India confirms a total of 28 coronavirus cases

The coronavirus outbreak has affected a total of 70 countries around the world. India reportedtwo fresh cases of coronavirus on Monday, one in Delhi and the other in Telangana. With the biggest jump in numbers, Indiareportsa total of 30 cases as of today. A group of 15 Italian tourists who traveled Rajasthan last month tested positive. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan told the media that the positive case reported in Delhi interacted with his family of six members in Agra. All six members are infected from the virus.

COVID-19 can spread easily from an infected person. It can cause symptoms like cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat and some may experience difficulty in breathing. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent the spread of coronavirus. it is important to avoid any panic situation insteadfollow the right prevention methods to fight the spread of coronavirus.

A strong immune system can help you fight the infection naturally. Lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho sharessome amazingtips to boost one's immunity to stay safe during thisoutbreak.

"A virus can impact someone with low immunity. So if you have a low immune system, viruses, bacteria, infections are more likely to affect you as compared to those with strong immunity," Luke explains. In the video, he stresses on the importance of a strong immune system and explains that if you maintain a strong immune system, you can possibly prevent a viral infection. Even if you get it, a strong system can help you fight against it effectively.

Avoid public gatherings to prevent coronavirus spread Photo Credit: iStock

Several foods can help you boost immunity but Luke highlights that foods alone will not boost your immune system. It has to be combined with sleep, exercise, stress management and many other factors.

Also read:Delhi Reports First Case And One More In Telangana; WHO Guidelines On How Use Masks To Protect Against Coronavirus

1. Ginger has strong immunity-boosting properties. Include it in your foods or prepare ginger tea.

2. Spinach, not in the raw form can also help you boost immunity. Steam or boil it lightly as it to prepare an immunity-boosting recipe.

3. Yogurt is great for your gut health. A healthy gut promotes strong immune system.

4. Almonds are loaded with nutrients. A handful of almonds or 8-10 almonds can be consumed daily.

5. Turmeric is one of the best options you must add to your diet for better immunity. But it should be combined with black pepper and good fat like coconut oil or pure ghee. Take a half tablespoon of turmeric, one tablespoon of ghee or coconut oil and a small amount of pepper. It will boost the absorption of turmeric.

6. Green tea is a healthy beverage. You can drink up to 2-3 cups of fresh green daily.

7. Add more fruits to your diet. Fruits like papaya, berries and kiwi are some great immunity boosters.

8. Add more protein to your diet. A virus affects the tissues and can destroy cells and protein helps in repairing tissues. Make sure that you add a small amount of protein to every meal.

9. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are also great immunity boosters.

10. Garlic is also loaded with immunity-boosting properties. Consume raw garlic or boil some garlic and ginger in hot water to prepare a tea.

11. A healthy soup with a combination of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, tomato, onion, garlic, ginger, pumpkin and turmeric.

Add more immunity boosting foods to your diet Photo Credit: iStock

Also read:Coronavirus Outbreak In India: Samples Taken From 6 People In Noida Test Negative

Other tips to boost immunity-

Luke suggests you must combine other healthy practices with a diet loaded with immunity boosters. Some of these include-

1. Proper sleep

2. Regular exercise- at least 30 minutes of exercise

3. Wash your hands more often or use a sanitiser

4. Try deep breathing or pranayam to supply more oxygen to the body

5. Beat stress with yoga, meditation, exercise or other activities you like

Also read:Flu Shots Can Prevent Coronavirus - This And Other Myths Busted

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Read more here:
India Confirms 30 Coronavirus Cases; Do Not Panic But Boost Your Immunity With These Amazing Expert Tips To Fight It - NDTV News

For Alison Schultz, 2019 was the year to get healthy. She not only lost more than 50 pounds in 12 months, she quit drinking, too.

Alison Schultz's weight-loss story will inspire anyone who has turned to food or alcohol to cope with stress.

Credit: Alison Schultz/LIVESTRONG.com Creative

The 39-year-old mom of two daughters, ages 9 and 13, says she feels better than ever. Read on as this healthcare manager shares her story in her own words.

When I was in my 20s and early 30s, I didn't think much about my weight. I was never skinny but I'm tall (5'10"), so I was used to being bigger than most women. I'm muscular, too, and always have been.

But in my mid-30s, my joints began to hurt from carrying extra weight on my frame, and a healthier lifestyle became important to me with our daughters beginning to grow and learn about health, too.

The other part was that I wanted to feel better, and that meant giving up alcohol and food as a way to cope with stress. I have a very high-stress career and I was addicted to alcohol, late-night eating and other unhealthy eating habits that paired with booze. I started to shy away from events where alcohol wasn't being served and started hanging out with friends who enjoyed drinking as much as I did. I kept blaming my unhealthy life on my stress. That was easier at the time than actually meeting my social drinking addiction head on.

It was shortly after my uncle passed away unexpectedly in January 2019 that I really drank to forget my pain. The grief that I felt hurt less when I was drinking. My husband told me he was worried, and I'll never forget the look on his face as he shared his fears. I realized then that my drinking had affected my whole family, and I was blown away.

I felt empowered at that moment to make a huge change in my life. I quit drinking and began adopting healthier eating habits and daily exercise, which helped to curb the desire to drink.

Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!

When I started changing my habits to get healthy, I weighed 273 pounds. I began walking and then running 45 minutes a day three to four times a week. At first, I hated it. I kept thinking to myself 'Why do people talk about enjoying this?'

I ran inside and out, depending on the weather. It took me one and a half months to get from walking to running, and I continue to train. I'll run farther distances or set my treadmill with incline changes to mix things up a bit.

The whole time, what kept me going was a workout playlist a mix of songs from all genres. As long as the beat is there, I'd listen to it. I love it now! I just set my tunes, crank up the volume and focus on me. It's awesome.

"While I used to think about routine through a negative lens, I can say with complete certainty that routine has kept me on track with my fitness goals and healthier eating habits."

As for my diet, I'm not such a huge sugar-craver, so it was actually harder for me to stay away from the chips. It's still difficult sometimes, so I'll treat myself to a cheat day because, hey, everything in moderation, including moderation! I also added low-starch veggies and fruit and ate lean meat such as chicken and turkey more often.

In fact, my Monday through Friday diet is a bit like a record on repeat. And, while I used to think about routine through a negative lens, I can say with complete certainty that routine has kept me on track with my fitness goals and healthier eating habits.

Breakfast: A protein shake with sugar-free coconut-almond milk or chia pudding (2 tablespoons chia seeds, a half-cup of almond milk, splash of vanilla and a tablespoon of frozen raspberries)

Morning snack: An apple and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or two rye crackers with cream cheese

Lunch: Spinach, romaine or kale salad with chicken or turkey, a container of fresh-cut veggies and a small serving of hummus (2 tablespoons) or a quarter to a half cup of cottage cheese with pepper

Afternoon snack: Celery with low-fat cheese, a small handful of almonds or a hard-boiled egg

Dinner: A protein, like chicken, with a big green salad

Nighttime snack: An apple with peanut butter or no-added-sugar vanilla yogurt and a tablespoon of fruit

Today, I weigh 219 pounds and my goal is to ultimately get down to 200.

"I want to teach my daughters that healthy isn't always skinny and that health is holistic, and it's important to love yourself first."

Credit: Alison Schultz/LIVESTRONG.com Creative

I curbed the late-night eating by changing my routine and staying busy. I realized that when I would sit on the couch watching TV, I'd want to shove food in my face, so I started working out in the evening. I get right into my running gear as soon as I get home from work so that I'm motivated to get it done!

After dinner, I'll do some crocheting to keep my brain preoccupied if I'm watching TV. I find that these little crafts really help curb my desire to eat. I also use that time to organize my calendar for the week or look at healthy recipes or new healthy snack recipes to try. I know it sounds silly, but this helps me to avoid snacking constantly all evening. I also drink flavored tea in the evening straight up no honey or milk or sugar.

With a busy job, two growing kids and a farm, meal planning has been my saving grace. Sundays are meal planning day, and this sets the tone for the whole week. I don't stress because I know what's for supper every night, and I've got it in my calendar so I get digital reminders the night before in case I need to thaw meat for supper after work.

"Remember that the weight didn't add up overnight and it doesn't come off overnight either. A little bit of grit and grace will help you get through the tough days."

I work in another city three days a week, so I'm gone overnight two nights. I make casseroles ahead of time so that supper is easy and healthy for my family, too, even when I'm not there.

For lunches, I pre-cut a whole container of vegetables and hard-boil 18 eggs per week. They're super easy and healthy as a lunchtime snack, and my kids love them, too.

Find a strategy that works for you and don't feel pressured by what works for other people.

I also think it helps to have a strong support network, whether that's a friend, a spouse or co-workers to work out with.

And set attainable goals for yourself. My vision board keeps me on track. A year ago, I had envisioned living a healthier lifestyle, one that I wasn't ashamed of. I empowered my vision by researching how to achieve my goals through clean eating and exercise. My vision board today has the same foundational choices.

Finally: Remember that the weight didn't add up overnight and it doesn't come off overnight either. A little bit of grit and grace will help you get through the tough days.

Excerpt from:
How One Woman Lost More Than 50 Pounds in a Year by Quitting Booze and Late-Night Eating - LIVESTRONG.COM

Commentary about the coronavirus is endless. Those with anti-China and anti-trade mindsets bash China, those with anti-Trump agendas bash the presidents response, and those with a big-government bias are using the crisis to argue for spending more money.

The etiology of the disease is uncertain, with cases showing up in Americans who didnt travel abroad and didnt have contact with an infected person. There is not even an accurate diagnostic test for the virus. Expert opinions may not be reliable.

Some people have begun stockpiling food. This is all well and good, but there is a more critical preparation step that few are taking.

In all the commentary, little is said about taking personal responsibility for boosting ones immune system to fight off the disease. Like the flu, the virus may wane in warmer weather. If so, like the flu, it is a good bet it will return next fall. Acting now to boost your immune system is prudent. Here is how.

Drink Less Alcohol We all know that alcohol can damage the liver. Fewer people are aware of the effects of alcohol on the immune system:

First, its important to know that the microbes living in your intestines, your guts microbiome, plays an important role in fighting diseases. When you drink a lot of alcohol, it has many negative effects on your digestive system. It damages the epithelial cells in your intestines, making it harder to absorb many nutrients. It also severely disturbs your guts microbiome, significantly altering the balance of healthy and unhealthy bacteria.

Excessive drinking may impair the function of immune cells in the lungs and upper respiratory system, leading to increased risk for pneumonia, tuberculosis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS. Because the immunity of the mucus is impaired in both the lungs and digestive tract, any disease can become more severe.

Excessive drinking reduces the number and function of three important kinds of cells in your immune systemmacrophages, T and C cells. Macrophages are the first line of defense against disease.

Perhaps you are just an occasional binge social drinker. Knocking down your immune system in a crowded public place is a terrible idea.

Eat Less Sugar and Processed Food WebMD puts it this way: Eating or drinking too much sugar curbs immune system cells that attack bacteria. This effect lasts for at least a few hours after downing a couple of sugary drinks.

A sugary cup of coffee and a pastry in the morning compromises your immune system. At lunch, when you have a bottle of soda with your sandwich, your bodys ability to resist illnesses going around the office is compromised. Eat enough sugar, and you can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 percent.

In the morning, consider eating an orange instead of drinking sugary orange juice. Throughout the day, look for opportunities to incorporate more immune-boosting vegetables in your diet. The Brassica family broccoli, kale, bok choy, Brussel sprouts, etc. are especially noteworthy immune boosters.

Exercise Regularly An essay by Harvard Health Publishing puts it this way:

Regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control body weight, and protects against a variety of diseases. But does it help to boost your immune system naturally and keep it healthy? Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system. It may contribute even more directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.

Even if you dont have a regular exercise regime, you can spend less time on social media, get up from watching CNN or Fox News, and get outdoors for a walk. Moderate activity is all you need to boost your immune system.

Have a Sense of Purpose The science behind how ones state of mind and illness are linked is controversial, but allowing our thinking to control us is never a good idea.

Researchers have questioned individuals about how often in the past week they had felt happy or satisfied, and how often they felt that their life had a sense of meaning. They were looking to distinguish those who felt happy due to hedonic well-being (characterized by material or bodily pleasures such as eating well or having sex) and those who experienced eudaimonic well-being (deeper satisfaction from activities with a greater meaning or purpose, such as intellectual pursuits, social relationships or charity work).

Their results are eye-opening. They found people with a meaning-based or purpose-based outlook had favorable gene-expression profiles, whereas hedonic well-being, when it occurred on its own, was associated with profiles similar to those seen in individuals facing adversity.

Research findings support the idea that eudaimonic well-being benefits immune function directly. In contrast, stress increases when we believe we must change our circumstances to achieve happiness. Stress is known to reduce the capacity of your immune system to fight viruses.

There are no guarantees. Despite our best efforts, disease may yet visit us. However this is no excuse to not work at tipping the odds in our favor.

[Image Credit: pxfuel CC0 1.0]

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Boost Your Immune System to Fight the Coronavirus Barry Brownstein (03/06/2020) - WallStreetWindow.com

Don't go for the newest diet people are talking about, just eat healthier foods instead

LAUREN PETTIT | DAILY EVERGREEN ILLUSTRATION

Move over paleo, these diets don't solve the issue of being a healthier person. Instead focus on foods that are healthier and cutting calorie counts to achieve a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

HALEY BRICKWEDEL, Evergreen columnist March 2, 2020

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There are so many options when looking for a new diet plan. There is keto, vegan, intermediate fasting, vegetarian, paleo, detox or juice cleanse and much more to choose from. These diets are trendy and unhealthy.

Fad diets often lead people to believe that there is a one-size-fits-all diet, and this is the one. The secrets out there isnt one perfect diet for all of us, said Lauren Keeney, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the owner and operator of Integrated Health LLC located in Moscow.

College is a colliding environment of lack of money and energy. When a student is lacking money, it is easier to buy staple items. These items look like ramen, canned veggies or soup and anything else that can be found at a low price. These low-price items are high in cholesterol and fat and they lack many of the key nutrients that are needed in a balanced diet. Low-cost foods also increase weight gain and fatigue.

It can come as no surprise that many college students are hopping on diet trends to lose weight fast, in the high stress and low energy environment. These fad diets are used to change a students look, weight and energy level.

I have done every diet you can do, from keto to fasting, said Hannah Bidon, a WSU junior majoring in nutrition and exercise physiology and minoring in psychology.

The diet is a quick fix that can have little to no effect on a students daily eating habits.

In my experience, I gave up and I couldnt do it. This was because it was unnatural for my body, Bidon said.

Starting a new diet can be exciting at first. Eventually the diet will come to an end, leaving the body feeling unhealthy and overall useless. Cutting out key components to a diet can harm the body.

Eat foods that your body craves and foods that make your body feel good, energized and satisfied. This means, eat what you enjoy and enjoy what you eat physically, mentally and emotionally, Keeney said.

Cutting out just carbs and fat can affect the body. Unless there are dietary restrictions or religious guidelines, an individual should provide their body with all food groups.

The students that want to change their diets for ethical and environmental reasons are very different from those who want to lose 10 pounds in eight days. They try the new diets of detox, juice cleanse, one large meal a day, keto, paleo and much more. There are fewer extreme ways of dieting and healthy choices.

Diets come to an end and so does that healthy eating. Many times, the diet trend does not change an individuals overall eating habits or relationship with food.

In the end I gained the weight back or felt unhealthy after the diet, Bidon said.

Diets dont last forever, it is easier to make life changes.

What many young adults lack in their diet is having a healthy relationship with food, Keeney said.

The best advice I was given was to balance the plate. Have all the food groups represented on the plate. Fruit and veggies, grain (bread, potatoes and more), protein (fish, eggs, tofu and nuts) and dairy (milk, yogurt and cheese).

Add more color to your diet, this way you can ensure youre getting a variety of nutrients to support your overall health, Keeney said.

Students can add nutritious and need food groups by adding in diverse veggies and sides to their main dish.

Take top ramen, for example. Overall it is not healthy. But it is cheap, so it is a staple in any students dorm, apartment, or house. It can be made healthier by adding a protein (I like an egg or two) and some green veggies. It not only looks more appetizing it can be more nutritious and filling.

Why even diet when it can end in gaining the weight back? I suggest making little healthy changes that can improve overall attitudes towards food. Little changes can make a big difference.

More:
OPINION: Research before you try a diet - The Daily Evergreen

Zareen Siddique (@FitwithZareen) is defying the skinny is pretty look and advocating strong is healthy. At 45 years, she has a six-pack throughout the year through sheer discipline in exercise and diet. Fitness is a way of life for her. A mother of two and anArmy brat, positive persona she says is a gift from her parents. She believes that women dont have to give up on being fit post pregnancy and she trains women struggling post-delivery (especially C Section) to gain strength and fitness. A lot of lifestyle diseases can be reversed and managed through exercise and a suitable diet. It is a wonderful thing for women to take charge of their lives, she says.

She doesnt push weight loss in her trainees.

A runner and a yoga lover, Zareen combines different disciplines of exercise to tailor make workouts for her trainees. Her meal plans are popular for their simplicity and efficacy.Trainees from all over the world benefit from her Indian meal plans and workouts that make them love their daily dose of exercise. This coach walks her talk and pushes her own limits physically and mentally in her workouts that she posts on Instagram. The following she has on Instagram proves that shes a motivator and a positive influence on many lives.

This certified online nutrition and core fitness coach is an ardent runner. She also runs marathons on a regular basis. Among her other qualifications are a Reebok Group Fitness Certification, Master Function Training Certification, and a Diploma in Dietetics and Nutrition.

Zareen specializes in post-pregnancy weight loss and fitness too. Besides, she is also a motivational coach and regularly interacts with women, encouraging them to make exercise a part of their daily lives. This, she insists, can be achieved by making small changes in diet and lifestyle.

It is no surprise that Zareens work also makes her a motivational coach to her clients. After all, it requires a lot of self-control and motivation to stay on the path of tough functional training and Zareen realizes how important it is to keep bucking up her clients through their daily rigors.

Originally posted here:
Zareen Siddique is a fitness freak who helps women in maintaining health and fitness - The Statesman

Kerri Hwang, a 34-year old middle school cafeteria worker from Burleson, Texas, has struggled with her weight for years. At her heaviest in 2017, she topped the scales at 316 pounds.

Kerri Hwang's get-fit journey has helped her lose nearly 100 pounds.

Credit: Kerri Hwang/LIVESTRONG.com Creative

"I may have gained even more weight, but I stopped getting on the scale after that," she recalls ruefully.

But 18 months ago, Kerri wandered into a local gym at the advice of a friend and left motivated to get herself into better physical shape. Today, she's gone from being barely able to walk around the block to deadlifting 300 pounds. Here's her story, in her own words.

I've been overweight my entire life and have always struggled with my self-esteem. Over the years, I bounced through every single diet and supplement you can imagine: Weight Watchers, Plexus, Herbalife, Slimfast, Hydroxycut. Nothing worked. I never lost more than 30 pounds, and I still wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror.

Then, one of the women I'd met through one of my diet attempts suggested I try an exercise session with her trainer at her gym. I went, and I loved it. Even though I had severe back pain, I found I could do basic moves like air squats and light weight-lifting. I felt strong, and capable, and proud of myself.

After that, I was hooked. I kept wanting to go back to that gym, which was filled with so many warm, welcoming, supportive folks. I felt like I had truly met my people. After a couple weeks, my clothes were big on me, and I realized the exercise program was working.

At the beginning, it was all about strength training. I went twice a week for personal training sessions at my gym. We broke it up by body parts: At the beginning of the week, we'd do an hour of upper-body exercises, such as lat pull downs, back extensions, chest presses and bicep curls, and then later in the week, an hour of lower-body activity such as lunges, squats and abdominal work like crunches.

As I gradually got into better shape, my trainer added little 30-second spurts of physical activity like marching in place or jumping jacks between the exercises in my workout.

I know cardio is always touted as a way to lose weight, but I think it's a tool that can be abused sometimes. My trainer never forced it on me he just encouraged me to be more active.

Before I started exercising, I would sit all the time. But I made it a goal to get in 10,000 steps a day. I began taking walks on my lunch break, parking farther away from the office or grocery store and, instead of watching TV, going outside with my 11-year-old daughter to play with the dogs. I tried to sit as little as possible when I was on the phone, for example, I'd stand up and walk around.

"I quickly realized my problem: I was restrictively calorie-counting, not macro-counting. Once I adjusted my protein intake, I saw the results really pay off in terms of my strength-training goals."

As I got into better shape and began to feel better, I found I naturally gravitated toward wanting to eat a healthy diet. I realized that I didn't have to restrict foods I loved, like cookies, entirely it was all about just eating everything in the right amount.

I started simple, with LIVESTRONG.com's MyPlate app. It helped me set daily goals in the important food groups: three servings each of fruit, veggies and whole grains, as well as at least 6 ounces of protein.

Then, in April 2019, I hired a nutrition coach who helped me fine-tune it. She gave me advice on how many fat, carb and protein grams I should eat every day, and encouraged me to log them so I'd get a better sense of how much I should be eating.

I quickly realized my problem: I was restrictively calorie-counting, not macro-counting. I was eating more carbs and fat than I needed, for example, but not nearly enough protein. Once I adjusted my protein intake, I saw the results really pay off in terms of my strength-training goals. That was more proof that I was on the right path!

"I'm not the person I was two years ago," Kerri says of her physical, mental and emotional transformation.

Credit: Kerri Hwang/LIVESTRONG.com Creative

Up until recently, I've always had a little voice in my head whispering that I'm not good enough. But I'm not the person I was two years ago. The changes I've made not only in my physical appearance, but mentally and emotionally are insane. My weight always made me shy because I didn't want people to look at me for fear I'd be seen as fat and gross.

Now, I'm totally OK with who I am. I'm not afraid to go to the pool anymore with my daughter, or get into a bathing suit at the beach, or run around with her at our local playground. I'm not afraid to try a new fitness class at my local rec center, and I'm not afraid to be silly and laugh when I'm out and about with my husband.

At first, I balked at spending money on a trainer. But the more I thought about it, I realized that over the years I'd already lost so much money on meal plans and workout DVDs and exercise memberships, that it was worth a try. It's the best financial investment I've ever made.

I found a wonderful support system at my gym first my trainer, then all the other clients who became my friends. Now, my husband and I just automatically calculate my personal training costs as part of our monthly budget. It's what I love, and working out keeps me healthy it's not a chore or an obligation.

"We all want instant results, but losing weight is about changing your lifestyle. You have to be consistent, and you also have to get out of your comfort zone to make those necessary changes."

Three times a week, I pick up my daughter from school and she hangs out and plays on her iPad while I work out. I joke that these times are also like therapy sessions. If I'm having a bad day, I can talk to others while exercising and work through my problems.

Never give up. We all want instant results, but losing weight is about changing your lifestyle. You have to be consistent, and you also have to get out of your comfort zone to make those necessary changes.

One of the biggest adjustments I had to make was the idea that I could make room in my diet for occasional indulgences. Every night, I reward myself with a small sweet treat, like two to three mini Reese's white chocolate peanut butter cups. I always thought it was a luxury I couldn't afford, but it turns out it's only an extra 80 to 120 calories.

Yes, sometimes I get impatient and want my weight to fall off more quickly but then I go shopping and realize that just a year ago I would never have been able to find anything in a regular department store that would have fit me. On those days or weeks when the scale doesn't seem to budge, I remind myself that I'm still losing inches around my arms and thighs and dropping clothing sizes. And I feel so much better! That's what's most important.

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Weight-Lifting Transformation: How One Woman Lost 93 Pounds in 2 Years - LIVESTRONG.COM

The question of how to lose belly fat is one that resounds around the internet. It's actually a slightly meaningless questioning, because targeting 'belly fat' is laregly impossible outside of surgical procedures it's more of a matter of knowing how to lose weight in general some of which will be around your belly. If you want to burn belly fat and get fit, this is our 'six-pack' ho ho of tips, cheats and strategies. Although there's no magic bullet, there are ways to burn visceral fat or belly fat that are tried, trusted and true.

Important note here, everyone: Belly fat these days is often referred to as visceral fat because that sounds scarier. If you really need to shed visceral fat because it's endangering your life, that is an area where you should probably be seeking medical advice. This is about slimming down a bit.

Our lose belly fat tips aren't necessarily quick, and this is not about telling you how to get six pack abs although we have a few articles on that topic. No, this is just a six pack of tips to getting a healthier life and feeling comfortable with the girth of your mid-riff. We're not looking to fat shame anyone here or totally bro out, we're just offering advice.

We've got some great tips, a few cheeky shortcuts and key strategies to lose belly fat quickly, healthily and sustainably. As we just said, there are no quick fixes here; we want you to develop habits that ensure you'll stay trim for good.Weve also got the lowdown on the best exercises to lose belly fat, and all the gear youll need to get started although, of course, the most important 'gear' is the bit between your ears.

There's no hard-and-fast rule for slim-down success: the best way to lose belly fat is the way that works around your lifestyle. If you follow an unsustainable plan, you won't last: it's as simple as that. In this article we lay out six principles that are applicable to everyone, whether you're a total beginner starting your weight-loss journey or a seasoned pro who fell off the wagon over Christmas.

These guiding lights will keep you on the straight and narrow, whether you've got time to hit the gym every day or a shift worker looking to manage your schedule. Dont try to take on more than you can reasonably fit into one day. And, despite the name of this feature, don't fixate on 'belly fat'. It's important to reduce visceral fat, which does tend to lurk around the belly area, but that is best achieved by trying to slim down and tune up overall.

Here are six strategies to help you start losing weight.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The short answer to the question of how to lose belly fat is to burn more calories than you consume on a regular basis. In the fitness world, this is known as achieving a "calorie deficit".

If this sounds like a waking nightmare, there's a trick to it: what you need to do is ensure youre eating the correct kind of food to make sure you feel full and sated, even when consuming fewer calories than you're burning off. Certain foods are "empty calories" while others release energy slowly, keeping you fuller for longer.

But before that, you'll need to find a good way to track your calories burned and calories taken in. The free MyFitnessPal app is one of the best ways to record your calorie intake, but to track your calories burned, you'll need a dedicated fitness tracker. If you already own a smartwatch, most will offer calorie tracking as standard, but for those yet to make the plunge, the Fitbit Versa Lite is the best activity tracker you can buy right now. Check out the deal below.

Oh, and staying hydrated is crucial, as well

Fitbit Versa 2 | was 199.99 | now 159 at AmazonThe Fitbit Versa 2 is getting regular price cuts for the new year and is currently 40 off at Amazon and various other fine online retailers. The Versa 2 features advanced cardio tracking as well as the usual steps and sleep stuff, and has Alexa built in. It's also unusually stylish for a Fitbit.View Deal

Fitbit Versa Lite | was 149.99 | now 124.95 at AmazonThe Fitbit Versa Lite is the best affordable fitness tracker or smartwatch you can buy.It tracks deep and light sleep, steps, distance and calories, but that is barely scraping the surface of its capabilities. Via Fitbit's excellently presented app and sprawling ecosystem, you can use it as the basis of a complete fitness and diet programme. You can also enter your meals to log calories consumed, so you can have all your dietary data in one place.View Deal

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S'Well Marble Drinking Water Bottle | now 25.00 at John LewisIn this case beauty is more than skin deep. This bottle is vacuum sealed, which means it should be able to keep liquids warm for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours. Its stainless steel, has a capacity of 500ml and requires handwashing, and its definitely one for one-upping your co-workers boring flasks and supermarket specials.View Deal

BEEFit Biltong, 10 x 30g bags | now 16.99 on AmazonLooking for a calorie-dense but highly nutritional snack? Swap your bag of crisps or chocolate bar for biltong, a cured meat snack now in handy 30g bags, to keep yourself fuller for longer. It's packed full of protein to help build muscle after a workout, and comes in either BBQ or chilli flavour.View Deal

Intermittent fasting is becoming more and more popular. It involves significantly cutting calories or abstaining from food altogether for a portion of the day or week, and then cramming all your calories into a much shorter time window.

The best-known intermittent fasting plan is the 5:2 diet, where you eat as you normally would (although hopefully a bit healthier) for five days a week, then scoff no more than 600 calories two days a week.There are also variants of this diet where you consume almost no calories, two days per week. This is much more doable than it sounds, so long as you are in good general health, but it's not exactly fun.

However, for trainees who are serious but not that serious, there's the 16:8 diet. With this diet you have only 8 hours a day to fit all your meals in, but can only drink water (and maybe some black coffee, if you're feeling naughty) within a 16 hour fasting period outside of those 8 hours. Most choose to eat from 10am to 6pm, but as long as you stay within an eight hour window, you can start and finish at any time of the day. This isHugh Jackman's strategy, so if you have ever wanted to be in Wolverine shape

Why try fasting, though? Well, during the fasting period the body will run out of sugar to run on, and so will start eating up the bodys fat stores. The big negative is the adjustment period: if you're used to a big breakfast or an early dinner, a 16-hour fast feels tough at first, especially if you're exercising. You're going to get seriously cranky.

Soylent Nutrition Shake, Cacao (Chocolate), 12 Pack | now 35.00 on AmazonMarketed as a 'complete meal in a bottle' soylent is a perfect on-the-go quick feed for breakfast or lunch. With 20g of plant protein - to keep you going and slow-burning carbs to help you stay full, Soylent is vegan, gluten free, nut free, dairy free and low GI. At under 3 a shake, it's an ideal replacement to your usual hurried, bland supermarket meal deal.View Deal

Weight training is a great way to tip your muscle-fat ratio the right way

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Dead set on having chips? An air fryer can deliver a lot of the delicious taste with less of the not-quite-so-delicious oil

(Image credit: Future)

If you eat fried food all the time, switching to an air fryer will definitely cause you to lose weight unless buying one causes you to start eating loads of chocolate because you've reduced your fat intake. No, it doesn't taste as delicious as proper fried food of course not but it turns out meals with a good fried/roasted taste, but with up to 80% lower fat content.

If you don't eat fried food all the time but like to treat yourself now and then, switching to an air fryer could still help with you to lose weight. Even with a solid balanced diet and a good workout ethic, there will come a time when your willpower will falter and you'll want to fall back on your old favourites, like fried chicken, fish, chips and all the other foods you love normally dripping with grease. If you schedule in cheat days and do this in a controlled way, it's good to know you're cooking these foods in a way that still helps you hit your goals.

Enter the air fryer. The best air fryers are revolutionary pieces of kit that use hot air combined with a teaspoon of oil (as opposed to the gallons of oil found in the deep-fat variety) to cook your crispy favourites. If kitchen space and budget is no object, you can cook a whole chicken in the Philips Airfryer XXL, but if you're after something a little more economical, Ninjas AF100UK Air Fryer is lightweight, compact and versatile, perfect for portion control. Check it out below.

Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer | was 119.00 | now 89.00 at AmazonFry food guilt-free using comparatively very little oil and a blast of hot air. If you're a junk food addict, it's one of the best ways to arrange your cheat days so that you're still having guilt-free food while fitting your macros, calorie count or diet of choice. The Ninja model is lightweight, compact and versatile, also capable of roasting, dehydrating and reheating food in addition to the air fry function.View Deal

This is just one way to have your (fried) cake and eat it too. Swapping high-calorie pints of ice cream to the low-calorie versions like Halo Top or Oppo, or switching out cholesterol-laden butter for a healthier olive spread, are other easy ways you can make relatively simple lifestyle choices and still keep weight off.

There are two main types of exercise: cardio training and weights, otherwise known as resistance training.Although cardio burns a lot of calories while you do it, weight training builds muscle which burns more than fat as you go about your day. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn even when not working out.

Resistance training may seem scary if you're doing it for the first time, especially in the gym when the area's dominated by serious lifters, but you dont have to start adding big plates to the bar right now. There's plenty of ways to get started at home with smaller weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and even medicine balls.

Were not going to list every single lifting exercise, so why not pick the body part you want to start toning up and check out some of our muscle-building how-tos. One you've done that, grab one of the best dumbbell sets on the market. They're not just for arms: you can use a dumbbell to work your core, shoulders, and even your legs with combination movements. Once you're comfortable in your own home, you can move on to more advanced equipment at the gym.

BodyPower 20 kg Cast Iron Spinlock Dumbbell set | was 59.99 | now 39.99 from Fitness SuperstoreYou just can't beat a good old pair of cast iron weights, and a testament to this is the fact they can be found under the beds of dads and granddads up and down the country. Get your own and they will last a lifetime and for all of their noisy, palm-chafing downsides, there is a kind of nostalgic loveliness to the spin collar set-up.View Deal

All of this aside, dont neglect cardio, as regular cardio workouts are important for fitness and stamina.

Electric Muscle Stimulation can help your muscles recover faster

(Image credit: PowerDot)

It may seem gimmicky when you unwrap your new six-pack vibrating belt, complete with a picture of Ronaldo on the box, but don't roll your eyes just yet. While you can't just sit there eating crisps and expect to get ripped, Electric Muscle Stimulators can help as part of a controlled dietary and exercise plan.

EMS can cause the muscles to contract, essentially tensing and untensing rapidly. During downtime post-workout, you can continue to encourage muscle growth with EMS, while the right bit of kit can also encourage faster recovery, allowing you to get back in the gym all the quicker. According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, EMS stimulates the muscle in the same way as a massage, prepping it for the next go-round.

It's not a bona fide shortcut to a six-pack, but it can speed up the muscle-building process with regular use.

(Image credit: Sixpad)

Our top choice is always SIXPAD as used by Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who takes great pride in his body. Perhaps a little too much pride, the unkind or jealous might say. Amazon also sells all manner of abs belts by brands we have never heard of, for about 20. Needless to say we dont recommend these.

PowerDot 2.0 - Smart Electric Muscle Stimulator | now 185 at AmazonAlternatively, the PowerDot 2.0 is a smartphone-controlled muscle stimulating monster.This neat muscle stimulator works from your phone, allowing you to control intensity, stimulation and goal. Reduce your recovery time and increase muscular performance, as the PowerDot working to support your gym schedule. This model has two stimulators, but you can scale up to four for 325View Deal

Planks are a tough abs workout and a great end-of-workout finisher

(Image credit: Taco Fleur from Pixabay)

As well doing both muscle-building and cardio exercises, if you want to lose belly fat its also important to switch up the pace of your workout.

Every time you workout, you should exercise using both steady state (working hard but not at max capacity, such as during brisk jog) and high intensity (going flat out, like sprinting) to torch your abdominal fat.

Steady state or aerobic exercises include cycling, running or uphill hiking.Its a crucial part of losing belly fat because it burns through your fat stores. However, it also uses your sugar stores for energy first, so you need to do steady-state for long enough to use up all that sugar before it eats into your fat reserves.

High intensity workouts use mainly sugar for fuel, so they don't hit the fat right away, but it does help in building muscle, which will help you torch fat even on days you're not exercising. Explosive weight lifting, sprinting and HIIT-friendly exercises like mountain climbers are all great high-intensity exercises.

A good fitness tracker will help you to gauge the intensity of your workout by monitoring your heart rate. For overall fitness trackers, check out the Fitbit Versa Lite above, but for a dedicated running watch, you can't beat the Garmin Forerunner 645, the best on the market right now.

Find out more about heart rate zone training

Garmin Forerunner 645 | now 276.93 at AmazonGarmin dominates the running/fitness watch category so totally, it's almost embarrassing for the competition. The most recent addition to their premium line, the Garmin 645, incorporates GPS and wrist heart-rate tracking, which is good for monitoring your resting and all-day rates. The 645 crunches a lot of data to suggest recovery times, make a decent stab at estimating your VO2 Max, tell you how optimal your training load and lots, lots more.View Deal

FitBit Aria 2 smart bathroom scale | was 119.95 | now 105.00 on AmazonThis clever scaletells you your weight, BMI and body fat percentage which is all a lot of people want. It then reports this to your Fitbit account, so you can monitor your weight trends and use it alongside your Fitbit wearable's daily calorie-burn estimates. Add MyFitnessPal or Fitbit's own dietary features and you can then sync your meal-plans, daily calories consumed and weight goals, if you want.View Deal

The most important thing to bear in mind is this: losing weight takes time. You'll have setbacks and slip-ups, but if you stay committed to your goal, you'll be fitter and healthier in 2020, building up great habits for many years ahead.

Need some help to get started? Check out all the latest deals on the kit you'll need to get fit in 2020.To start with, you'll need a killer playlist and a good set of workout headphones to listen to it on:

Beats By Dre Powerbeats Pro | now 219 on AmazonPowerbeats Pro are a 'game changer' for Beats; the quality of them is over and above anything the brand has produced before. Designed for workouts and running, the clever design of these true wireless buds means they stay still in your ears during even the most arduous physical jerks. Battery life is way better than most true wireless buds at 8-9 hours and they recharge incredibly fast.View Deal

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How to lose belly fat: burn visceral fat, feel fitter and reveal your abs in 2020 - T3

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that break down the food we eat into energy and muscle.

Though many people think that they will lose weight if they speed up their metabolism, this isn't necessarily true. Here's what you need to know about the complicated relationship between metabolism and weight-loss.

When people refer to metabolism being "fast" or "slow" what they are really referring to is a measure of Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR determines the number of passive calories that you burn these are the calories that your body uses up while at rest.

A popular misconception is that adding muscle will help you metabolize calories faster and while this is partially true, muscles at rest actually burn very few calories. Most of the metabolizing energy you expend is through your brain, heart, kidneys, and other organs that are constantly at work keeping you alive and healthy.

There is evidence that cardiovascular exercise can help boost your metabolism for a short period after you work out, but this effect only lasts for an hour or so and is not usually enough to cause significant weight loss.

There's also the myth that eating certain foods will speed up your metabolism. But the reality is that even if certain foods can affect your BMR it's not nearly enough to make a noticeable difference in your weight.In order to lose weight, you must create a deficit between the calories you consume through food and the calories you burn through a combination of diet, physical activity, and passive metabolic processes that are largely out of your control.

The sad truth is that it's hard to change your BMR in any significant way. The fact that some people naturally have a faster BMR than others is largely due to genetics.

A review, published in 2011 in Molecular Genetics and Metabolism, that examined 9 twin studies and 19 family studies found that metabolic syndrome and some of the symptoms associated with it including obesity, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance are common among families, suggesting a significant heritability factor.

The exception to this rule comes up only for rare illnesses like Cushing's syndrome or hypothyroidism, which both slow metabolism.

As you age, your metabolism becomes less efficient, or what we think of as "slowing down," says Heather Seid, a registered dietician and Bionutrition Program Manager at ColumbiaUniversity.

There are many reasons your metabolism slows down, including losing muscle mass and changes in your cells. But the main reason for metabolism change is that people become less active as they get older.

Unfortunately, you can't completely stop your metabolism from slowing down as you age but exercise may give you a boost. Studies show that keeping active as you grow older can help curb a metabolism slowdown.

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How metabolism works and why you can't speed it up to lose weight - Insider - INSIDER

Visceral fat, also known as belly fat, is easily overlooked because, unlike subcutaneous fat (the type of fat you can pinch), it lies close to vital organs. Its inconspicuous nature doesnt make it any less threatening, however. On the contrary, a build up of visceral fat can interfere with vital bodily processes, raising your risk of deadly conditions, such as heart disease.

Luckily, visceral fat can be fended off by making positive dietary decisions, and an encouraging body of literature makes the case for eating particular food groups.

One key food group is soluble fibre, the type that mixes with water to form a viscous gel-like substance.

Research investigating its properties shows that it helps slow down the delivery of digested food from the stomach to the intestines.

When soluble fibre reaches the colon, its fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are a major source of nutrition for colon cells.

READ MORE:How to lose visceral fat: The exercise proven to banish the dangerous belly fat

It has also been suggested that this may also help reduce visceral fat by suppressing your appetite.

For example, studies show that short-chain fatty acids help increase levels of fullness hormones such as cholecystokinin, GLP-1 and PYY.

They can also help reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, notes research.

Whats more, a study in 1,114 people found that simply increasing soluble fibre intake by 10 grams daily reduced the risk of visceral fat gain by up to 3.7 percent.

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To pack your diet full of fibre, try eating more flaxseeds, sweet potatoes, legumes and grains.

Protein-rich foods have also been shown to activate processes that lead to weight loss.

Research attributes its effect to increasing levels of the fullness hormones GLP-1, PYY and cholecystokinin.

Like fibre, it can also help reduce levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

Whats more, studies have shown that protein can help boost your metabolism as well, which in turn promotes weight loss and visceral fat loss.

In addition, many studies show that people who eat more protein tend to carry less visceral fat.

One notable study in 23,876 adults showed that a higher protein intake was linked to a lower body mass index, higher good HDL cholesterol and a smaller waist circumference, which is a marker of visceral fat.

HDL cholesterol is a healthy type of fat found in your blood that flushes a harmful fat called LDL cholesterol out of your system - a key preventative measure against heart disease.

Protein is naturally found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes and whey protein.

For optimal results, however, a healthy, balanced diet should be combined with regular exercise.

Harvard Health advises engaging in regular moderate-intensity physical activity at least 30 minutes per day (and perhaps up to 60 minutes per day) to control weight and lose belly fat.

Moderate-intensity exercise is anything that gets your heart pumping, such as running, cycling or swimming.

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How to get rid of visceral fat: Increase your intake of these two foods to reduce fat - Express

Amber Coster was working as an executive for a tech start-up when burnout hit. I literally felt sick and tired, but I thought I was superhuman, the 30-year-old says, explaining how she ignored the warning signs as she focused on helping to take the company from a $100m valuation to a $3.7bn acquisition.

Eventually my entire body and mind shut down. One Wednesday, I got so out-of-breath walking up one flight of stairs. On the Thursday, I opened up a simple spreadsheet, but had absolutely no idea how to change the figures. By the Friday, I felt tense and went for a body massage my back muscles were so locked that the therapist told me my body was in extreme trauma, and I just burst into tears.

Initially, Coster told her boss shed take a couple of weeks off work. In fact her recovery took six months. My burnout escalated really quickly I felt like I was constantly being hit by all-consuming exhaustion, she remembers.

Id sit at the dinner table and get all my words mixed up; I couldnt walk for more than 10 minutes at a time and I couldnt concentrate on anything for long.

In the UK, 602,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, anxiety or depression in 2018/19, according to the Health and Safety Executive accounting for 54 per cent of all working days lost due to ill health in this period.

AI is now being used in cognitive behavioural therapy

Psychotherapist Hilda Burke, author of The Phone Addiction Workbook, describes burnout as a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.

She compares its ongoing nature to ignoring the red warning light on your car when youre running low on fuel. You can keep driving but your time is limited, she says.

When we override those red flags, we run the risk of that final crash, when your engine stops altogether.

For some people, burnout acts as a real wake-up call, she argues, noting that: Sometimes you need a breakdown to have a breakthrough.

It can often be high-achieving individuals who experience burnout, she says.

Its humbling to ask for support, thats hard, and sometimes its easier for people to risk the burnout. So they may need to lose their job or go on sick leave for a period, and that crash might be the start of a profound transformation in their lives.

While a healthy diet, exercise and creating time to get some headspace are all essential to mental wellbeing, ultimately change needs to come from within, says Burke. To push through everything your body is telling you and just keep going even when youre exhausted is such a high internal driver, she says.

Melissa Hemsley on tackling loneliness and couples therapy

That persons core belief system needs to be unrooted before those foundations need to be put back in.

Sophie Medlin, a 33-year-old dietitian living in north London, went freelance after experiencing burnout. Things are much more straightforward for me now, she says.

At my worst, I couldnt concentrate. I was exhausted, but my sleep was disturbed, and Id wake up anxious at 4am and start working to try and keep on top of things, she says.

Medlin had been working in situations she found stressful for years: first in the NHS, which she describes as a constant marathon, and then in academia, where she found presenteeism was a problem. She explains that she felt there was an expectation that she would be constantly available, and checking her mail late into the evening and working at weekends.

But I couldnt be 100% functional all the time, she says. She found that work was having an impact on her mental and physical health. Cortisol [the stress hormone] massively increases your appetite but your body uses up nutrients rapidly during times of stress so I often felt poorly because my immune system was much less resilient as a result.

When she decided to leave her job, Medlin had counselling, and describes feeling a massive weight lift. She started to work as a consultant dietitian with businesses and private clients, and realised there was a different, more balanced way of working.

She is now based at wellbeing hub Nimaya, Londons first dedicated gym for the mind, as an in-house, specialist dietitian. Her experience of chronic stress and anxiety has changed her perspective on the damage it can do. So many people live in a state of chronic stress, but its so poisonous for people and it has long-term effects on our health, she says.

A negative experience of burnout also prompted Cate Murden to reconsider her career in advertising, and found Push Mind and Body, a corporate well-being company. She spent three months signed off with stress in her previous role. I was suffering from imposter syndrome in a new role, constantly slightly in fear and fight or flight mode, Murden says.

Id wake up at 3am and start firing out emails. It was crazy. Now she tries to ensure that nobody dreads going to work. Resilience is born out of physiology and mindset the most important thing is to talk to someone, and talking therapy with counsellor, or coach can start getting you out of that cycle, she says.

When Coster was struggling with burnout, researching chronic burnout and adrenal fatigue from her west London home, she also turned to familiar voices to find hope. Podcasts were her saviour relatable advocates such as Bryony Gordon, who shared her experience of anxiety and breakdown.

Gradually, Coster learnt to listen to her own body. At first she started gently swimming a couple of lengths, then walking for a few minutes, before she eventually began to run. The following year she ran her first London marathon, and once back at work she passionately introduced more awareness about mental health into the company.

These are the best meditation apps to reduce stress and anxiety

Returning to the office was a terrifying prospect, Coster admits. By practising kindness and patience and by focusing on small wins, it gradually became easier. I needed to prove that it was possible to find a healthier way to exist while also doing an excellent job.

She left her employer last June to start her own consultancy, Balpro, which helps businesses to balance aggressive revenue goals with employee wellbeing. But in the year before resigning she launched mental health initiatives across the company and also ran mental health workshops leaving with the knowledge that she had done something positive.

Reflecting on that journey, Coster says: Things need to change and I want to help transform the lives of other people now thats my silver lining.

Self-care is now an integral part of her daily routine. I run regularly to boost my energy levels and clear my headspace, and I have a really open dialogue with my friends were always checking in with each other.

Talking to others about your stress is crucial, agrees Medlin: Tell people that youre struggling and theyll be more open to supporting you. I do believe you have to stop to be able to have the headspace to imagine how things could work out differently. And thats quite liberating.

She is now much more conscious of her mental health and stress. Ive learnt to prioritise things that help me feel better in particular yoga has been important, having more time to invest in my support network of friends and family and just having headspace to reflect.

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Work burnout: 'My entire body and mind shut down' - 3 women on how they recovered - Evening Standard