magazines all promising to have the answer to achieving a slimmer waistline and shedding the belly fat.

Before you buy every magazine on the rack, here are a few things to know about shedding belly fat. First, fat is not necessarily a bad thing. We need fat as an energy source; it’s also a cushion for our vital organs, provides insulation under our skin from the cold and heat, and it’s necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. So before you snub fat, remember it does have its role in the function of our body.

Everyone has visceral (belly) fat—even J. Lo—no matter if they are thin or overweight because we need visceral fat to cushion and protect our organs and other systems of the body. This is important to know because some advertisements and workout routines may claim that they can reduce belly fat, but the truth is … you can’t “spot lose” visceral belly fat.

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"An excessive amount of visceral fat produces hormones and other substances that can raise blood pressure, negatively alter good and bad cholesterol levels and impair the body's ability to use insulin (insulin resistance)." -- Mayo Clinic

This does not mean you should not invest in workout equipment or follow an exercise routine. In fact, you should. But you need to know what you are buying and why. Any type of activity or workout you invest in is a good thing. Studies have shown that 150 minutes of moderate activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, with resistance training, burns visceral fat. Burning fat is how you get rid of belly fat.

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You can buy the abdominal workout video or crunches machine, but what you are doing is exercising, not “spot losing” in your abdominal area. I also want to be clear that I’m talking about losing visceral belly fat, not strength training in the abdominal area. You can increase abdominal strength doing isolated strengthening exercises.

In addition to diet and exercise, belly fat can be shed by getting enough sleep and managing your stress level. Ironically, it does come back to exercise because when we exercise, that helps our stress level and we tend to sleep better.

So if too much belly fat has your bathing suit hiding in the closet … think exercise!

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