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Are You a Woman Over 40 with a Belly Growing Fat?

What happened? You had been a pear shape - carrying extra weight in your hips, thighs and butt all your life and suddenly you notice a weight gain around your mid-section.

Many women notice their belly growing fat after 40. As you age your fat distribution tends to shift. You get less fat deposited in the arms, legs, hips, and butt yet get more in the belly. This trend increases after menopause because hormonal changes take place that change the way fat is broken down and stored by the body.

Having your belly grow fat has more significance than merely being an undesired change in your appearance; it can also cause a significant increase in health risks such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

The body has two types of fat. Subcutaneous fat is found directly under the skin and is less likely to be a health risk then the other type of fat called visceral fat. Visceral fat is belly fat, it lies deeper inside and actually wraps itself around the internal organs of the abdomen. This latter type of fat is the dangerous kind and most responsible for your belly growing fat.

Belly fat is particularly unhealthy because it is "metabolically active". What this means is that it more freely releases fat into the blood stream and this increased blood fat can lead to higher cholesterol levels and artery disease. This type of fat does not just take up space; it actually produces hormones and other substances that can adversely affect your health. These hormones can promote the development of insulin resistance which is a precursor of Type 2 Diabetes or even produce estrogen in post-menopausal women, which can increase their risk of breast cancer.

The good news is that belly fat responds well to exercise and a reduced calorie diet. The key is to be consistent with your weight loss efforts. Exercises should combine aerobic exercise such as walking with strength training which has been shown through research to be highly effective in reducing belly fat. An effective way to schedule your exercise is to alternate you're aerobic and strength training exercises six days of the week with one day of rest.
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