No one loves belly fat from an aesthetic point of view, but this kind of fat is actually dangerous to your overall wellbeing. A portly midsection is a significant indicator of disease, signifying that your levels of the stress hormone cortisol are too high, and your wellness is at risk of deadly inflammation. However, a few simple changes can make you your very best from the inside out.
Firstly, start interval training. Sit-ups can help you gain that six-pack, but unless you shift the layers of fat above it you’re never going to see it! You need to work in some cardiovascular exercise between sit-ups, crunches, planks and other abdominal exercises in order to get the flat stomach you want and build a solid core. Between each abs-creating set, do 30 to 60 seconds of running on a treadmill, star jumps or use a skipping rope.
Next, don’t skip meals as this is actually counter productive. When you skip a meal, your body responds by storing fat, especially in your abdomen. To pacify cravings and rev up your metabolism (which you need to do to prevent fat storage) have small meals and snacks throughout the day. One thing you should skip, however, is sweet treats. Sugar causes unnecessary spikes and crashes in your blood and energy, and gets stored as fat when consumed in excess, so instead turn to sweet berries to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Fourth on this list is to boost your vitamin C intake, from foods like citrus fruits, broccoli, kale and bell peppers. Vitamin C keeps your cortisol levels under control and helps your body to produce carnitine, which converts fat into energy. Also, increase your intake of healthy fats. The high doses of omega-3 in avocados, walnuts and olive oil can improve satiety and boost your metabolism.
The last two belly fat busters go hand-in-hand; sleep and relax. Multiple studies have proven that too little or poor quality sleep leads to weight gain, as this depletes your energy levels, causing you to snack more throughout the day. Finally, you need to relax more as this can keep your cortisol levels under control, which, in turn, prevents weight gain. Try to make time every day, even if it’s just five minutes, to relax and meditate.
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