So I saw this article and thought it had some really great information of why it's important to lose the belly fat! Read on....
The average American is carrying around about 30 billion fat cells. Abdominal fat bears the blame for many health problems because it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other organs--pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily function.
A Canadian study of more than 8,000 people found that over 13 years, the people with the weakest abdominal muscles had a death rate more than twice as high as those with the strongest midsections. Such research upholds the notion that flat stomachs do more than turn heads at the beach. In fact, your abdominal muscles control more of your body than you may even realize--and have just as much substance as show.
A defined midsection, in many ways, has defined fitness. But it also defines something else: A flat stomach is the hallmark of people in control of their bodies and, as such, in control of their health.
Reason 1: Lose Belly Fat, Live Longer
Study after study shows that the people with the largest waist sizes have the most risk of life-threatening disease. The evidence couldn't be more convincing. According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women signals significant risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Of course, finding your abs doesn't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital-free card, but studies show that by developing a strong abdominal section, you'll lose body fat and significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not just heart disease. For example, the incidence of cancer among obese patients is 33 percent higher than among lean ones, according to a Swedish study. The World Health Organization estimates that up to one-third of cancers of the colon, kidney, and digestive tract are caused by being overweight and inactive. And having an excess of belly fat is especially dangerous. See, cancer is caused by mutations that occur in cells as they divide. Fat tissue in your abdomen spurs your body to produce hormones that prompt your cells to divide. More cell division means more opportunities for cell mutations, which means more cancer risk.
Reason 2: Lose Belly Fat, Improve Your Sex Life
Women claim the greatest sex organ is the brain; men say it's approximately 3 feet due south. So let's say we split the geographic difference and focus on what's really central to a good sex life.
You know the old phrase "It's not the size of the ship; it's the motion of the ocean"? Well, take that to heart. You can rebuild your body to maximize the rocking and rolling that goes on below decks. Consider how the following side benefits can help you pull that ship into harbor.
The thrusting power you generate during sex doesn't come from your legs, it comes from your core. Strong abdominal and lower-back muscles give you stamina and strength to try new positions (or stay steady in old ones), so that sex is as pleasurable as it should be.
Reason 3: Lose Belly Fat, Stay Safe from Harm
Think of your midsection as your body's infrastructure. You don't want a core constructed of dry, brittle wood or straw and mud. You want a midsection made of solid steel, one that will give you a foundation of protection that belly fat never could.
Consider a US Army study that linked powerful abdominal muscles to injury prevention. After giving 120 artillery soldiers the standard army fitness test of situps, pushups, and a 2-mile run, researchers tracked the soldiers' lower-body injuries (such as lower-back pain, Achilles tendinitis and other problems) during a year of field training. The 29 soldiers who cranked out the most situps (73 in 2 minutes) were five times less likely to suffer lower-body injuries than the 31 who barely notched 50. But that's not the most striking element. Those soldiers who performed well in the pushups and the 2-mile run enjoyed no such protection--suggesting that good upper-body strength and cardiovascular endurance had little effect on keeping bodies sound. It was abdominal strength that offered the critical protection. Unlike any other muscles in your body, a strong core affects the functioning of the entire body. Whether you ski, do yard work, or carry the kids away from the candy aisle, your abs are the most essential muscles for keeping you from injury. The stronger they are, the stronger--and safer--you are.
Reason 4: Lose Belly Fat, Strengthen Your Back
Because most back pain is related to weak muscles in your trunk, maintaining a strong midsection can help resolve many back issues. The muscles that crisscross your midsection don't function in isolation; they weave through your torso like a spiderweb, even attaching to your spine. When your abdominal muscles are weak, the muscles in your butt and along the backs of your legs have to compensate for the work your abs should be doing. The effect, besides promoting bad company morale for the muscles picking up the slack, is that it destabilizes the spine and eventually leads to back pain and strain--or even more serious back problems.
Reason 5: Lose Belly Fat and Win!
If you run, bike, play naked Twister, or do any sport that requires movement, your essential muscle group isn't your legs or arms. It's your core--the muscles in your torso and hips. Developing core strength gives you power to perform. It fortifies the muscles around your whole midsection and trains them to provide the right amount of support when you need it.
So if you're weak off the serve, strong abs will improve it. If you also play sports where you run a lot, whether it's tennis or tag, abs can improve your game tremendously. That's because speed is really about accelerating and decelerating. How fast can you go from a stopped position at one baseline to stopping at the other baseline? Your legs don't control that; your abs do. When researchers studied what muscles were the first to engage in these types of sports movements, they found that the abs fired first. The stronger they are, the faster you'll get to the ball.
Reason 6: Lose Belly Fat, Limit Your Aches and Pains
As you age, it's common to experience some joint pain--most likely in your knees, hips, and back. Getting older can trigger soreness around your feet and ankles, too. The source of that pain might not be weak joints; it might be weak abs--especially if you do any kind of exercise, from serious tennis playing to walking every morning. When you're doing any type of athletic activity, your abdominal muscles help stabilize your body during start-and-stop movements, like changing direction on the tennis court or in kickboxing class. If you have weak abdominal muscles, your joints absorb all the force from those movements.
It's kind of like trampoline physics. Jump in the center, and the mat will absorb your weight and bounce you back in the air. Jump toward the side of the trampoline, where the mat meets the frame, and you'll bust the springs. Your body is sort of like a trampoline, with your abs as the center of the mat and your joints as the supports that hold the mat to the frame. If your abs are strong enough to absorb some shock, you'll function well. If they're not strong enough to help cushion the vibrations, the force puts far more pressure on your joints than they were built to withstand.
Reason 7: Lose Belly Fat, Sleep Better
Having a big belly and a fatty neck can trigger chronic, loud snoring and its partner, a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. People who have sleep apnea literally stop breathing for a few seconds to more than a minute sometimes hundreds of times a night, disrupting their slumber. They end up feeling exhausted the next morning. Losing weight can often help remedy the problem so you can get a better night's sleep. Exercise helps, too. Australian researchers found that people who lifted weights three times a week for 8 weeks experienced a 23 percent improvement in their sleep quality. If stress is what's causing restless nights, exercise is one of the best things you can do to stop worries from keeping you up. In one study, Texas A&M University scientists found that the fittest people exhibited lower levels of stress hormones in their bloodstreams than subjects who were least fit.
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