Are those expensive, chic-looking jeans that you used to flaunt in college just lying there in your wardrobe because they don't fit anymore. Is it getting too difficult to belt your trousers? Did you ever fantasize a six-pack abs like Shahrukh Khan or hips like Shakira?
Obesity is more becoming a worldwide epidemic. Obesity is not a condition that can be taken lightly or can be shrugged off; it is a grave condition that not only affects the physical well-being of a person but also has an impact on his emotional state. It is indeed mighty embarrassing to have a pot belly which not only takes away the charm of wearing the right clothes but also is mighty hard to lose!
What is Obesity?
Obesity is defined as a state where you have excessive fat stored in your body. Different people have different fat storage areas. Fat is generally stored in the fat cells that are located between the skin and muscle. It is also stored in deeper tissues called the visceral fat which surrounds the vital body organs like kidney, liver etc. As we store more fat in these cell, they grow bigger and eventually lead to obesity.
The mode of fat storage is different in men and women. Most men store fat around their belly (also called as abdomen in medical science) first followed by hips and thighs. Women, on the other-hand, store fat preferentially around the hips thighs, arms and next at the abdominal area.
It also depends on your body type. Essentially there are 3 different body-types:
- Ectomorphs: They are slim with slender muscles. They put on weight around their belly without the corresponding increase in the arms or legs.
- Mesomorphs: They put on weight around the belly plus arms, legs but usually not on the face.
- Endomorphs: They put on weight not only on the abdomen but also more around the hips and thighs.
How does it affect me?
In the modern fast-paced lifestyle, stress has become a regular part of our life. Interestingly stress and obesity are inter-dependant. People who are chronically stressed produce a large amount of body steroids called cortisol. It affects the fat distribution by causing fat to be deposited primarily in the abdominal and visceral areas. As we get more and more stressed the body produces a large dose of this hormone which not only results in weight gain but also many other disorders like hypertension and diabetes. It also lowers life expectancy by 10%.
New studies warn that the current economic crisis will potentially impact two important measurements: the amount of money in your bank account and the size of your waist.
How can I fight it?
The crux is that "fighting fat" is the need of the hour. The biggest misconception in peoples mind is that by doing spot exercises, one can lose spot fat! The truth is that the body has a complicated system of fat deposition and fat removal so exercising particular body fat results in toning that area which may initially look like some sort of inch loss due to the tightening of the muscle tissue, but that is not a permanent solution. To burn fat on the abdomen, one has to do a combination of a fat loss diet along with cardiovascular training and muscle conditioning. Also, Pranayam and other de-stress exercises indeed benefit you in the long run.
