3 habits that may cause belly fat
WHAT if we told you that you can lose that belly fat in your sleep? It’s true. Your bad habit of staying up late to binge watch TV shows is showing on you in the daytime, and it’s one of the things that is preventing you from achieving your body goals. Researchers have proven that your sleep-deprived brain is more likely to want you to bulk up on high-carb and fatty snacks. And all this reserve energy, for many of us, goes straight to the midsection.
But staying up late is not the only bad habit that is adding inches to your waistline. There are several other things you might find yourself doing routinely, even unconsciously, that contribute to a hard-to-shed pouch. Dropping these habits right now might just be what you need to finally see those long-lost abs peeking through the flab again.
Eating late at night or while distracted
In addition to the risk of weight gain from making poor food choices on a sleep-deprived brain, here’s another reason to go to bed at night: your body will not completely digest the food you eat late at night. Studies show that the body is more likely to store those after-dark calories as fat rather than burn them as energy, causing you to gain weight. Eating while distracted is another recipe for gaining weight fast. By paying attention to what you are putting into your mouth, you are more likely to make healthier food choices.
Drinking soda (even diet)
C’mon, you know deep down that the word ‘diet’ doesn’t belong near soda. While ‘diet’ or ‘zero sugar’ carbonated beverages contain less added sugar than regular soda, they still contain sweeteners, which have shown to contribute especially to abdominal obesity.
Bad posture
Sometimes it’s not so much excess fat that’s in your abdominal region, but instead it’s a lack of support that’s causing it to all hang loose. Your abdominal muscles (the ones you call forth when it’s time to take a picture) have a big role to play in managing your waistline, but they get relaxed overtime due to constant poor posture. Practising sitting and standing upright keeps them tight and in form, and even better, makes your midsection appear smaller.
