If you’ve ever spent more than ten minutes researching fitness or nutrition on the Internet, you’ve probably seen articles with titles like these (yes, they’re all real headlines):
- How to Get a 6-Pack in One Month
- How to Lose Belly Fat Overnight
- How to Get Shredded in a Week With These 7 Tactics
I don’t doubt that these types of headlines get plenty of clicks. But the truth of the matter is that belly fat isn’t eradicated quickly, and being “totally shredded” isn’t necessarily healthy anyway.
That said, a certain type of belly fat is associated with health risks when it exists in excessive quantities. A high amount of visceral fat—the type found deep in our abdomens surrounding internal organs—is linked to chronic inflammation, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other metabolic disorders. (Subcutaneous fat—the type found just under the skin’s surface—is relatively benign.)
Knowing how much of what type of fat our midsections hold is tough to determine without using expensive means. Fortunately, determining that ratio isn’t particularly important because the behaviors that help us lose fat for aesthetic reasons are the same ones that help us lose fat to improve our health and reduce our risk of disease.
Here are a few such behaviors that can be implemented with minimal fuss:
Training Behaviors
- Find an activity that you enjoy and will practice regularly. As I offered last week, weight training plus participating in an active hobby will produce significant long-term progress. But no matter the activity you choose, the most important factor for making any type of progress is consistency.
- Go for a 5-minute walk. This ordinary and innocuous activity will not only expend a little energy but also give you a small boost of mental focus, which can subsequently help to prevent “boredom eating”. Piggybacking on the previous point: taking a short, daily (or more frequent) walk is also one of the simplest ways to start building small wins and develop the habit of consistency.
Nutrition behaviors
- Consume a diet centered around minimally-processed foods. Since these foods typically contain more nutrients and fewer calories, overeating becomes harder, and feeling satisfied and meeting nutritional requirements becomes easier. (Note the key phrase “centered around” is different than “completely composed of”.)
- Eat slowly. A time gap of 10–20 minutes exists between when our stomachs are full and our brains recognize we’re satisfied. Slowing down at meal times gives our brains a better chance of realizing that we may not really need to go back for seconds or, perhaps, even to finish what we initially put on our plates. (For you “can’t let it go to waste” folks, the miracle of refrigeration means that uneaten food can be saved for later!)
Thinking Behaviors
- Practice self-compassion and self-encouragement when you make sub-optimal choices. This may sound a bit fufu, but there is actually science behind it! Self-compassion—the act of (1) recognizing we’re not alone in our struggles, (2) being kind to ourselves like we would be with a friend, and (3) noticing when we’re not practicing the first two principles and getting back on track with doing so—is linked to healthier and more consistent eating and exercise habits as well as lower rates of anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. Self-encouragement comes into play because, at some point, we do need to move past the self-compassionate acceptance of our sub-optimal performance and make better choices (no matter how small) if we want to experience change.
Putting It Into Practice
Unlike the clickbait headlines at the top of this tip, these behaviors aren’t exactly exciting. But they do work, and they tend to be more doable and sustainable than the relatively extreme plans that often come along with those intriguing headlines.
Did I happen to mention the importance of consistency and sustainability? 😉
So this week, which of the five ideas above are you willing and able to either begin to practice or practice more consistently?
Pick one idea and work at it. Doing so won’t get you “shredded” overnight, but it will improve your body composition and, more importantly, health over the coming weeks, months, and years.