Run Away Belly Fat

As we age, the body naturally shifts fat from our hips, thighs and arms to the abdomen.  This fact, along with a decreasing metabolism makes it more and more difficult to maintain a desired waistline as the years go by.  Deep abdominal fat, known as visceral fat, is extremely hard to get rid of.  Serving as a protective layer for the kidneys and intestines, some visceral fat is desirable.  Unfortunately, however, individuals with too much visceral fat are at risk for a host of diseases including type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and strokes.

What is the easiest way to win this battle of the bulge?  I say run!  Crunches and sit ups will help, but if you're serious about losing belly fat, aerobic exercise is the answer.  Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have shown that aerobic exercise is more effective at burning visceral fat than weight training.

“Resistance training is great for improving strength and increasing lean body mass. But if you are overweight, which two-thirds of the population is, and you want to lose belly fat, aerobic exercise is the better choice because it burns more calories.” – Dr. Cris Slentz, Duke University Medical Center, 2011.

Animals in the wild have very low quantities of visceral fat.  Even if food is plentiful, for animals living in the wilderness, survival involves running away from predators on a regular basis, which keeps their levels of visceral fat low.  Fortunately, we no longer have to run away from predators.  However, due to our sedentary lifestyle and an abundance of food, we face unseen enemies in the form of heart disease.  Might as well run as far away from these as you can.

According to Jeff Galloway (Olympic athlete for 10K in 1972), you need to run at least 45 minutes at a comfortable pace before you'll burn any belly fat.  You're in luck--tomorrow, 50 minutes is on the schedule.  Say goodby to those fat cells!

LACE UP and beat the bulge!