Why losing belly fat after 40 is difficult? How to overcome the issue

New Delhi : Belly fat is one of the toughest areas to lose kilos and it becomes tougher after the age of 40. Today we will discuss why it becomes a difficult task after a certain age and how can we overcome it?

The major reason why it becomes difficult is the muscle mass; as we grow older our body loses muscle mass, which slows down our metabolism and we begin to burn fewer calories. With this it becomes difficult to shed kilos.

Another reason is the hormonal changes. Both weight gain and weight loss are driven by our hormones. Women generally store more subcutaneous (soft) fat in the abdominal and thigh area and men store more visceral (hard) fat in the abdominal area. This starts happening when they hit puberty and remains the same till they reach 40. After this age, hormonal changes take place in both men and women. Women go through perimenopause and menopause and the fat storage tendencies shift. They gain more hard abdominal fat due to lower testosterone and estrogen levels and men gain more soft fat.

It is important to lose belly fat than losing fat from any other part of the body as the visceral fat that remains deep inside the abdomen is harmful to health in many ways. It is linked with an increased risk of breathing problems, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Now, the important question remains how one can reduce the belly fat even after the age of 40?

Well, the answers are simple. Reduce stress. Stress is the major contributor to weight gain. So, managing your stress level is the most effective thing you can do to shed some kilos. Try yoga and meditation for that.

Change your exercise pattern. Shifting to compound exercises is a way to help boost your metabolism.

Diet change. You need to take extra care of your dietary habits when trying to lose weight at an older age. Include a plant-based source of protein in your diet. Avoid processed and refined food items.