How to Burn Belly Fat After 40

Body fat is essential for your health and well-being. Fat has an extremely crucial role in hormonal balance, immunity, reproduction, thermal insulation, shock absorption and storage of food energy for use in the lean periods. However, excessive consumption of food and sedentary lifestyle may lead to excessive deposition of body fat. Excess fat is generally measured by body mass index (total weight divided by the square of your height). If the body mass index ranges 25 - 30, a person is considered overweight, while more than 30 is a clear indication of obesity.

It has been proven that excess weight and obesity is linked to several health complications like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.

Even a leaner person may have excess body fat. The distribution of fat is more important than the body mass index ratio. Excessive fat deposition over your body organs will make you suffer from obesity-related health complications, even though you may have a lean body. Unfortunately, many people face excessive fat deposition over the belly areas. Most of our organs are located around the abdomen, and so fat deposition over the belly areas causes excessive fat over the organs and interferes with their normal functioning.

If your waist size is more than 40" (35 for women), then it is evident that you have accumulated too much fat around your belly areas. A 'D' shaped body is mainly caused by the visceral fat (a deeper layer of fat) and this is the reason why burning belly fat is more difficult. Although the role of your genes cannot be ruled out, the health experts believe that visceral fat is the direct outcome of a sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity and exercises are very crucial for burning your excess fat over the belly areas.

If you want to regain your flat abs, you have to follow at least 30 minutes exercise schedule for five days a week. It's not necessary to join a gym for burning your belly fat. You can simply jog to a lean and healthy body. Any kinds of moderate activity will prevent any further deposition of visceral fat, but vigorous workouts are required for burning your belly fat. However, persistence is the key to your success. You must understand that burning belly fat will take time and you will achieve a perceptible difference after four or six weeks.

Diet is the next aspect of your plan to regain a fabulous body. If you keep on stuffing your body with fatty delicacies and sugary beverages, your exercise may not be sufficient to burn the excess food energy intake. Make sure to consult a health expert or research over the Internet for preparing your diet plan. As we all know, a balanced diet is necessary for your health and well-being. Consider fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet. It has been observed that fiber-rich diet can be very instrumental in preventing the excessive buildup of visceral fat.

Stress management is very helpful in burning excess fat. Stress is part of our work and life, but if you know the skills of managing your stress level, your quality of sleep will improve and you will be less likely to build visceral fat. Exercises in combination with some kind of meditation or relaxing techniques (playing with kids, mingling with the family, etc.) will go a long way in controlling the fat deposition over the belly areas. Exercises will really make the difference.

Unfortunately, belly fat generally appears after the 30s when the responsibilities of raising children, taking care of the family and meeting the challenges at work hardly allow any time for exercises that are meant for burning fat. Some people are not prepared to incorporate vigorous workouts in their busy schedule. Natural fat burning pills are the best option for such people. If you are unable to follow a vigorous exercise schedule due to any reasons, you can rely on supplements that are designed to boost your metabolism and burn extra fat. Natural fat burning pills in combination with certain belly fat burning exercises will improve your overall results. You will regain your flat abs more easily and quickly.

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Bloating - 60+ Million People Live With It, What Can Be Done?

Do you live with chronic bloating? Would you guess that 1 in 5 of your friends and family may as well? It is one of the most prevalent symptoms that we endure - when you wake up, after each meal, and getting worse and worse throughout the day. Statistics show that about 20% of the U.S. population has bloating. I would think that is a low estimate. The digestive system isn't the sexiest of systems in the body, and people are embarrassed to talk about it. But the chronic symptoms that so many people are living with can be changed!

I lived with IBS and bloating for years. It is the reason I chose to study nutrition. I never got answers, no one had a solution for me. Not only did I regularly feel physically uncomfortable, I felt emotionally uncomfortable because it was embarrassing! The desire for stretchy pants that put no pressure on my gut; I often felt like I wanted to pull the skin away from my stomach to release the constant pressure of bloating.

One client of mine described the relief in this way, "I can finally take a breath." The pressure of constant bloating made her feel like she could never really breathe deeply. The changes to her diet and healing her gut not only allowed her to breathe, the IBS was gone and she lost weight too!

Why does bloating occur?
There are many reasons why you might experience it:

1. food sensitivities causing chronic inflammation
2. a damaged gut preventing nutrients from being properly broken down and absorbed
3. stress
4. "standard American diet" - too much food high in sugar, fat and salt; highly processed foods containing ingredients that cause digestive distress for many, eating meals very fast
5. bacterial overgrowth
6. intestinal parasites

Solutions to chronic bloating
Each individual is different so, of course, the solution will be unique to each person.

• When someone lives with a multitude of symptoms and may also have IBS, food sensitivity testing with creation of an individually tailored anti-inflammatory diet is extremely effective. Once the body is not constantly being bombarded with inflammatory foods it can begin the healing process.
• If living on the "standard American diet," simply cleaning up the diet - eliminating highly processed foods, slowing down and nourishing the body well can solve the problem.
• Stress is not an occasional occurrence today it is what many live with 24/7. Stress absolutely can go to the gut. It may create a symptom and it may create long term damage. Stress may not be avoidable, but it can be managed well with relaxation, meditation and simply breathing!
• If damage to the gut has occurred a healing protocol is required. This will include an anti-inflammatory diet protocol, but also may include nutrients specifically beneficial for healing the gut tissue.
• Bacterial overgrowth or intestinal parasites may require medication to heal before a nourishing diet and stress management can create the right balance.

There can be more serious conditions related to bloating, so talking with your doctor is important. But when you have eliminated all other causes, it's time to dig deeper. Stop living in discomfort. On the other side - you can breathe!

Lynda Enright, MS, RD, CLT is certified as a Wellness Coach and LEAP Therapist who partners with individuals who want to look and feel amazing. Lynda helps individuals improve their health by addressing each individual as the whole person finding the causes of weight gain, fatigue, bloating, acid reflux, congestion, brain fog or achy joints. For tips on eating well and balancing a healthy lifestyle, visit http://www.BeWellConsulting.com

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Top 4 Tips to Learn How to Lose Weight in a Week

Would you believe that it's possible to reduce about 5 pounds from your body weight in a week without starving, taking weight loss supplements or even completely eliminating some food group from your diet?
Believe it or not, it's possible! That too, just by making a few sacrifices and following some specific techniques. Read on to learn the right eating and exercise strategy you need to follow, and how to lose weight in a week.

1. We keep telling you time and again, you need to drink more water to lose weight. There's no point drinking any sports or energy drink, or some fruit smoothie they all add at least 100 unnecessary calories to your everyday calorie intake. Some liquids may also be high in sodium and carbohydrates and trick your body into retaining water to puff you out.

On the contrary, plain water has zero calories and carbs, and little to no sodium. It's thus the perfect slim-down drink which also helps flush out excess water while jump-starting your metabolism. If required, you can add some lemon wedges or mint leaves to the water to enhance its taste with minimum calories!

2. Stop eating white bread and pasta, white rice, sandwich rolls and spaghetti. This will have instant effects on your weight as these simple carbs only cause bloating, especially near your belly as they are digested very quickly. This leaves you hungry quickly, and increases the tendency of your overeating later on.

Instead, replace them with healthier whole-grain bread products and vegetables. So instead of eating a chicken sandwich, it's better if you eat a chicken salad and instead of chips, have some carrot and a dip. As vegetables are complex carbs, they take longer to digest and thus keep you full longer. Moreover, they are mostly water which flushes out excess water weight from your body.

3. 30 minutes cardio a day is a must as it increases your heart rate to increase the number of calories you burn. However choose your cardio routine well as you can burn more calories if your routine uses more muscles simultaneously. Good options are boot-camp workouts, cardio kickboxing and Muay thai.

All you need to do is half an hour of these exercises to tone your legs, arms and core so that your body grows sleeker and tighter. You can burn even more calories per exercise session if your workout includes interval training, consisting of alternative short bursts of intense cardio along with slower activity.

4. Last, but not least, you can lose more weight in a week if you drink coffee an hour before your workout. Coffee not only makes your morning more productive, a cup before you work out with some skim milk or black helps energize your workout. So you end up burning more calories without actually having to push yourself harder.

It's better if you can implement all these 4 tips to your exercise routine. If not all, at least start with one and go on including an additional one every day. You will eventually feel and look lighter, and would have found the answer to how to lose weight in a week!

99NutritionTips is authority when it comes to Nutrition and Health Tips. Visit us to learn more about Nutrition and Health Tips. By visiting us, you will get a Free Report on How to Flatten Your Stomach

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How To Get The "Perfect Body"?

As a woman, you want to be comfortable in your skin before you flaunt it to others and that comes with having the right body shape. However, this so called "Perfect body" has taken on several shades of meaning over the years. There was a time that celebrated a woman's curves. A voluptuous figure with a heavy bust and wide hips was considered attractive. It was also considered a sign of good health and fertility. With the sexual revolution, the concept of the "perfect body" has been inverted on its head. Thin and androgynous is the idealized body shape. And, when thin is in, who would fall for the full-figured hourglass look? That's one of the main reasons we take to dieting. Popular diets and weight loss pills owe their popularity to the changing notion of the ideal body shape. Had the fashion industry not perpetuated the "tall and skinny", I bet they would have all been out of business.

Lifestyle + Eating - Exercise = Obesity
Our lives devoid of exercise also add layers and layers of fat internally. The basic principle to lose weight is to spend more calories than you consume. If you don't exercise, there is no chance to burn the extra calories. We live frantic lifestyles with an endless list of responsibilities. We barely find time to relax leave alone exercise. At the end of the day the only thing you want to do is hit the bed. That is what is causing part of the trouble for you. Exercise also plays a major role in balancing your mental state. It helps you cope with your emotions and suppresses binge eating triggered by emotional imbalances. So now, what must be done? It's time to restore the brain to natural thinness. But for that you must first determine how severe your food addiction is. If you would like to take the test, the Yale Food addiction scale is a handy tool. Developed by Dr. Gearhardt, this was among the first scientifically validated food addiction tests. You have a resume of the test below!

The following statements can have responses of: Never, Once per month, 2-4 times per month, 2-3 times per week, or 4 or more times per week. The "more often" your response is, the higher your level of addiction is.

1) I eat foods even though I am not hungry at all.
2) I worry about eating and removing certain foods from my eating plan.
3) I feel sluggish or fatigued from overeating.
4) I spend time feeling guilty for having eaten too much or certain foods, instead of spending time in important activities such as time with family, friends, work, or recreation.
5) I feel agitation and anxiety when I cut down on certain foods, even certain drinks from my diet plan.
6)My behavior with respect to food and eating causes me significant distress.
7) Issues related to food and eating decrease my ability to function effectively (daily routine, job/ school, social or family activities, health The statements below have Yes or No answers only.
8) I kept consuming the same types or amounts of food even though I know that I shouldn't.
9) Eating the same amount of food does not make me feel better the way it used to. Luckily, we also possess the remarkable ability not only to recognize the food addiction mechanism, but also to help you get rid of it.

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Steps to a Successful Oatmeal Diet

The oatmeal diet is one of the hottest options for everyone who is trying to lose some weight. It is easy to follow and effective. This diet follows a simple and very effective principle that guarantees gradual and sustained weight loss. Are you planning to start the oatmeal diet? Here is everything that you need to know about the steps involved. The guide can help you begin and fulfil successfully all of the diet's stages.

1. Step One of the Oatmeal Diet
Several kinds of oatmeal diets are available for people who are looking forward to weight loss. Most of them follow the same basic principles and the differences are minimal. The first stage of the diet involves a week of pure oatmeal enjoyment. Start off by having three meals per day. Each one should consist of half a cup of oatmeal. You can add skimmed milk to it to make the oatmeal better tasting. This stage of the oatmeal diet process is all about bringing down the calorie count. The amount of calories should stay in the 900 to 1200 calories daily range for a successful start of the first dieting stage. It is also important to use solely whole oatmeal. Processed and instant oatmeal is to be avoided.

2. Step Two of the Oatmeal Diet
Once you manage to pass through that first stage, you can slowly start diversifying the food included in the oatmeal meal. The next step continues for 30 days. Add half a cup of oatmeal to your three main courses. You are now free to begin introducing other kinds of foods. Now you can start eating instant oatmeal but make sure that the sugar content in it is relatively low.

Though you are given the freedom to have more kinds of foods now, you should try to keep the daily calorie count to 1000 to 1300 calories. In this stage, the oatmeal program sustains the results and promotes some more weight loss. The fibre in oatmeal prevents the absorption of fat by the digestive system, thus giving the body a chance to get rid of the few extra pounds.

3. Can You Have Snacks?
As part of the second stage of the oatmeal diet you can begin introducing snacks in between the three main courses. These snacks need to be healthy and low in calories, as well. Eat some fresh fruit between the breakfast and the lunch. An organic option is always a better one, especially when your body is on a nutritional regime.

Between the lunch and dinner, you may consider eating half a cup of a favourite row vegetable. Some of the vegetables acceptable under the oatmeal diet include celery, carrots, peppers, cucumber. Avoid the vegetables and the fruits that contain large amounts of starch. Potato is one such example.

4. Workout and End of the Oatmeal Diet
To maximize the results of the oatmeal meal you may consider a new workout plan. Exercises will help you tone that body and feel better about yourself. Start exercising in the days that follow the first restrictive week of the oatmeal diet. A 30 minute workout three times per day will be sufficient. Remember to drink large amounts of water. Your body will need at least two litres per day.

After the 30 days of the oatmeal program are over, you can gradually begin returning to your normal eating habits. The best way to go is to replace some unhealthy options with better alternatives. Instead of fatty meats go for chicken or turkey. Your cookies or chips snacks should give way to fresh fruits and nuts. Going for some healthy options is essential for you to sustain the results of the oatmeal meal.

The oatmeal diet is easy, simple and effective. There is nothing more you need in order to lose that excess weight forever. In addition, the oatmeal diet involves rather inexpensive foods and it will go easy on your budget.

Kate Trillin is a freelance writer who specializes in proper nutrition, oatmeal diet [http://blog.healthadventurer.com/healthy-lifestyle/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-oatmeal-diet/], and healthy living. She has been an avid health enthusiast for the past 5 years, and has recently ventured into the world of online publishing in an effort to reach a wider audience. Her writing focuses on providing tips and useful information on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. If you want to learn more about this topic, you can download a free eBook [http://betteryou.healthadventurer.com/] now!

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Top Motivation to Lose Weight - Setting Goals for Yourself

Motivation is something which pushes you forward to reach your goals. And there is no better motivation to lose weight than setting goals for yourself. You need to set goals and targets which you need and plan to achieve in a given time span.

It is these goals which sort of create some mental contract with you and in turn pushes you ahead to complete the contract. How successfully you reach your goal depends on what type of goals you set for yourself.

If you set too difficult goals to achieve, it only affects your success as you cannot easily reach it as your subconscious mind does not know how to distinguish between big or little. It only recognizes success and failure.

Set realistic goals
So if you set a weight loss goal of exercising four times a week but only manage to do it thrice, your mind considers this as a failure. To avoid this, set only realistic and easily reachable goals. So whenever you reach a goal, the feeling of success it creates gives you more motivation to complete your other goals to lose weight.

First write down all your goals so that you can keep a tab on your goals every now and then to see your progress. Set easy goals so that you feel a sense of accomplishment as you reach each goal. For example, set measurable goals like losing a pound each week as it gives you something easier and reachable to work for.

You feel a sense of accomplishment as you reach each goal and this gives you even more motivation to lose weight. It is important that you don't set goals that are too much to achieve in too short a time span. It not only makes it difficult for you to lose weight, but also creates stress which does not favor weight loss.

Inform friends and family for support
Telling your friends and family gives you motivational support. They will keep reminding you about your goals, and you thus there is a lesser chance of your diverting from the goals. Similarly, you need to make it a habit to think positively and start replacing thoughts like 'I can't' with words like 'I will' and 'I can'.

Instead of setting similar goals all the time, it's better if you set new and challenging goals. This helps prevent you falling into a normal routine which can become a bore and more like a chore. You can perhaps change your exercise routine like going for a walk twice a week, aerobics twice a week and perhaps swimming another day or two. You thus don't bored with your exercise, and in fact, look forward to it.

So you can see, losing weight involves more than calories and workouts. It is all about how you set your mind frame to keep pushing you ahead to reach your weight loss goals. It's only with the right motivation to lose weight can you actually lose weight.

99NutritionTips is authority when it comes to Nutrition and Health Tips. Visit us to learn more about Nutrition and Health Tips. By visiting us, you will get a Free Report on How to Flatten Your Stomach

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How To Deal With Your Belly Fat

Losing weight is extremely disappointing if you don't get your targeted waistline, much more if the excess fats that you are trying to get rid of are found around your belly.

Experts say belly fat is the most difficult to lose. You will know how "bad" is your belly fat by measuring your waist using an ordinary tape measure. You have abdominal obesity if your waist measures above 40 inches (for men) and 35 inches (for women).

But even if belly fat is difficult to lose, you can completely get rid of it by following these simple tips.
Cut carbohydrates. It is common knowledge that carbs can contribute to weight gain so you have to completely shy away from these. This is the most effective way to lose fat.

Based on studies, those who don't eat carbohydrate-rich food will experience a decline in appetite, which will result to weight loss. Low carb diets will significantly reduce belly fat, according to researches.
 
Among the foods that contain high amounts of carbohydrates are pasta and white bread.
Cut on refined sugar. Fructose, the substance found in sugar, is metabolized by the liver. However, when you take in a lot of sugar, the liver will be unable to metabolize all of it so it is forced to turn it into fat and is stored in the belly. Among those that contain high amount of sugar are 3-in-1 coffee and tea, fruit juices, sports drinks and even carbonated softdrinks. To still enjoy sweetened food, eat fruits instead because these are more healthy.

Eat fiber-rich foods. Numerous studies show that dietary fiber, especially viscous fibers that are indigestible, helps people lose weight. Viscous fibers are those that bind water and form a thick gel. The gel, which will then sit in the intestinal gut, works to slow down the movement of food resulting to slow digestion and absorption. When this happens, you will feel full longer and your appetite will reduce. Viscous fibers are found in most fruits and vegetables such as legumes.

Eat protein-rich foods. Studies show that protein helps reduce cravings for food by as much as 60 percent. This macronutrient also helps boost your metabolism, allowing you to burn between 80 to 100 calories per day.

Protein, particularly if sourced from animals, has been found to reduce your chances of gaining belly fat. So if you don't know how to lose belly fat, just eat unprocessed meat, poultry, eggs, seafood and fish because these are the best sources of protein.

Exercise regularly. Even if you cut down on carbs and sugar and eat more protein- and fiber-rich food, you still need to exercise because it will greatly help you gain a healthy body all over. Based on studies, aerobic exercises have been found to help reduce belly fat. Aerobic exercises include walking, swimming and running.

The same studies also show that aerobic exercises help you maintain your weight while preventing you from gaining back the lost abdominal fat.

Now you know how to lose belly fat fast and easy with these simple but effective tips.

Joel Escol is a professional writer based in the Philippines. He is currently writing web contents about Losing belly fat fast

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