Avoid common mistakes and craft abs of steel by following these
10 simple steps to lose belly fat
First of all, let's
get one thing clear: there is no way to target specific areas of fat on your
body. No matter how enthusiastically the lady on the infomercial promises her
products will be able to 'melt those love handles' or 'firm up that butt',
she's lying. Or at least, bending the truth. And even if you work out twice a
day, every day, if you're consuming more calories than you’re burning, and if
the food you’re eating is packed full of sugar and other things that encourage
your body to store fat - you will still carry some excess flab.
However, there are
some tricks you can employ to give your body the best chance in your fight
against the flab. Thousands of crunches won’t give you a six-pack, but making
some dietary changes and switching up your training approach can and will.
The quickest way to
fail your fat-fighting mission is by flaking out on your commitments and
lacking discipline. But even if you are properly motivated, you need to ensure
you aren’t making silly mistakes that will stall your belly fat burning
progress. We've come up with ten of the most common, critical errors even the
most ardent gym-goer could still make, and the simple changes that could see
your six-pack come out of hiding within a matter of weeks.
Are you sitting
comfortably? Let’s begin…
1. Banish stress
Minimising stress lowers your cortisol levels. It's been
understood for ages that chronically high cortisol results in fat gain,
particularly around the middle. No matter how much you exercise or how healthy
your diet, you’ll struggle to lose weight if your cortisol is elevated. And
unfortunately for us gentlemen, we're more prone to stress-related cortisol and
belly fat so reducing stress levels is a surefire way to help attack the belly
flab. Of course, reducing stress is easier said than done, but three scientifically
proven ways you can do it are: yoga, laughter and listening to music. So, hit a
yoga class, watch a comedy and keep some headphones handy.
2. Get plenty of vitamin C
Vitamin C can help balance the cortisol spikes that occur while
you're stressed. And as well as being a good way to boost you immune system and
prevent colds, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound
that helps your body with the process of turning fat into fuel. If you’re going
through a particularly stressful period then increase your vitamin C and it’ll
go some way to help counteract the negative side-effects. However, don't just
neck a load of orange juice to up your intake. OJ may be a great vitamin C
source but it's also full of sugar (even though it's naturally occurring it
will still hamper your weight-loss efforts). Try including more chilli peppers,
tomatoes, kale and kiwi fruit in your diet. These all have even more vitamin C
than oranges, along with a host of other healthy nutrients.
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3. Start strength training
Strength training isn't just about building bulging biceps that
look good in the mirror. It's essential for weight loss because it burns
calories while improving insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake. It's
preferable to steady state cardio training because it produces a more
favourable muscle-building response and burns more fat. For the best
results, follow a periodised strength training programme that changes regularly
– so you are not doing the same thing for longer than two months – and include
sprint training.
4. Don’t avoid fat
Avoiding fat in your diet to shift fat from your body may seem
logical, but when you appreciate the role of fat in the body you’ll realise it
isn’t. You need a decent amount of ‘good’ fat in your diet because all
the cells in your body are made up of two layers of fats, or
lipids, which are composed of good fats or bad fats depending on the type
that’s predominant in your diet. If the cell lipid layers are made up of
healthy fats, it will make them more sensitive to insulin and allow the
receptors to bind more easily, which is necessary for good metabolism and
energy production. Of course, removing trans fats from your diet is essential
because they will make you fat and then they will kill you.
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5. Balance your healthy fat intake
To get a balanced intake you ideally want a nearly equal ratio
of omega 3 to omega 6 fats. Most people get way too many omega 6 fats because
they are abundantly found in the most commonly used vegetable oils. Omega 3
fatty acids are those that come from fish oil (usually known as DHA, EPA and
ALA) but they also are found in grass-fed beef and wild meats. So for better
insulin health and body composition, eat wild meat and fish and take an omega 3
supplement.
6. Take a probiotic
Probiotics are tiny bacteria that live naturally in the
gastrointestinal tract and are commonly found in dairy products such as yogurt.
It’s difficult to lose weight if you don’t have a healthy gut. Why? More than
half the neurotransmitters that send messages from the brain to cells and
hormone receptors throughout the body are made in the gastrointestinal lining.
If your gut is not healthy, it negatively affects the production of the
neurotransmitters, leading to poor cognitive function, low mood and lack of
motivation to exercise. Gut health is also essential because it improves
digestion. Your metabolism will be supported so that nutrients are broken down,
absorbed and used by the body effectively. A recent study even
found that the probiotics found in fermented kimchi and yoghurt can naturally
speed up your metabolism.
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7. Top up your nutrients
Another trick for supporting digestion and fat loss is to make
sure you have adequate stomach acid to break down food. Take a hydrochloric
acid (HCl) supplement to improve acid levels in the stomach and to allow your
body to completely break down food. The increased acid levels in the stomach
will improve the absorption of protein, calcium, vitamin B, magnesium, zinc,
iron and other basic nutrients.
When you’re tired you
produce more of the hunger-stimulating hormone called ghrelin, which triggers
cravings for sugar and other foods that will do your waistline no favours.
Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, which affects your
cortisol levels and can cause insulin sensitivity - one of the main offenders
when it comes to seemingly unshiftable belly flab. Getting seven to eight hours
of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do if you want to lose
weight and reveal your abs.
9. Start your day with protein
Skipping meals will set you up to fail to lose weight, and
eating breakfast is one of the simplest, healthiest things you can do to feel
better and have more energy – but it’s vital that it includes protein. Cereal
is bad for breakfast because it’s typically packed with sugar and additives.
Setting the neurotransmitters up for the day is the reason a high-quality
protein breakfast is essential. The macronutrient content of the food you eat
for breakfast will prime the chemicals that send messages from the brain to all
your muscles and tissues throughout the whole day.
10. Drink green tea
A study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition suggests
that drinking four cups of green tea each day could help people shed around
2-3kg in two months because there is a compound in the brewed tea that
temporarily speeds up your metabolism. If you want to up your intake even
further keep a jug of iced green tea in the fridge for a bit of variation.
