While it is ideal to be within your “healthy”
weight range, this doesn’t always guarantee perfect health.
It is a common misconception that the only people who are
unhealthy are those who are overweight or underweight.
And while yes, it is true that being overweight or
underweight can lead to serious health concerns, these are not the only 2
categories that can be subjected to health concerns.
People who are in the “healthy” range on the scales are
often very unhealthy without even knowing it.
So what does this come down to?
Fat.
I bet you’re saying, but I don’t look fat, so how could I
possibly have any fat affecting my health?
Something that many people don’t know is that there are 2
types of fat that get stored in our bodies.
Subcutaneous fat and Visceral fat.
Subcutaneous fat is the common fat that we all know, which
makes us overweight. This type of fat is stored between the skin and muscle
tissue, making it noticeable when someone is carrying excess amounts of this
fat as it jiggles, has dimples and caused cellulite.
Of course, this type of fat should be kept within reasonable
levels to avoid health concerns. However, of the 2 fats types this is the more
desirable physiologically, even though it is unsightly for those who are
concerned about their appearance.
The real danger is a type of fat that comes
from eating a highly processed, refined diet and a lack of physical exercise.
Visceral fat is found deeper within the body under your
abdominal muscles and surrounding vital organs such as the liver, kidneys,
pancreas and intestines.
This visceral fat can cause inflammation around these vital
organs and can lead to major health concerns including:
·
Heart Disease
·
Type 2 Diabetes
·
High Blood Pressure
·
Stroke
·
High Cholesterol
·
Coronary Heart Disease
·
Certain Cancers
·
Metabolic Syndrome
·
And many more
So, what causes visceral fat?
Genetics do play a small role in the amount of visceral fat
someone carries, although, the primary factor here is poor nutrition and lack
of exercise.
Foods high in trans-fat would probably be the largest
contributor to this, so things like, fried fast foods, burgers, hot dogs,
bakery items (pies, sausage rolls etc.), potato chips, packaged foods,
margarines.
Excessive amounts of fructose, so items such as, soft
drinks, energy drinks, table sugar, high fructose corn syrup. One exception to
this is natural fruit which does contain high levels of fructose, but due to
the high fibre and other nutrients found in fruit it diminishes the absorption
of fructose.
Another contributing factor to visceral fat accumulation is
your level of physical activity.
If you are consuming large amounts of calories
every day and are doing little to no physical activity, it is highly likely
that you are going to have high levels of visceral fat. If this is the case I would
recommend getting it checked out.
So now that you know what visceral fat is, and what causes
it, how do you go about reducing the amount you are carrying?
The method is basically the same as reducing subcutaneous
fat. Reduce your daily calories (although not to extreme levels), and more
importantly make wiser nutrition choices.
Consume plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and
lean proteins.
Keep any processed foods to an absolute minimum.
Along with improving your diet, regular exercise will also
help reduce levels of visceral fat, incorporate both cardio and resistance
training into your workouts.
Reducing stress levels and getting plenty of sleep each
night are important factors also, as high levels of stress and lack of sleep increase
cortisol in the body which can directly induce weight gain.
Hopefully this information will be useful to you and help
you make healthier choices.
If you feel you need some help with training or nutrition,
please get in contact with me, as I have a range of online training packages available
as well as a Black Book of Nutrition that I have written.
You can find me at:
Instagram: @danwhitehand_fitness
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