5 Odd Ways to Lose Belly Fat
If you’ve got too much belly fat, you’re facing a serious health issue. You’re at increased risk from many health problems like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and a stroke.
One of the factors that can cause gain weight on your stomach is when your cortisol levels increase. Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, which are responsible for many important processes in the body. Cortisol helps to maintain blood pressure, immune functions and the body’s anti-inflammatory processes. But if your cortisol levels are to high it can break downs lean muscle, which you need to lose belly fat.
Cortisol also holds on to fat storage in the stomach region. Research has shown that the stress caused by dieting can increase cortisol levels, thus resulting in no change in belly fat even when eating less calories.
So how do you lose belly fat and control cortisol? Exercise and a healthy diet are key components in any weight loss program. But check out these five odd ways to lose belly fat fast.
1. Vitamin C
When you’re under severe stress, you produce more of the cortisol hormone. Vitamin C helps to balance the cortisol surges that take place when you’re under this stress. Vitamin C is also important for making carnitine, a compound used by the body to turn body fat into fuel. You can increase your vitamin C intake with foods like bell peppers, kale and kiwi fruit.These have even more vitamin C than the renowned orange!
2. Get Some Sleep
When you are tired you produce more ghrelin, an enzyme produced by your stomach lining cells that stimulate your appetite for sugar and other fat-building foods. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production and increases your cortisol levels. Ideally, you need about 7 hours of sleep each night to help you lose belly fat naturally.
3. Do Fewer Sit-Ups and Crunches
Where a lot people who want a flat tummy go wrong is that they spend too much time concentrating on working their abdominals by doing loads of sit-ups and crunches. This may result in strong abdominal muscles, but with a full layer of fat on top, you will not get the results you really want. The best exercise lose belly fat is to focus on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That is what stimulates the fat burning hormones in your body that you need to get a flat stomach.
4. Eat Well
You need to eat while trying to lose weight. Starving yourself will not help. When you cut your calories drastically, your body goes into starvation mode and will hold on to every calorie eaten to stave of hunger and potential harm. But as long as you eat the right foods there is definitely no need to deny yourself lots of nutritious and tasty foods while trying to lose weight. Avoid packaged foods and processed foods. The foods to lose belly fat are good, naturally grown, hormone-free and pesticide-free foods.
5. Drink More Water
Drink water to stay energized and active. Avoid the high calorie sports drinks and, if you want to add some flavour, add a little fresh lemon or lime juice to your water for a low cost and healthy option. Ice cold water can actually boost up your body’s metabolic rate, which in turn burns more fats and calories.
7 ODD FOODS TO HELP YOU LOSE BELLY FAT
For the best techniques and routines to lose belly fat that check out the Truth About Abs program. It’s not just about doing abs exercises. It’s about smart training and nutrition strategies to help you lose belly fat so that you can finally get the flat stomach you want.
Developed Mike Geary, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, the Truth About Abs program is the #1 ranked abdominals ebook in the world with over 539,000 readers in 163 countries to date.
Check out Mike’s free video on 7 odd foods that help you lose belly fat