By There isn’t anyone on the planet that wants a fat belly.
It’s not a good look, and it’s a dangerous fat that can cause serious health complications.
But why does it happen to most of us, and why is it so hard to shift?
Is it our environmental factors as well as what’s going on inside of us?
In today’s world filled with different kinds of pandemics, job losses and the death of loved ones, it’s no wonder that we may be more stressed-out than ever before.
It’s no surprise that our belly has probably grown out of control from what, at first, seems like nothing at all.
That’s why I wanted to bring your awareness to what stress does and why we get fatter from it.
One: stress stops you from making positive food choices.
It doesn’t matter if you are always eating healthy foods or not — you still make poorer food choices.
When our brain is under stress, it craves pleasurable foods.
When we eat something filled with higher sugar levels, insulin is released, and cortisol lowers itself down.
The knock-on effect of that is we start to experience the calm and easing of that particular stressor.
This carb craving business is a natural protective occurrence against the increased surge of cortisol.
The trouble is that stress is not just a one-day occurrence; it goes on for days on end sometimes. That leaves us a lot more susceptible to keep making those poor food choices and walking up one day to a fat belly.
How to stop this from happening: Pre-make your food and eat before you are starving. If you have something on hand — even snacks, it will make eating mindfully a lot easier.
Two: Stress can cause inflammation and resistance to insulin
This kind of inflammation is happening inside our belly, which is why our so-called “stomach” or ‘Gut” is sticking out.
This belly fat releases compounds that stimulate and disturb your bodies stress system. When all that inflammation goes out of control, our brain signals get messed up.
That results in the brain releasing even more cortisol, although the levels are dangerously high.
So that cycle then brings about more insulin resistance, which leads to more and more belly fat.
I would encourage you to be very aware of how much stress is going on in your life right now and what effects it’s had on your body to date.
Also, be mindful that your blood pressure can shoot through the roof too.
How to stop this from happening: Start eating more superfoods daily. This will help to ease the inflammation. Some things you can add to your list are olive oil, avocado, all green veggies, fresh seafood (especially salmon, which is high in fat — and dramatically reduces inflammation), as well as legumes and even dark chocolate.
Three: Stress makes us feel tired and lazy
Stress triggers so many hormones that negatively impact our energy levels.
It lowers our metabolic rate, which then inhibits us from doing the usual activity every day. I am a testament to this.
When my mother was in the last weeks of her life, I experienced vast amounts of stress. That stopped me from doing all the usual activities I had energy for.
For example, I would not have the power to lift weights and would resort to just walking instead. Although that wasn’t too bad, It did lower my metabolism and decrease my muscle mass.
In addition, my belly experienced more inflammation, which added to my stress levels.
Things can start to turn around once you get hold of those incredibly high-stress levels. Belly fat will begin to lose its stubbornness, and your energy levels will peak.
Try sprint training regularly, even if it’s for a minimum of 10–15 minutes every second day. This will help reduce belly fat, give you a bit of energy ignition and increase your confidence.
Once you start seeing results, it’s not as hard to keep going.
How to stop this from happening: I highly recommend meditation — Going outdoors for a walk counts as well. Listen to motivational books, and practice deep breathing.
Keep doing some activity, even if it’s low impact, and keep them short. I’m a big believer in doing something — rather than nothing at all. Once the event passes and you become more settled — your mind with experience ease, and your body will start to get back on track.
I can understand how hard it is to eliminate stressors in your life. But, unfortunately, it seems that once one troubling event comes to an end, another one may startup.
One thing that has worked well for me is to spend time alone in thoughts and keep a journal.
From your frustrations to your triumphs, writing everything down can make a HUGE difference in releasing those stressful and overwhelming feelings.
Keep active every day, even if it’s a yoga class or perhaps a bike ride in nature. All of these small events will make a difference overall. The worst path to take for your health and longevity is to feed your body disempowering foods during this time. Be gentle with your body, and ride the tide — just for now