Having a bulging belly due to the presence of excess fat is more than just a cosmetic nightmare. According to health authorities, it’s something that’s linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer.
This is exactly the reason why having a flat abdominal area does not only make you look and feel fantastic, but also let you live a long and healthy life.
Unfortunately, there are everyday habits that can cause lots of fat to accumulate in the midsection, and many are actually guilty of doing them — this is why most of us are not happy with the way our stomachs look.
Leading a Stressful Life
Scientists say that the presence of too much stress hormones in the bloodstream can encourage lots of fat cells to gather in the abdomen in an attempt to safeguard your vital organs that are situated in the said area. Evidently, it’s something that can do more harm than good.
Needless to say, stay away from all possible stressors. It’s also a great idea to engage in stress-lowering activities at the end of a super busy day.
Not Getting Enough Sleep
Do you spend the entire night partying or checking out your various social media sites? Then don’t be surprised why your eye bags are not the only ones that that are bulging but also your belly.
Failure to get a good night’s sleep, according to experts, can cause hormonal imbalance that can lead to all kinds of problems. One of those is the expansion of the waistline. So if your goal is to have a whistle-bait figure, make sure that you have plenty of Z’s every single night.
Late Night Snacking
There are a couple of reasons why snacking late at night can wreak havoc on your midsection. First, it can cause a lot of unburned calories to be converted into abdominal fat. Second, it can trigger acid reflux which is something that can leave you wide awake all night long — just like what’s discussed above, lack of sleep is bad for the tummy.
If your stomach is grumbling at bedtime, consider opting for a very light snack like a piece of banana or a handful of nuts, and not a pile of spaghetti or a massive slice of chocolate cake.
Not Eating at All
The reason why a lot of fitness experts say that most weight loss diets don’t work is considerably reducing your daily caloric intake can slow down your metabolic rate dramatically, and also make your body really hold on to those fat cells in the abdominal region for future use.
Rather than steer clear of food, it’s a good idea for you to eat more per day if you want a flatter belly — having 5 to 6 small and healthy meals per day can make it easier for you to have the flattest stomach in town.
Spending Lots of Time Sitting
No matter if it’s spent before a TV or PC, sitting all day long can definitely cause your belly to bulge. Needless to say, choosing a more active lifestyle is key to a smaller waistline and also lowered risk of so many serious health-related concerns such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Slaving away at the office is not counted as an active lifestyle. You can make up for it by going to the gym on most days of the week or taking the stairs, riding a bicycle to and fro work, or standing while taking phone calls.
