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The Pinecone
|
July 2015
This Belly?
What Can I Do About
I get that question more often than
any other in the Oasis. Not how can I
improve my health? Or what is the best
exercise to strengthen my body?
Belly fat comes in two places: There’s the
stuff right under your skin that you can
pinch (ugh), called subcutaneous fat.
But that’s actually the less harmful kind.
It’s visceral fat that poses a real threat
to your health.
It plumps your
middle
from
the inside out,
surrounding
organs such
as
your
liver, lungs,
and heart—
and
putting
you at greater
risk for heart
disease, diabetes,
and
some
cancers,
says
Kristen
Gill
Hairston, M.D., an
endocrinologist at
Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Center in
Winston-Salem, NC.
Visceral fat gets worse for all of us as
we get older, especially if we’re under
a lot of stress or not sleeping well, says
nutritionist Sara Vance, author of The
Perfect Metabolism Plan. That’s thanks
to hormones that make us hungrier
even as our bodies are practically
hoarding fat.
Exercise:
Lack of exercise adds to the
belly fat problem. Sit-ups may build and
strengthen your abdominal muscles,
but the real winner is….. Walking. At
EXERCISE SCHEDULE
FOR THE OASIS
Advanced Water Aerobics
Monday & Wednesday
8:30 am-9:30 am
Exercise in the PAC
Monday, Wednesday & Friday
9:30 am
Tai Chi
Monday
2:00 pm
Men’s Only Water Aerobics
Tuesday & Thursday
8:30 am - 9:15 am
Arthritis Foundation
Water Aerobics
Tuesday & Thursday
9:30 am - 10:15 am
Arthritis Foundation
Sit/Stand Class
Tuesday & Thursday
11:00 am - 11:45 am
Walk With Ease
Monday & Wednesday
10:30 am - 11:30 am
11 miles a week, it made no difference
whether people in the study walked
or jogged, “It’s not the intensity of the
exercise that matters,” Cris Slentz,
Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at Duke
University Medical Center in Durham,
NC says. “It’s the amount.” And you
can break it up into 10 or 15 minute
increments. Start slow and easy and then
work your way up to 15 miles a week
over six weeks or more to reduce belly
fat. Another simple exercise to flatten
your tummy is Core Compressions: Sit
tall in a chair with your feet hip-width
apart and your belly flattened toward
your spine. Place one hand on your
upper abs and the other on your lower.
Take a deep breath in, then exhale
forcefully to draw your abdominal
muscles in even tighter, keeping your
back straight and still. Continue for five
minutes, focusing on slow, complete
tightening of the muscles. Do two sets.
Diet:
It’s low-carb, but don’t let that
put you off. “Too many carbohydrates
spike your blood sugar,” Vance says.
Your body converts that glucose
into energy or stores it as fat. “When
you take those carbs away, it has to
get energy somewhere, so it starts
burning fat.” The good carbs: Instead
of simple carbohydrates (like baked
goods or chips), reach for complex
carbs. Generally, vegetables are the
lowest in grams, followed by beans and
legumes, fruits, and whole grains. Stick
to 30 grams or fewer at a sitting to avoid
spiking your blood sugar.
Patience:
Be patient with yourself.
That extra tummy fluff didn’t happen
overnight and it will take more than a
week to go away. As you improve your
walking stamina and develop healthier
eating habits: Pounds and inches will
fall away and strength, balance, stamina
and energy levels will improve.
Reference: Redbook, February 2015