The middle-age spread certainly does or can occur, however, we all have the power (if not the will) to stop it from happening. If you’re worried that it has or will affect you, the following lifestyle tips will prove helpful indeed.
Keep Your Portion Sizes In Check
One way to ensure that you do not go overboard with your portion size is to use a smaller plate, and make a conscious decision prior to eating not to have a second helping.
To help you with your portion control, a meat portion should be no bigger than the size of your palm. If you are eating carbs, vegetables and fruits, each meal size should be no bigger than the size of your fist.
Are you now looking at your fist and thinking your current meal sizes are twice, or three times that? If so, you may be surprised to learn that your body really only needs to eat that much food, unless of course you are an athlete in training.
Rethink Your Daily Diet
Your daily diet should consist of healthy fats, complex carbs, high-fiber foods and proteins.
Studies have shown that those who include these types of foods in their daily meals, and avoid unhealthy, refined carbs and sugars, were found to have a lower waist circumference. This is because a diet with these types of healthy foods leads to better insulin sensitivity, higher basal metabolic rate, no hunger pangs, and a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time.
Reduce Stress and Reduce Your Waistline
The stress hormone, cortisol, is one reason why fat accumulates around the waist. Cortisol helps provide an individual with enough readily-available energy to deal with stressful situations. However, the problem here is its unwanted side effect. It also triggers storage of fat.
So, if a person is constantly exposed to stressful situations, their body will keep on producing these stress hormones. If the available glucose produced isn’t used up by the body, it accumulates around the waist as fat.
Unfortunately the brain cannot distinguish any stress problem from being either a real ‘life-threatening’ threat, or simply the daily stress of life. So, whatever stressful situation you may experience every day, your body will continue to produce cortisol resulting in fat accumulation around the midriff.
This is why it’s important to de-stress to prevent any stress from causing your body any harm. Stress is also one of the biggest causative factors in many diagnosed diseases.
Stay Active
Mature individuals who indulge in regular moderate exercise have been able to minimize their abdominal fat and therefore, not even develop a middle-age spread. Another bonus is that the exercise also reduces their risk of diabetes and heart disease.
You may also try interval training where you alternate slow walking with fast walking. Start walking slowly first the first couple of minutes, then speed up for the next couple. Repeat this for as long as you can! Do this most days of the week and you will find yourself gradually losing a significant amount of abdominal fat.
Get Quality Sleep Every Night
Sleep deprived individuals are more likely to snack on junk foods, crave sugary foods and drink fizzy beverages to get a quick boost. Unfortunately, these poor food choices become evident in an increasing waistline and weight gain.
Avoid Sitting All Day Long
When you sit too much, your body’s production of lipoprotein lipase will decrease. This enzyme is responsible for burning fat. It also plays a role in increasing bone mineral density.
If you are the type of person who sits all day, it’s time to embrace every opportunity to get up and get moving. The time to start is now. Boost your metabolism, improve your lifestyle habits and beat that middle-age spread!
