What Is Beer Belly And How To Get Rid Of It
When you think about that beer belly, well, it’s kinda self-explanatory what it means. Too much beer can leave you with a belly that drops over your belt.
It doesn’t really need much explaining on how you get stuck with a beer belly. When you are drinking beer, you are consuming a quiet calorific drink that you are usually accompanied by lots of snacks.
So, we can say that the mystery of the beer belly is solved, right?!
But, when you think about it, not all beer drinkers end up with that balloon-like belly. So this means that there are a few factors that can determine that so-called beer belly.
Why Do We Get A Beer Belly?
Your age and your gender, apparently, have a significant influence on developing a beer belly.
Over the age of 35, the metabolism of most men is starting to slow down. This can lead to weight gained more easily. And while women usually store fat on their hips and back, men tend to put on weight and store fat on their belly.
Yes, men who are over 35 may end up having that beer belly more easily. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to have one too. There are a few ways in which beer may cause all of us to gain weight.
Beer contains high amounts of alcohol and carbs but is low in all other nutrients. The calorie content of a beer depends on how strong it is. The more alcohol beer contains, the more calories it will contain.
The Main Reasons Why Beer Can Cause Belly Fat
These are the main reasons that will cause weight gain when consuming too much beer:
1. Beer Increases Your Calorie Intake
When you drink a beer, you consume as many calories as by drinking a soda. That’s not too bad. But you won’t stop at a single beer, right?
A regular beer has 150 calories, and if you drink several beers in one sitting, you can easily and up consuming calories in excess.
Usually, when you are drinking beer at a bar or at a party, the food is often fatty and high in calories. So you end up eating fried foods, wings, and pizza.
Studies show that drinking alcohol can increase your appetite, so you end up eating more than you otherwise would.
What is worst, people don’t compensate for the calories they consume from alcohol by eating less instead. This only means that if you consume beer regularly you will contribute with a significant amount of calories to your diet.
2. Beer Can Prevent Fat Burning
Alcohol consumption can prevent your body from burning fat. This happens because your body makes it a priority to breakdown the alcohol over other sources of fuel and this includes stored fat too.
Studies show that if you are consuming too much beer, you can end up with higher body fat. But if you are a regular drinker and consume beer in moderation, 500ml per day, it doesn’t seem to lead to increased weight or belly fat.
You have to keep in mind that if you end up consuming more you can easily gain weight over time.
The risk of gaining weight is higher in people who are already overweight in comparison to normal people who drink beer.
You have to keep in mind that the more you drink, the more likely is for your belly to gain volume. So keep your beer consumption to a moderate level and this way you will avoid excess weight gain.
Your beer belly is not just something that will make you feel less attractive in that swimsuit. Having belly fat is linked to numerous health problems like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
So the best thing for you to do is to get rid of that beer belly. You’ll look and feel better!
How To Get Rid Of Beer Belly?
To effectively get rid of that belly you need to cut down calories and be more active.
So you must cut back on sugary drinks, processed meats, and refined grain products. Switch to a diet that is based on unprocessed, whole foods and cut back on the added sugar.
Of course, exercise in a very effective way if you are trying to lose belly fat.
On top of the weight loss benefits, physical exercises have lots of other health benefits. Doing your exercises will increase your energy levels, it is good for your muscles and bones, and it makes you happier.
Here are a few exercises that will help you get rid of your belly pooch and lose that beer belly forever:
1. Jumping Jacks
This is the exercise that will use almost all your lower and upper body muscles. It is an effective calorie burning move that will get your heart rate up so you will sweat away that beer belly.
This is how you do the jumping jack:
- Start in a standing position with your arms at your sides and your legs together.
- Slightly bend your knees and jump into the air.
- As you do the jump, stretch your arms over your head and spread your legs shoulder-width apart.
- Jump back to your starting position then repeat.
For great results, try to do your jumping jacks for one minute straight. To put your body to a sweat test, you can even try and do four sets of five minutes or ten, with 2 to 3 minutes of rest between the sets.
2. Squat Thrusts
This exercise will accelerate your heart rate quickly and burn lots of calories while strengthening your core and lower body muscles.
This is how you do the squat thrust:
- Stand with your arms by your side and your legs shoulder-width apart.
- Get into a squat position and put your hands on the floor.
- Step or kick your legs back into a plank position.
- Step or jump your legs forward so you return to the squat position.
- Now stand to complete one rep of this move, then repeat.
To make this exercise as effective as possible, do five to seven sets of 12 reps. You should take no more than one minute of rest in between each set.
3. Mountain Climbers
This workout is a whole body movement that engages almost every muscle group in your body. And the more muscles your exercise work, the more calories you burn.
This is how you do the mountain climber:
- Start in a push-up position with your legs extended and arms straight under your shoulders.
- Bend one knee and pull it into your chest area until your foot is under your hip.
- Straighten your leg back while bringing the other knee to your chest.
- Speed up your leg movement until they become like a jump.
This exercise is relatively simple but it’s hard to do it for a long time. You should try to last for 15-20 seconds at first, and then build up your sets to one minute long.
As you can see, you won’t get rid of beer belly with crunches. That’s not how weight loss works.
You can’t spot reduce fat, so you have to engage your entire body in order to activate the biggest muscles in your body. These muscles will burn fat and reduce your beer belly in time.
Be patient; since you didn’t get that bloated belly in a week, you can’t get rid of it that fast.
Make sure you’re following the advice in this article, exercise daily, and watch what you eat, and you’ll get rid of the beer belly, guaranteed.