How to Get Rid of Armpit Fat?

No one would like their skin sagging and bulging out from their shirts, right? Well, armpit fat is one of the culprits that can make any person in the world feel embarrassed and anxious about their body. You cannot wear sleeveless clothes of your choice.

Moroever, those who opt for full-sleeved clothes start feeling discomfort as the armpit fat makes their clothes feel tight. How do we solve this? How to get rid of armpit fat? To know this, let’s start by understanding the causes behind it and choose possible interventions accordingly.

Table of Contents:

• Part 1: What Causes Armpit Fat?
• Part 2: Auxiliary Breast Tissue vs. Armpit Fat
• Part 3: Exercises for Armpit Fat
• Part 4: Other Strategies to Reduce Armpit Fat

Part 1: What Causes Armpit Fat?

Shoulder bones, upper arm, muscles, and chest walls are structured so that they form our armpit also known as the axilla. In some people, excess weight accumulates in the axilla giving it a drooping appearance. Let’s see what factors contribute to making these small pouches around your armpits:

• Tight clothing: When you wear tight clothes, especially bras, they push your skin up from the chest and it bulges out as armpit fat.
• Lymphedema: Lymphedema is the inflammation of lymph nodes. These nodes are present throughout the body including your armpits. When they swell, they form a bump that appears like armpit fat
• Hormones: Hormonal changes particularly during puberty and menstruation cause breasts to swell up. These swollen breasts cause tissues to accumulate in your armpits
• Weight: Being overweight can be one of the reasons for armpit bulge. The excess fat accumulates in the underarm area commonly giving your arms a bigger abd bulky appearance
• Genetics: Fat distribution throughout the body depends upon genetics. So, if your genetics can be a potential cause of armpit fat
• Posture: Bad posture does not affect fat deposition but it can make this deposition look worse than it is

Part 2: Auxiliary Breast Tissue vs. Armpit Fat

Auxiallry breast tissue is similar in appearance to armpit fat but differentiating them is necessary to determine the right approach for addressing your concern.

Auxiliary breast tissue is the fibrous extension of your normal breast tissues that reaches your armpits. There is no association of fat with this bulge formed. On the other hand, armpit fat indicates excess fat deposition.

The former one is not a health concern and its appearance changes with hormonal fluctuations. In contrast, armpit fat indicates a health concern and hormonal changes have little impact on its visibility. As the levels of progesterone and estrogen increase, your auxiliary breast tissue becomes lumpy and heavy while armpit fat feels softer all the time.

Part 3: Exercises for Armpit Fat

Is there any natural way to make your armpit fat go away? It is difficult for the auxiliary fat to disappear completely but it can reduce to a great extent. For this purpose, strength training exercises in combination with cardio exercises can prove the best. These exercises get rid of fat by burning calories and aiding in weight loss.

Let’s discuss some exercises that can specifically help you in this regard.

Pushups and Chest Presses

Pushups and chest presses work on the same muscles including your chest, triceps, and front of your shoulders. In both these exercises, you bend and extend your elbows to push the resistance away from you. It takes energy to do so, so these can burn the fat.

In pushups, you need to lie down horizontally and then hold yourself up with palms and toes. Then, let your chest touch the ground slowly by bending your elbows. In the last step, lift your body and balance yourself on your knees and toes in a plant position.

Chest presses work similarly but you are lying on a bench with feet touching the ground and face upwards. You can now use dumbbells, a chest press machine, or a seated chest press machine for performing the exercise. If you are lying, move the dumbbells close to your chest on inhalation while moving them upwards on exhalation.

If you are sitting, you can hold the machine tightly with your hands and then push the handle towards you as you inhale and away as you exhale.

Frequency:

3-4 times per week

Duration:

3 sets of 10 cycles each

Dumbbell Flyes and Lateral Raises

Dumbbell flyes and lateral raises target your deltoid muscles. One targets your anterior deltoid while the other targets your lateral deltoid thus becoming a perfect pair of exercises for a reduction in armpit fat.

To perform the dumbbell flyes, you need to lie flat on a bench with your feet placed firmly against the ground. Hold dumbbells in each hand and slowly lift them by extending your arms and bending your palms and elbows. As they reach above the head, lower them to the level of your chest in an arc motion.

Let’s move towards the lateral raises now. Stand straight first and hold dumbells in your hand. Look straight ahead with your feet kept slightly at a distance from each other. Move the dumbbells in your hands up to your shoulders by extending your arms up and outwards. Breathe in while doing so. It makes a T shape of your body. Then, move the dumbbells down while breathing out.

Frequency

1-3 times per week

Duration

2-3 sets with 15 repetitions each

Tricep dips and Pushups

Tricep dips along with pushups can help in reducing the underarm fat by targeting your shoulders, chest, and trips. These exercises also strengthen your muscles. Moreover, tricep dips can make your pushups stronger and better.

For tricep dips, stand in front of a chair with your hands extending backward on the chair. They should be shoulder-width away from each other. Also, extend your feet slightly in front of you. Keeping your back close to the bench, lower your body toward the floor until your elbows make a 90-degree angle. Now come back to the original position using your triceps.

You can perform the pushups in the same way explained above.

Frequency

2-3 times per week

Duration

3 sets of 10 repetitions each

Also Read: 10 Fat Burning Exercises for Females.

Part 4: Other Strategies to Reduce Armpit Fat

These strategies do not necessarily reduce the armpit fat but they can help keep your body metabolism in check and help control the building of your armpit fat

Healthy and Balanced Diet

Eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet can help in reducing the fat in your body and prevent further build-up. A healthy and balanced diet comprises vegetables, meat, eggs, and lentils in appropriate quantity.

Moreover, you can also replace your current diet with some natural ingredients like chia seeds, protein-rich foods, green vegetables, apples, and fresh juices to lose weight naturally. Chia seeds are rich in fiber while protein-rich foods suppress your hunger and promote the body’s metabolism. Green vegetables also have fat-burning capabilities. So, what’s the wait? Lose armpit fat with a healthy diet and gain glowing skin as well.

Optimal Hydration

Taking note of your daily water intake along with a balanced diet can help in promoting fat loss in the armpit area. Drinking water during your meals gives you a sensation of fullness thus reducing the number of your daily calorie consumption.

It also increases the rate of metabolism for a temporary time. Other than water, you can take fresh juices but avoid canned drinks as they have a high number of calories.

Stress Management

Stress management does not target your armpit fat directly but it has an indirect connection with your increasing weight. When we are stressed and unable to respond to a bad situation, physiologic changes occur in our bodies. One of them is weight gain that eventually leads to armpit fat.

Managing stress can help your mind stay relaxed and focus on every aspect of your life positively. A positive outlook on life can help you take care of your body and mind better. So, you can focus on your diet, sleep, hydration, and regular exercise by reducing your stress level.

Adequate Sleep

Sleep is one of the major changes you need to make in your lifestyle to stay healthy and fit. A disturbed sleep schedule or inadequate sleep increases your appetite. Increased appetite means unnecessary weight gain.

So, set a proper sleeping schedule and follow it wholeheartedly to keep yourself in shape. Adequate sleep also provides you with the energy to stay fresh throughout the day, maintain your focus, and work better on all the planned things.

Also Read: Sleep and Weight Loss

Professional Help

Lifestyle changes and exercise work for most people but there are cases where even these steps can do nothing. That is when seeking professional help becomes a good option. There are several cosmetic procedures like liposuction, laser liposuction, cryolipolysis, and ultrasound cavitation.

All these techniques use different modes to break the axillary fat. There are also surgical options like Brachioplasty in which surgeons tighten your skin and remove the excess fat from your underarms. You can consult a professional to see what works best for you.

Conclusion

Armpit fat can be of great concern, especially for those who are very serious about their looks and presentation. It is different from auxiliary breast tissue as hormonal changes minimally affect this fat deposition. The fat accumulation may be due to genetics, weight gain, clothing choice, and a sedentary lifestyle.

However, this can be reversed by making changes in your lifestyle, and daily routine, and adding some healthy exercises to your schedule. If you think that the situation is out of your control now then you can also seek professional advice for a personal plan.