WWW.BALANCINGACT-IAMYOU.COM
  • Home
  • FREEBIES
  • About Lee
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Home
  • FREEBIES
  • About Lee
  • Contact
  • Blog
Picture

FREEBIE: Belly Flattening 4 Day Meal Plan - Click Here

Squishy & pinchable or firm & pressable? The kind you have can make a difference to your health.

10/7/2020

 
Picture
​
So this week I thought I'd focus on something that we all have...
FAT.

Good news though - Fat doesn't make you FAT!

In fact it is essential to our ongoing good health.

Not only does it help our body to absorb vitamins and minerals, it also produces and releases hormones that affect your organs. 

But now don't get all complacent about your body fat.

There are 2 different types of fat.
And where they are found is critical. 

Just like in real estate, it's a case of Location, Location, Location!

There is subcutaneous fat.
This is the fat that lies below your skin. It keeps you warm and cushions you from a fall or bump. It stores calories.
It is PINCHABLE.

The other type of fat is Visceral Fat.
It stores calories too.
It is found deep inside your abdominal cavity. It surrounds your organs. It is Firm to press.
It is not squishy and pinchable. 

When you have too much visceral fat it can increase your LDL cholesterol. That is the bad kind.

It can also increase your blood pressure.
Visceral fat makes your body less sensitive to insulin which can increase your chances of Type 2 diabetes.
Picture
How do you know if you have too much visceral fat?

It is all about apples and pears!
What does fruit have to do with it, you ask...

Well think of the shapes of these 2 fruits.

And apple is round and a pear is triangular.

They give you a picture of where fat is stored on your body.

Pears store weight on their hips, thighs and bum.
And it is subcutaneous fat.
It is surface level fat.

Apples on the other hand, store fat around their bellys. Hence the name Belly Fat.

To get a more specific confirmation of whether you could be an apple or pear, there are 2 measurements to take. 

The first is your waist measurement.
Feel where your hip bone is.

Feel the top of it and measure around from this point.
Take a couple of measurements
and Don't Hold Your Breath!
You want an accurate measurement!

It is best to have a waist circumference of less than 89cm (35in) if you are a woman.
If you are a man then your waist circumference should be less than 102cm (40in).

The second measurement is your hips.

Measure 20cm down from the top of your hips. That is the point at which to measure your hips.
Take the measurement with your feet together.

Now for a bit of maths!
​

Take your Waist Circumference and divide it by your Hip Circumference to get your waist to hip ratio.
WC/HC = WHR
e.g. 74cm/97cm = 0.77
Women should have a WHR of less than 0.8 and men should have a ratio of less than 1.
Picture
​Having a greater ratio of visceral fat is linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes and other chronic diseases like Alzheimers.

Belly fat also produces inflammatory molecules that go into your blooldstream.

​Continuous long term inflammation puts your body under severe stress. 
As a result we become one big hormonal imbalance.
And that is a topic for another day. 

So since you can't spot reduce fat around your tummy what can you do?

4 things.

1) Keep track  of your measurements. They are far more telling than the scale ever will be.
I have been tracking my measurement for 19 years, off and on!!

When you lose cm you're losing FAT.
If you're losing Fat then your risk of Type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle diseases are decreased. 

2) Sweat each day. 
Belly fat responds well to endurance exercise that raises your heart rate. Running, biking, swimming, rowing are going to help.

3) Choose to eat foods that are whole i.e. they aren't packaged and processed - vegetables, lean protein and healthy fats. 

4) Sleep - get 7 - 9 hours of sleep  per night. Your body needs time to repair itself. Lack of sleep affects your appetite.
​
And now I'd like to invite you to book a Free 20 minute strategy session so that we can work out some ways to help you move forward & start losing your belly fat.

Click the button below to book your session on my scheduler. It sounds fancy but it's not really!

Talk to Me about Your #1 Health Challenge

Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    Anti-aging
    Anti Bacterial
    Anti Viral
    Bloating
    Calcium
    Calories
    Chronic Inflammation
    Constipation
    Deficiency
    Detoxification
    Difficulty Losing Weight
    Digestive System
    Energy Production
    Exercise
    Fatigue
    Healthy Fats
    Healthy Options
    Hormones
    Immune Function
    Insulin Activity
    Metabolism
    Mindful
    Obesity
    Omega 3
    Overeating
    Planning
    Probiotics
    Processed Foods
    Recipe
    Salad
    Satisfying Foods
    Sleep
    Stress
    Super Foods
    Thyroid
    Trans-fats
    Type 2 Diabetes
    Vitamin C
    Vitamin D
    Water

    POPULAR POSTS
    1. 5 Numbers You Should Be Tracking
    2. Forget the Boogie Man, THIS is the Real Monster!​
    3. Sweet Potatoes
    4. What You Need to Know About MSG
    5. 4 Reason to Track What You Eat
    Looking For More Energy?
    Picture
    Don't know what vitamins to use?

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.