Middle aged women, especially, battle the bulge around their waists. Getting rid of unwanted belly fat is easier said than done. As we age, changes in hormone levels and metabolism make it more difficult to shed unwanted pounds. New research shows that certain exercises are more effective at reducing belly flab.
Findings from the Strong, Healthy and Empowered Study (SHE for short) were presented at the American Heart Association's 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in March of 2006. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania enrolled 164 premenopausal women who were overweight or obese, and aged 25-44 years. Certified fitness pros instructed and supervised half of the women on how to do strength training for 4 months, for which 70% of them completed two times per week for two years. The other half were given a brochure suggesting they should complete 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise on most days of the week. Both groups were instructed not to change their diets.
The results showed that strength training group lost 4% of their total body weight, while the other group lost none. More importantly, deep visceral belly fat (the type associated with heart disease) rose 20% in the brochure group, while the strength trainers gained only 6%.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on July 14, 2006 04:08 PM
