Staring at the donut for the longest time, you are still not able to contemplate where it should go; back in the fridge or in your stomach? And after a long debate with yourself, you just sighed and placed it back in the fridge. Isn’t this the battle we fight almost every day? For us, it is not about gaining weight, but the most visible spots where the weight starts showing instantly.
In today’s era, we are thankfully very much aware of the health hazards of too much sugar and too little exercise, in short, the dangers of gaining unhealthy weight. But what may get frustrating is the way our body gains and then sheds off this excessive bulk. The process is never steady or in a flow so that we can map out a certain plan to lose some extra pounds.
A lot of factors allow the fat to only be stored in the upper body.
A most common reason for upper body weight gain is water retention. When you are not taking enough water to replace the lost volume, your body tends to hold on to every single drop it has left. That leads to puffiness around your face and neck, bloating of the abdomen, and heaviness in the limbs. This might be a result of dehydration. Other reasons could be sitting in a sedentary position for a long time, kidney function failure due to any disease, too much sodium intake, electrolyte deficiency, or any medication such as analgesic or antihypertensive that retains water.
Every physiological activity has a connection with hormones. They do not play a role in weight gain only but also have a tendency to decide where the body fat is stored. Chemicals like leptin, motilin, cytokinin, estrogen, glucagon-like peptide, and insulin all hold control over fat storage in our bodies.
Cortisol, which is released by the adrenal gland and is a stress hormone, redistributes the fat to the abdomen and brings a spike in your appetite, especially for sugary food.
Stress leads to binge eating, especially junk food. Shedding this fat through exercise is mandatory otherwise it gets stored in the arms and breasts region.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that may affect your heart like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It causes fat to be packed in your waist and elevates visceral adipose tissues that are increased cholesterol in the abdomen region.
Your genes also dictate the kind of body shape you have or the spots where fat will be accumulated. If genetically, you are built to have deposition in the upper body then it’s going to be difficult to shed that fat through diet or exercise as well.
Different approaches are followed to lose weight from different fat zones.
If you can’t walk to the gym, just run around your block for 20-30 minutes, thrice a week. It is high-impact cardio that does wonders to your health and body.
If your feet don’t allow you to run around for a long time then go cycling. But increase the time to 30-45 minutes, again thrice a week. You can also opt for stationary cycle equipment for this purpose. Increasing resistance to the cycle will have more impact on your body. Swimming again is a great activity for burning fat. And if your body cannot bear such endurances, you may simply walk or use the treadmill for 30-45 minutes, thrice a week.
Apart from cardio, exercises like incline push-ups, dumbbell back press, dumbbell row, upright row, triceps extension, chin-ups, etc, aid in workout out your pectoral muscles or triceps and sculpting your back but you require a professional to guide you through these.
Changing what and when you eat has a prominent impact on your health. Take a well-balanced diet having lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and avoid snacking after dinner as your body may not get the chance to even digest it properly. Avoid carbonated drinks and sugary food. More sugar consumption, higher the insulin; and increased insulin lead to a buildup of fat.
A few modifications in your lifestyle may bring positivity in your life to a larger magnitude than expected. Burning fat is not just a cosmetic requirement, but a medical one as well. Your body screams for help when there is too much fat accumulation and shows symptoms that may prove to be life-threatening as well. So take your health into your control and burn the extra calories before it burns down your dreams of a healthy and happy life