After countless abdominal exercises and a regular schedule at the gym, you are still not losing belly fat. Your body has changed and the number on the scale has even dropped, so why are you not losing the weight around your waist? You look at your diet, your workouts, even your genetics, all in hopes for an explanation. But you are right back where you started, shopping for clothing to camouflage your midsection. Before you throw in the towel and accept you are doomed for to have belly fat, check out my tips to help you whittle your middle. Let me tell you as a personal trainer, mom of three, with a fourth child on the way and your health coach; if I can still have a slim stomach, so can you!
1 Diet
Before you throw out all the food culprits and go on an extreme diet, add more veggies and fruits to your menus. Stop worrying about what you cannot eat and look at the array of food that you can enjoy. And focus on eating small healthy meals throughout the day to boost your metabolic rate, lose weight and lower your body fat stores. In order to see abdominal definition, you need to lower your body fat!
Frequently asked questions
2 Not Enough Cardio
If you are hitting the gym on a regular basis for a walk on the treadmill, you are probably barely breaking a sweat. Push yourself with a run or interval training and make sure you finish your workouts covered in sweat. It is a rare day when I do not finish my workouts practically drenched. And make your cardio sessions for 45 minutes to one hour at medium intensity or a 30 minute ultra -intense calorie burning session. You get out what you put in!
3 Need to Pump Iron
Pump some iron to boost your metabolism, tone your entire body and as a result you can whittle your middle. Countless crunches are just a waste of time. You will see more results by lifting weights. Just make sure you keep a slight bend in the knee when standing and tighten your core. If you tighten your core you will see even more results!
4 Genetics
Stop blaming your poor mom for your not so slim stomach. Genetics do play a role in having a tight midsection and some people do gain weight more easily in their middle. But with a healthy diet, exercise and these tips you can defy your genetics. Get moving in the right direction for results!
5 Processed Foods
Processed foods contain chemicals and ingredients that are often difficult to pronounce. These foods take a toll on the body when digesting and as a result can lead to weight gain. So create your own healthy meals to tone and sculpt your midsection. You are what you eat so be a healthy, natural, clean and beautiful person by creating your own delights!
6 Eating Refined Sugar
Refined sugar is addicting, causes mood swings and causes a major insulin surge. This surge equals weight gain and then your goals of a whittled middle are basically discarded. So before you say yes to the refined sugar, go all natural and satisfy your sweet tooth with an apple!
7 Lack of Sleep
4-5 hours a sleep each night is definitely not enough and this insufficient sleep can even be causing you to gain weight. So change the fate of your health and waistline by aiming for a sufficient 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Your body will thank you will a boosted metabolic rate working at its best and even a boosted immune system. You are totally winning now as you are slimming down!
8 AGe
As you age your body changes how you gain and lose weight. Your metabolism declines with age causing fat to grow and stick around your mid section.
9 Stress
Stress is the number 1 contributing factor to belly fat. Stress in your body causes your brain to release cortisol which increases the amount of fat your body clings to. Stress also causes many to eat high fat and high calorie foods as a way to manage.
10 You're Sick
I don't just mean *cough cough* sick, I mean a deeper condition. High testosterone in the body which is linked to PCOS can cause problems when losing weight. Other conditions like diabetes have been linked to a higher amount of visceral fat which is fat around the midsection.
Stop hiding your belly fat and follow the tips provided to get in your best shape and achieve the slim, sexy stomach you always dreamed of. It is time to stop dreaming and start doing!
