They might be called love handles, but they certainly aren’t something that people love or are particularly fond of!

Love handles, AKA ‘muffin top,’ is the skin or the area of stubborn fat that extends from the hips and the abdominal area. This excess fat simply sits on the sides of our waist and can be really difficult to get rid of.

It’s commonly believed that one of the biggest causes of love handles is a lack of exercise, as a result of which, the fat accumulates near the waist, and the calories that you consume remain unburned.

While that is true, there are many other causes of love handles as well that most people don’t know about.

Main Causes of Love Handles

Love handles aren’t particularly dangerous, but they can end up being a precursor to serious medical conditions in the long run if you don’t do anything to get rid of them.

Take a look at some of the main causes of love handles.

Absence of Physical Activity

It goes without saying that when you don’t exercise, it can be quite a challenge to lose excess fat from any part of the body. The same applies to love handles. The absence of physical activity can lead to an increase in fat accumulation near your waist and abdominal area.

 

High Cortisol Levels

Cortisol is the stress hormone in the body that increases significantly when you are under pressure. Kids, work, no work, COVID19, the future, your spouse, traffic, politics….yeah we all got stress!!!

High cortisol levels in the body can eventually transform into increased fat accumulation near your hips and around the waistline and midsection of the body, in addition, to killing your overall mood and putting all of your glorious tush toning plans on the back burner!

 

A Diet High In Fats, Carbs, and Sugars

One of the most common reasons for an increase in fat cells in the body is none other than consuming a diet that is high in sugars, fats, carbs, and high-calorie foods.

For many people, following such a diet can increase the accumulation of fat around the hips and waist.

Age

With age come a lot of health-related issues, one of which is weight gain.

There are many factors at play here, the most important of which is your hormones. Hormones play a huge role when it comes to weight gain because changes in the hormonal levels of the body can lead to an increase in the fat cells near your midsection. That, coupled with decreased physical activity and exercise, further contributes to an increase in your love handles.

Genes

Though genetics is an ever-evolving field of science and medicine, obesity and genetic links are constantly studied to see what, if any, and how strong the correlation and causation are. It is very plausible that genes may play an even stronger role in certain individuals’ predisposition to fat accumulation and metabolism. However, genes alone are no reason to be discouraged if you are not 100% happy with the way your body currently looks.

Final Takeaway

Love handles may seem really hard to get rid of, but there’s nothing that a little exercise coupled with some body cavitation or radio frequency treatments can’t address! Get a little boost on your journey to achieve optimal results faster, you’ll thank us later!

Just remember, it’s important to take into account the causes of love handles so that you are able to identify and take appropriate measures to get rid of them.