When you exercise regularly and eat balanced meals, it can be very frustrating to find that your results don’t match your expectations. Small pockets of fat along the belly just above the pubic bone are very common, but aren’t ideal if you’re aiming for a summer beach body. The truth is that there are a number of ways that you can tweak your current habits to improve the way your body burns calories and stores fat to reduce those small bulges.
Why Do I Have Belly Fat Even Though I Exercise?
You may wonder, why do I have belly fat even though I exercise. The solutions are below. At your center for cosmetic surgery Beverly Hills, we are here to help you achieve your ideal body. We focus on providing the best liposuction Beverly Hills has available.
Refocus on Strength Training
It’s a common misconception that people who are looking to lose weight should focus exclusively on cardio. It is true that cardio is an excellent way to burn calories, and you should definitely have a few 10-30 minute sessions throughout the week. However, you should know that over-emphasizing cardio can cause your body to burn through muscle as well as fat, and you need that muscle to keep your resting metabolic rate up.
Your resting metabolic rate is essentially the number of calories your body needs to function while you’re sedentary. Muscle is “more metabolically active than fat,” so strength training actively increases the number of calories that you burn even when you aren’t working out. Therefore, strength training is a great way to burn off those little pockets of excess fat without giving up muscle mass and its advantages.
Watch Your Hydration
Dehydration can make it much harder to lose weight. We often mistake dehydration for hunger and tend to overeat as a result. Water also helps to break down fat and proper hydration will increase your metabolic rate. By sipping on cool water throughout the day, you’ll be providing your body with all of the tools it needs to tackle fat and keep your systems running efficiently.
Take Time to Relax
If you’re feeling stressed, it can be practically impossible to lose weight. There are too many coping mechanisms that we use, which actively contradict all of our efforts to stay healthy. If that wasn’t bad enough, scientific evidence suggests that high levels of the stress hormone cortisol may be related to a lower metabolic rate. As a result, high-stress levels can present a real problem for anyone looking to lose that last little bit of belly fat.
Fortunately, there are many ways that you may choose to address your stress levels. By taking even ten minutes a day to perform an activity that you find relaxing, you’re giving your body the break it needs. Yoga, meditation, and working with your hands on projects you enjoy are great suggestions, but there’s no limit to the things you can do to relax.
Check with Your Doctor
Hormones play a major role in how our body retains fat and distributes weight. If you’re noticing unexplained weight gain despite maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine, then you should talk to your doctor. Hormonal imbalances are quite common, especially for women approaching menopause. If it turns out that your hormones are a little unbalanced, then your doctor will be able to prescribe a treatment to get you back to feeling like yourself.
When that Stubborn Fat Just Won’t Go Away
Maybe you’ve tried everything and your body just wants to keep that little pocket of belly fat for a rainy day. Then you can always speak with a board-certified plastic surgeon about liposuction. Liposuction is a relatively easy procedure. It allows your plastic surgeon to remove excess fat and contour your body to fit your goals. So if you’re frustrated with stubborn belly fat, perhaps it’s time to find out what liposuction can do for you.
