If you think that belly¹ fat is just an issue for people who are overweight, think again -- even people who are at a healthy weight and exercise regularly can have it. There's no such thing as a "perfect" body, so what's the big deal if your stomach isn't flat? It isn't just a problem of aesthetics².

如果你觉得大腹便便只是胖人的专利，那请君三思了——一些体重正常和经常锻炼的人都可能有小肚子，根本没有所谓的“完美”身材。所以，如果你的腹部不太平，有啥大不了呢？这个嘛，不仅仅是美感问题。

There are two types of fat: visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral fat is the kind that lies far below the surface, surrounding your organs. Subcutaneous fat is just below the skin and can be easily grabbed. You can spot visceral fat via an MRI or CT scan, but there's a simple test for it at home: If you have a large waistline or you're apple-shaped, you likely have visceral belly fat.

脂肪分两种：内脏脂肪和皮下脂肪。内脏脂肪指的是藏在体内，附在器官周围的脂肪；皮下脂肪只是在表皮下方，可以轻易用手捏到。通过做磁共振或CT扫描可以找到内脏脂肪，当然自己在家也可做个简单的测试：如果你腰围较大，或者是苹果状体型，那腹部肥肉很可能就是内脏脂肪堆积所至。

While neither type of fat is good, visceral belly fat carries some serious health risks. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, you're at risk if you have a waistline greater than 40 inches if you're a man and 35 inches if you're a woman (a lower threshold of 35 inches for men and 31 inches for women has been recommended by the World Health Organization for people of Asian ethnicity). We aren't entirely³ sure why, but belly fat is linked to increased insulin resistance, which can result in type II diabetes⁴. It can also lead to heart disease, stroke, some types of cancer, sleep apnea and premature⁵ bone density⁶ loss, and there's even evidence that it may be a factor in developing dementia.

两种脂肪都不是好事，内脏脂肪堆积往往带来一些严重的健康问题。美国卫生与公众服务部指出，如果男性腰围超过40英尺，女性腰围超过35英尺（世卫组织建议亚洲人的门槛降低至男性35英尺，女性31英尺），身体健康就有风险。虽然我们不完全明白个中缘由，但是腹部脂肪会关系到胰岛素抵抗（insulin resistance）的增加，这可能导致II型糖尿病，也可能导致心脏疾病，中风，某些癌症，睡眠呼吸暂停症，以及过早的骨密度流失。甚至还有证据显示，它可能是痴呆症的一个成因。

So what causes belly fat? Heredity is one factor. Belly fat has often been called "middle-aged⁷ spread" because as you age and your metabolism⁸ slows down, extra pounds tend to accumulate across the stomach. This is probably due to changes in levels of hormones⁹ such as cortisol, which is made in the adrenal glands¹⁰ and helps the body process glucose¹¹, regulate metabolism and manage stress. Speaking of stress, it can raise levels of cortisol, so it might lead to increased belly fat, too.

那腹部肥肉从何而来？遗传是一个因素。肚腩经常被称作“中年膘”，因为当你岁数上来了，新城代谢减缓，多余的肥肉就开始往肚子周围累积，这很可能是因为激素水平发生了变化，比如皮质醇的变化，它产生于肾上腺，帮助身体加工葡萄糖，调节新陈代谢和应对压力。提到压力，不得不说它会升高皮质醇水平，从而可能导致腹部脂肪的增加。

While it can be tough to do, there are ways to get rid of belly fat -- and not just plastic surgery -- but there's no magic pill. Read on for tips.

减腹虽然很难，但还是有些方法可以帮助消除腹部脂肪——不单单通过整容手术——当然，也不存在什么神丹妙药，下文提供一些小建议。

Blast That Belly

减腹消脂

Plastic surgery such as liposuction can remove subcutaneous fat but not visceral fat. Researchers in Brazil have discovered that if you have lipo to remove the former, your body could compensate¹² with an increase in the latter unless you have a diet and exercise regimen going.

像抽脂手术可以除掉皮下脂肪，但对内脏脂肪无效。巴西的研究者发现，如果你用抽脂手术除掉前者（皮下脂肪），你的身体会增加后者（内脏脂肪）来进行补偿，除非你开始节食和运动。

You can't do anything about aging or heredity, but if you have developed belly fat, you can still work to combat it. A lot of people think that exercises targeting the stomach area, such as sit-ups or crunches¹³, are the way to go. These types of exercises tone and tighten¹⁴ muscles, but they can't do anything about fat. Instead, focus on losing fat overall via vigorous aerobic¹⁵ exercise -- preferably 30 minutes or more most days of the week. Start slow and build up. You don't have to run to get good cardio; brisk walking, dancing and bicycling all count, too. Strength training, meaning lifting weights, may also help get rid of visceral belly fat. Building muscle raises your metabolism so you can burn more calories. You might also consider incorporating core-strengthening exercises like planks¹⁶.

我们对年纪和遗传是无能为力，但如果已经有了肚腩，你仍可以努力与之对抗的。很多人认为诀计是进行针对腹部的运动，如仰卧起坐或卷腹。这类运动能拉伸和绷紧肌肉，却对脂肪无能为力；针对消除脂肪，一般要通过剧烈的有氧运动——尽量每天花30分钟或更长时间。慢慢开始，循序渐进，不必一来就飚至强烈的有氧模式，像快走，跳舞和骑车也都是不错的选择。力量训练，即举重，也可能有助于消除内脏脂肪堆积的大腹便便。肌肉训练会促进新城代谢，这样可以燃烧掉更多的热量。你还可考虑加入核心肌群强化训练，如平板支撑（plank）。

What you eat also makes a difference. To reduce belly fat, avoid foods that contain trans fats, a type of fat found in many prepackaged cookies, crackers¹⁷ and baked goods, as well as some fried fast foods. Not only can trans fats pack on the pounds, but research conducted at Wake Forest University has also shown that they can add fat specifically to your belly and even redistribute fat there from other areas of the body.

吃什么也会有影响。为了减少腹部脂肪，不要吃含反式脂肪的食物，很多包装饼干、糕点、烘焙食品及一些油炸的快餐都含有这一类脂肪，反式脂肪不仅会让你增肥，据维克森林大学的研究显示，它还专门往你的腹部脂肪添砖加瓦，甚至会将身体其他部位的脂肪“挪到”腹部。

Sugar also increases belly fat. Eat whole grains as well as lots of fruits and vegetables. Foods high in fiber¹⁸ not only keep you full longer but they also lower insulin levels and may shrink fat cells. A diet rich in healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil, avocados, almonds and peanuts may also cause fat to break down. Your best beverage¹⁹ is always going to be water. It flushes out fat and keeps down bloat, and drinking lots of it keeps you from thinking you're hungry when you're actually thirsty.

糖分也会增加腹部脂肪。要吃五谷杂粮以及大量的水果和蔬菜。高纤维食品不仅让你饿得慢，也能降低胰岛素水平，缩减脂肪细胞。富含单不饱和脂肪酸的健康饮食，如橄榄油，牛油果，杏仁和花生，也可能让脂肪分崩离析。水是最好的饮料，它能冲走脂肪，消除肿胀，大量喝水还可以让你在口渴时不误以为是饿了。

The final key to losing belly fat is to de-stress. Easier said than done, right? One way to lower stress is to get enough sleep, ideally eight hours each night. Find ways to diffuse²⁰ stressful situations -- through yoga, meditation²¹ or journaling.

减腹的最后一招是减压。当然，说总比做容易，是吧？缓解压力的一个途径是充足睡眠，每晚睡八小时最理想。另外，为压力寻找一些释放的出口——通过练瑜伽，冥思，或者写日记的方式。

While there's no one way to lose belly fat, that's no reason to give up. It has nothing to do with how you look in a swimsuit and everything to do with staying healthy.

此肥无计可消除，劝君莫气馁，泳衣诚重要，健康价更高！