1. Love Handles
Main Feature: 'Cushions' on your sides
Causes:
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Sweet tooth
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Lots of sugar and refined carbs (such as cookies, cakes and white bread) or starchy carbs (such as pasta and rice).
Try:
1. Drinking less alcohol: Drinking wine regularly (3-4 times a week) can lead to what is known as a 'wine waist', causing a potbelly and fat sides. Stop drinking for two weeks and remember that moderation is the key.
2. Rethink your diet: Special dietary products and low fat foods should be avoided. Instead, opt for eggs, lean meat and vegetables as well as good fats, such as avocado, nuts and high-fat fish.
3. Exercise: If you can't get yourself to go to the gym, go for long walks and add lunges, squats and reverse push-ups to your exercise regime.
2. Stress belly
Main Feature: Fat is concentrated around the belly button. The belly appears to be thick, not loose.
Causes:
• Chronic stress and high levels of cortisol
• Missing meals
• Drinking lots of coffee
• Irritable bowl syndrome
• Eating unhealthy food
Try:
1. Going to bed early: If you don't get much sleep or you're feeling stressed, this disrupts the leptin production, a hormone that helps regulate your appetite and metabolism.
2. Relax before sleeping: Have a long bath, do some breathing exercises or meditate. These useful habits will ensure that you sleep well.
3. Don't overdo exercising: Excess cardio will increase your cortisol levels. Try yoga, long walks or a gym session all of which should help calm you down. Just be sure not to overdo it.
4. Take magnesium supplements: Magnesium is a relaxing mineral. Besides supplements you can find magnesium in dark green vegetables, nuts and wheat bran.
3. Low belly
Main Feature: Though you may be slim, your lower belly protrudes a bit.
Causes:
• Pregnancy
• Monotonous exercise in the gym
• Spinal curvature
Try:
1. Healthy diet and lots of fiber: Opt for green leafy vegetables, whole-grain bread and other sources of fiber are good for you.
2. Exclude squats from your exercise regime: Squats put a lot of pressure on your lower back, aggravating spinal curvature, making your tummy more prominent. Instead, replace squats with planks.
3. Equal distribution of exercise: Rather than overexerting a single part of your body, try circuit training instead. This will ensure that you're working on all muscle groups.
4. Mommy’s belly
Main feature: After giving birth, the belly appears to be pregnant.
Causes:
• Not having enough time for yourself. As the uterus lowers itself after birth, achieving results becomes harder than it was before pregnancy. Returning to your normal size will take about 6 weeks.
• You started training too early. Give your body the time it needs to rest after giving birth before taking up exercise.
• Weak muscles of the pelvis
Try:
1. Consume healthy fats: Opt for nuts, vegetable oil and olives, to help fight fatigue. Also take fish oil supplements.
2. Keep your belly tucked in: This healthy habit will tone your muscles without over exerting them.
5. Inflated belly
Main feature: Your stomach is flat in the morning but grows during the day, regardless of whether you have excess weight.
Causes:
• Food allergy
• Sluggish bowels
• Intestinal flora imbalance
Try:
1. Exclude foods that don't go well with your body: Gluten, alcohol, yeast (found in cakes and beer) and processed dairy products are types of foods that you may want to avoid.
2. Opt for a diet rich in fresh vegetables, meat, chicken and fish: Best avoid bread and pastries for two weeks and make a note if the swelling in your belly goes down.
3. Don't skip breakfast: Breakfast should be the largest meal of your day as your digestion peaks in the morning. Eat an early dinner and be sure to chew on your food thoroughly and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
4. Swelling may be a sign of unbalanced intestinal flora: Pre- and probiotics should help ease the solution. They are present in sour cream and certain fruit and vegetables including cabbage, garlic and onion.
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