The belly fat on your body is a confirmation of an unhealthy lifestyle that involves eating too much and getting an insufficient amount of exercise. Clinically, belly fat goes by the more official terminology of central obesity, and it is defined as abdominal fat that gives the outcome of increasing your waist size. Belly fat results from a buildup of visceral fat, and this is what gives the unattractive appearance of a pronounced and protruding belly. Belly fat is undesirable not only for the superficial reason of image, but also the more serious reason of constituting a real health risk. Belly fat can foreshadow problems involving high blood pressure, heart disease, insulin resistance and even Alzheimer's.

The first cause of belly fat is the sedentary lifestyle, which is defined as a lifestyle in which a person fails to exercise regularly, or fails to get any exercise at all. The biggest problem with a sedentary lifestyle is that it can increase your chances of developing serious health conditions, which are all somewhat preventable. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, you are raising your chances of dying younger, yet you can easily avoid this by simply moving more and exercising regularly. A sedentary lifestyle commonly consists of the practice of sitting on the couch and watching too much TV. Such a lifestyle is not limited just to TV watching; a sedentary lifestyle also involves reading too much or using the computer too much. Basically, if you are not moving enough, it is sedentary.

Overeating is another well-founded cause of developing belly fat. Eating too much can lead to a gain of weight that can further manifest itself in the expansion of your waist. This is especially true if you fail to get in enough exercise on any particular given day. Weight gain is based on the simple principle of calories, specifically taking in too many calories while failing to burn off enough to counteract it. So if you eat too much food, and then lead a sedentary lifestyle, you are sure to start developing belly fat.

This cause of belly fat may be the toughest one to hear, because it entails not really being able to do all that much to prevent it. Genetics play a role in deciding where the fat distribution goes in your body, and it practically relates to two different body types. Either you are apple-shaped or pear-shaped. If you are pear-shaped, then the fat generally accumulates in your lower areas like your fanny. If you are apple-shaped, then your body has the tendency of storing fat around your midsection, thus leading to belly fat.