Exercise is best for visceral fat loss

[KobiN968861]

How Exercise Helps Burn Visceral Fat

As a clinical pharmacist, I spend my days helping people manage their health with medications — but one of the best prescriptions I can offer doesn't come in a bottle.

If you've been told you need to lose belly fat, here's what I want you to know: the deep fat around your organs, called visceral fat, is the kind that really matters for your health.

It's linked to heart disease, diabetes, and a whole host of metabolic issues. The great news is that regular movement — walking, swimming, biking, whatever you enjoy — is incredibly effective at shrinking it.

What I find most encouraging to share with my patients is that you don't even have to see a big change on the scale.

Research shows that exercise can reduce visceral fat by about 6% even when your weight stays roughly the same, because your body is trading that deep, harmful fat for healthier muscle.

So how much are we talking? About 30 minutes a day, five days a week, of something that gets your heart rate up a bit — a brisk walk absolutely counts.

Even just a few months of consistent activity has been shown to make a real difference.

And if you're up for it, mixing in some light resistance work — think resistance bands or small dumbbells — can supercharge the results.

One study found that combining cardio with resistance training cut visceral fat nearly twice as much as doing either one alone.

I tell my patients all the time: I love that you pick up your medications, but the best thing you can do for yourself today might just be picking up a pair of walking shoes instead.

Just my 2 cents...

[SereneSeagull]

Hi Doc…I see you’ve just joined yesterday, and based on your profile….  🔻
       
       Why does it sound like I feel a solicitation coming on?  Please tell me I’m wrong, because I’m getting mighty tired of these solicitations we’ve had here lately.  Lots of people trying to hawk stuff to the elderly.  

[KobiN968861]

Hi, Fair question! I would have the same question too! I decided to come on here because I see the huge information gap in my practice. Honestly, I'm tired of seeing the same health/medication issues come up over and over again - the faces change, but the issues are the same. Know what I mean? What are these issues?

Polypharmacy, dangerous drug-supplement interactions, unqualified people in the healthcare field (especially on YouTube and social media) making inappropriate recommendations outside their scope of practice, etc. I see the bad end of it - completely unnecessary hospitalizations or worse. 

In my community, I do presentations with local older adult groups about these same issues, and do a lot of teaching with our allied healthcare colleagues on the medication issues surrounding older adults. 

But, I am finding that is not enough. So, I figured this would be the ideal platform to try to do my little part.

I hope to help as much as possible. Any geriatric-related questions, please feel free to ask. Thanks!

P.S. One thing I want to make very clear - whatever I post here is only informational, NOT medical advice. Please..NEVER stop your meds or change your medical care without talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

[SereneSeagull]

Ah yeah, thought so.  

   Why not contact the powers that be with AARP to get their official permission before putting your shingle out first.  Your intention is exactly what I thought.  It’s soliciting dressed up in educational presentation.  So you thought it would be a free platform for you to give your spiel.  

     Maybe get permission from AARP to do live events hosted here.  But hey…Maybe that would cost you advertising $.

Yes, color me skeptical.  We see this a lot here.  Spammers, solicitors, elder care organizations piping into a conversation with the name of their facility as their username.  Just stop.  You’re not as creative as you think you are.