Avoid traffic noise, be focused, to lose belly fat, say researchers

Bhubaneswar: Ever realised, even after exercising, keeping a tab on diet and sleeping well, you never lose the pooch? Here are some revelations found to trigger the bulge in the wrong place.

Research has also found that lack of focus in thought on the present could give you more belly fat. The scientists feel, people who are conscious and mindful and care for what they eat and how much, have a probability of losing more. Try meditating, practicing yoga, or engaging in endurance exercise, such as going for a long run or bike ride, which encourages you to constantly monitor your pace.

According to findings in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, regular exposure to traffic noise makes you 29 percent more likely to have a bigger waistline.   Avoid it by listening to music which can keep you out of the traffic noise.

If you thought diet drinks help you, you are mistaken. That might add to a more ab fat. Why not get habituated to flavoured calorie and sugar free seltzers or go for the age old tea or coffee minus sugar.

Lack of calcium in diet, particularly in women, shows in a bulging waistline. Dairy, which is rich in calcium, can help flatten your belly, a study published recently found. Foods loaded with calcium better suppress a type of hormone that promotes fat storage, researchers speculate. Aim to eat three servings a day of high-calcium foods like milk, yoghurt, cheese, broccoli, kale, and tofu.

The time consumed in commuting to your workplace could also contribute to your increasing waistline.  Since a long trip consumes more time, it leaves less time to work out. Changing the job is not an option, so why not schedule some walking or biking  time into your commuting time.

Sleep deprivation also increases cortisol levels that leads to belly fat. Studies have found that people who don't sleep sound have more fat. If you wake up and immediately start panicking about falling back asleep, that can raise cortisol levels. Even if you don’t get time to sleep seven to eight consecutive hours of sleep, try sleeping in blocks of three or four hours.

Here’s a piece of warning for those who watch television for three to four hours a day. These hours contribute to a wide waistline. More importantly, if you watch cookery shows, you gain more weight!