Its not a big secret that the majority of people have excess belly fat. And I don’t think i am coming up with anything you didnt know by saying that. – Deep down NONE of us really want it. Belly fat seems to be the first one people notice and the last one to go in many cases.
So how to get rid of it? This is the industrys best kept secret and you the average joe is usually the last one to know this type of information unless you are an avid reader of the best health and fitness blogs out there. You may have experienced this yourself during your quest for visible abs, that the last few pounds of fat on your midsection just doesnt seem to budge no matter how hard you diet or how hard you train. Don’t worry however- you are definatly not alone and even some of the top athletes in the world have found this to be a problem area.
Before I explain to you how you can lose this fat pretty easily I first need you to understand a few points :
- Belly Fat is made up of two different types of fat. These fats are called subcutaneous fat and visceral fat.
- We all have the same musculature underneath the bodyfat and its the Subcutaneous fat stops your 6-pack from showing (yes we all have one)and sits right under your skin.
- Visceral fat is is very hard and is deeper, surrounding your organs. Visceral fat is very dangerous to your health
- Belly Fat is the direct cause of many diseases, even resulting in death in some cases.
- Millions of sit ups just wont cut it, your nutrition is far more important.
Ok lets cut to the good stuff!
It was over 2 years ago now when I attended Charles Poliquins Biosignature modulation course. Biosignature is a truly unbelievable system which analyses your hormones and how well they are functioning. From what I have learned I now know that the reason we store fat directly on our belly is down to the hormone Cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone. There are a million and one causes of stress in our lives and if we are not good at dealing with the stresses we are under then we will store more bodyfat on our bellies. Now the most common forms of stress are -poor diet and lifestyle choices, stress, too much or too little exercise, lack of sleep, money problems, family and relationship problems). These are all stresses and we need to learn how to deal with them.
How to rid our body of unwanted cortisol?
1. First off, it’s important that you’re doing the right type of exercise. Studies have shown us that high-intensity exercise has a significant effect on abdominal fat as compared to low-intensity exercise. This is mainly due to the effect it has on our metabolism which can leave us burning fat for hours, even days AFTER the exercise session has ended. High-intensity exercise includes circuit type training, heavy strength training and also HIIT(high intensity interval training).
2. Sleep. Lack of sleep is a massive cause of increased cortisol levels. We need our cortisol very low before sleep(taking a magnesium supplement in the evening will help) 50 cent says sleep is for those who are broke but unless you need to stay up late to make millions online I would advise you to swith off the laptop/ipad etc before bed. Looking at telly etc will also cause problems with helping you to sleep, so try switch all off at least 60 mins before bed. 8 hours is the recomended amount of sleep and I personally function far better when I have had my 8 hours. Getting to bed before 12 is a must
3. De-Stress. There are many different techniques that help to de-stress the body, getting out for a walk rather than looking at facebook seeing everybody else telling us their problems would be one, de-friending or removing people from your newsfeed whose statuses are filling up your time and causing you stress is another good tip. Having some herbal tea like organic camomile tea is another tip that will do wonders in the evening. Yoga is also another good way of keeping stress at bay, although many people who do yoga tend to forget about their training(strike a balance)
4. Cut out caffeine for a while anyway. Many of my less stressed clients take caffeine supplements or drink organic coffee as it is a powerful stimulant and good anti oxidant, however if stress is causing you problems then I’m afraid I won’t let you near coffee or caffeine.
A properly designed meal plan is also key. One which doesn’t contain processed foods! Dehydration is another cause of increased cortisol, make sure you are topped up by drinking regularly with filtered watered and make sure you eat regularly and don’t go for too long during the day without food.
I hope this has helped you and that you now feel confident enough to implement the information I have given you. Doing the above will guarantee you see a drop in bodyfat from your belly. Keep me posted on my Facebook page if you found this blog interesting.
Thanks for reading
Adrian Harper