So Long, Muffin Top
Are you noticing more ab flab with each passing year? An estimated 50 percent to 60 percent of the amount of fat in your midsection is said to be dictated by the genes you inherit. But how you live and changes that your body goes through as you age also play a major role. Hormonal fluctuations that can start in a woman’s mid- to late-30s, are often accompanied by an increase in waist size. Too much stress, too little sleep and eating too many calories can also contribute to belly bulge. Your level of activity also affects your shape—more active people are more likely to be leaner all over, including in their bellies.
But before you drop to the floor to perform what seems like the obvious antidote to expanding abs—crunches and other “core” exercises—realize that a bigger belly is caused from excess fat in the area, not weak muscles. So pummeling away at abdominal muscles won’t have the flattening effect you might think it will. What core exercises can do is strengthen your abs and surrounding muscles. Providing that these moves don’t stress your spine, too, a strong core provides spinal stability. And that core strength also helps you move more powerfully when you do cardio.
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