How To Get Rid of Belly Fat

How to get rid of belly fat and stress

Belly fat is a result of insulin resistance. Poor eating behaviors, low exercise and stress contribute to the accumulation of belly fat.  This fat is also known as visceral fat. This fat is dangerous because it surrounds the organs and causes a high amount of inflammatory enzymes to be released into your body. Getting control of insulin and blood sugar levels is the only way to reduce belly fat. Eating a balanced food plan without skipping meals as well as daily exercise and good sleep will help manage blood sugar levels and heal insulin receptors.   Healthy functioning insulin receptors allow the body to utilize energy efficiently and decrease the unnecessary storage of excess energy as fat.

Many have a hard time eating and sleeping well and finding time for exercise due to a stressful lifestyle.  Chronic stress leads to a cascade of hormonal and metabolic processes that lead to the breakdown of highly metabolic tissue including muscle, the release of excessive fatty acids into the blood stream resulting in high LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance which leads to added fat storage.

Chronic stress can deplete your adrenal glands which are responsible for other hormonal production and synthesis such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, epinephrine, dopamine, etc.  Cortisol is essential for the conversion of T4 and T3 in the thyroid. Many who suffer from chronic stress may also suffer from adrenal fatigue and thyroid disorders. The thyroid manages almost all metabolic processes in the body.

Stress management consists of taking time out! We have become a world of human doings instead of human beings.   Everyone experiences fear and worry. The trick to decreasing stress is deciding when it’s time to confront an issue or let it go and readiness for change. A great way to help bring your mind and thoughts into clarity is to do some type of meditation, prayer or deep belly breathing during your day. Studies show that the simple act of smiling can cause stress hormone levels to decrease. Keeping a positive outlook and practicing positive talk also reduces stress. Thoughts do effect physiology, so changing thoughts can actually change our body.

Try this 10 second breathing activity.  Find a quiet place and sit relaxed. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind in which there are no thoughts and you are only focusing on your breathing. Take deep breaths in through your nose and let it out slowly through your mouth. Concentrate on your breathing only. Start counting your breaths and aim for 10 breaths. If you are like most, you won’t make it past 4 breaths without losing focus. Practice this exercise every day and many times a day until you can count to 10 without losing focus or having a thought pop into your head.   This practice has shown to greatly reduce stress hormones and restore a feeling of peace.  This exercise is a great way to show you where you are in terms of stress in your life. If it becomes easy, you are managing your thoughts and stress well. If you can’t focus, you know there may be things in your life you need to confront or let go.