Seven Great Reasons Why We Must Keep
Body Fat Levels Low

By Mike Lackner and R. Gallop, © Top Trainers Network, Inc.

I think it would be safe to say that most people who read this magazine are body conscious and care about how they look.  In fact, studies show that the chief reason people train with weights and follow weight loss programs is to look more physically appealing.  The majority of the people in the mainstream, however, have an excess of belly fat and no clear-cut strategy for getting rid of it.  They dream of having that attractive flat, six-pack set of abs.  No one I have ever met likes to look in the mirror and see a ballooned-out waistline.  However, there are more important reasons to keep your waistline trim than just looks.  Here are seven key reasons why we must keep body fat levels low.

1) Fat, especially around the waistline, has been linked to heart disease and type-2 diabetes.  With an excess intake of the wrong foods and lack of physical activity, excess fat can start to build up on all areas of the body including the thighs, under the arms and on the hands, which over time make it almost impossible to remove a ring.  Doctors however are particularly concerned about excess fat that accumulates around the midsection.  This is because the uncomfortable fat that hangs over the top of a pair of jeans puts people at a much greater risk of a variety of diseases.  One of the main issues shared by doctors regarding people with excessive belly fat is that these people are at a greater risk of a problem known as insulin resistance syndrome.  This syndrome, which affects millions of people, brings with it a number of very serious complications.  The short list of health conditions that are often seen with insulin resistance would be type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.     
Many experts are quick to point out however that even though there has been a plethora of studies on the connection between abdominal fat and disease, there is no universally accepted explanation as to why people with bulging waistlines are at such a higher risk of disease.  What is clear, however, is that our fat cells regulate metabolic functions and fat cells in the belly area release high amounts of fatty acids.  This in turn can lead to a real problem over time with a person’s blood sugar and insulin metabolism.   
The point is, excess belly fat is related to much bigger issues than just body image.  People with flabby, bulging waistlines and visceral fat that wraps around the organs are at a greater risk of suffering the loss of sensitivity to insulin, and insulin is a very important hormone that supports the body to burn energy.  Part two of this story is that when insulin starts to level down, the body naturally begins to dump out more of the hormone, which in turn can cause the body to spiral more rapidly in the direction of imbalance and disease.

Are You At Risk? Take The Test…
Are you carrying around an unhealthy amount of belly fat which could be putting you at risk?   It’s not hard to find out.  All you need to do is take a simple test, which is outlined below:
Step One: Get a cloth measuring tape and measure your waistline.  Try not to let the measuring tape dig into the abdomen.  Also, make sure that the bottom of the measuring tape is level with the top of your hipbone.  Once that is done, write that number down. 
Step Two: Now let’s see how you did.  For males, if your waist circumference is under 39 inches or 100cm, you are most likely safe from insulin resistance problems.  For females, if your waist circumference is less then 34.5 inches or 88cm, you likely have no need for concern over insulin resistance either.  For males and females with measurements above those figures, you are definitely in the higher risk bracket.