Junk in the Trunk: How to Avoid Having a Fat Belly

By TGP / Categories: Healthy Lifestyle

Summer is coming—and you only have a few months left before you hit the sands and sea with your rocking beach body. But how’re you going to do that without washboard abs?

No need to worry! Here are some tips that’ll help you get rid of that jelly in your belly without taking medicine for diabetes or other supplements (how do those meds help you get thinner, anyway?). Follow these and rest assured that you won’t need to hold your breath every time you go out for a dip.

Exercise

Exercise Fat Belly

Let’s start with the first and obvious step! The need for us all to exercise cannot be stressed enough. A lot of people think it’s too much of a hassle to engage in physical activity, even if it would help them get into shape. However, it’s not enough that you just exercise; you have to do it regularly, too! You could do either 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week of moderate exercise or 20 minutes per day for 4 days a week of vigorous exercise. Try jogging, dancing, taking up sports, or hitting the gym and you’re sure to lose that flab beneath your chest!

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep

It might not seem obvious, but there’s actually a connection between not catching enough Zzz’s and getting fat. According to a 2010 Wake Forest University study, people who regularly have only five or less hours of sleep have increased levels of visceral fat!

Maintain a Regular Sleep Pattern

Regular Sleep

You also need to make sure that you have a consistent sleeping schedule so that you sleep and wake up around the same time every day. Erratic sleep periods cause stress which in turn triggers the release of cortisol, the hormone that causes the body to store fat. According to a study from Brigham Young University, women who catch Zzz’s and rise regularly during a particular time of the day have less body fat.

Drink Green Tea

Green Tea

If you’re looking for a way to trim down your belly, you should be drinking tea—green tea to be exact! This popular drink is not only good at parties; it’s also full of antioxidants called catechins, which can help the process of weight loss through physical activity. In fact, moderate exercisers who regularly drink green tea lost more abdominal fat as compared to those who don’t! So how much green tea should you sip every day? According to a study, 625mg, which is around two to three eight-ounce cups, should be good.

Have a Nutritious Diet

Healty Eating

Last but not least: eat healthy! It’s not enough that you cut down on how much you consume; you also need to lose the bad kinds of food and have more of the healthy ones. Eat more protein and fiber instead of empty carbs; you’ll build less visceral fat and have more muscle mass instead. Cross out sodas, lattes, mochas, and beer off your drinking list, as they have a lot more calories than some solid foods. And while salad can help that belly go away, putting too much commercially prepared dressing could do the exact opposite of what you intend to do.

With these steps and the discipline in following them, you can surely go from fat to flat. Not in an instant though, but you definitely will. And the best part is you’ll be healthy—and you’ll look and feel good!

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