Once you hit 40 it is quite normal to think that you will never have a flat tummy again. If you’ve already had children, there are chances that you never lost the weight that you gained during your pregnancy. It could also be all the time that you spend either working in your office or doing work around the house leaves you precious little time and energy to dedicate to a regular exercise routine.
Even if you are exercising every day you might not be seeing a change like you would have if you were ten years younger. As we grow older, our metabolism slows down. Keep reading to find out about the five things that make it difficult to lose belly fat and how you can deal with them:
1. You use artificial sweeteners in your beverages
While these products are marketed as lite or fat free, they don’t actually have the effect you think they’ll have. Unless you are diabetic, these sweeteners will only increase the urges you get to have sweet dishes. Some serious health issues have also been raised in various studies. Go for natural sweeteners like fruits and honey if you want to eat something sweet.
2. You’re working out too much
When you are taking the time and effort to exercise regularly, it can get very frustrating and demotivating when you aren’t seeing the results you are aiming for. However working out too hard isn’t the solution. When you do that and you diet as well, the level of cortisol in your body shoots up and this hormone is directly connected to tummy flab. Choose exercises that require working out various muscles at the same time and don’t overdo it.
3. You keep saying that you have too much work
If the abovementioned points don’t apply to you, you need to check this. Just because you have a lot of work doesn’t mean you should completely skip activities that will keep you healthy and fit. Even if you just spend a couple hours walking fast every week or an hour and a half jogging your body will feel better. Try to find time in between work to just go out for a walk, take the stairs more often, etc.
4. You’re eating your meals wrong
Most of us make the mistake of skipping breakfast because we’re all rushing off to school or work in the morning. But it is much healthier to have a heavy breakfast and a light dinner. This gives your body time to burn off all your breakfast calories and you can have a more protein heavy dinner.
5. Pay attention to fiber
This applies especially to women. We should be eating 25 grams of fiber every day at the very least. It will control the way your body uses sugar and will ensure that you don’t feel hungry too soon. You will feel satisfied and energetic all day. Don’t eat too much in one go because that will leave you feeling bloated.
