4 Steps To Lose Belly Fat Naturally
The most common goal in the world of men’s fitness is to
burn the belly fat and be able to see the results of those
intense abs workouts, which is the six pack abs. While
most women might not look for a six pack, they definitely
want a flat belly with not fat as well. Right or wrong, most
people judge their body by the way their abs look.
The lower belly is also one of the toughest places to lose
the fat from and many people who took their diet and
workouts seriously are now struggling to shed those last
few pounds.
Blame It On The Hormones!
One of the main hormones that lead to gaining that lower
belly fat in the first place is cortisol, the stress hormone.
When you go through any kind of stress, whether it’s
mental, emotional or physical, your brain releases cortisol
which then leads to storing body fat (among many other
effects). So decreasing cortisol levels is the first step you
need to take, but it’s not the only one. There are other
hormones that have an important role too and of course
there is the diet and the workouts that still need to be taken
seriously.
1. Decrease Cortisol Levels
So let’s start by discussing about cortisol, which is also
known as “the stress hormone”. Managing stress is one
aspect, but not the only one! If it were that easy we could
all meditate our way to a flat stomach. The way you work
out also plays an important part and it’s been shown that
long weight training sessions followed by long cardio
sessions produce a lot of cortisol. And that’s why we
recommend short but intense sessions of HIIT (High
Intensity Interval Training). You get more benefits, you burn
more fat and you need less time! So instead of that 5 mile
run or that 1 hour on the treadmill/elliptical, do 20 minutes
of HIIT.
The second aspect is SLEEP! Research has shown that
people who don’t get enough sleep have more belly fat and
a higher percentage of body fat. This is because the less
sleep you get, the more cortisol your brain releases. On the
other hand, when you sleep your body also produces the
growth hormone which reduces the negative effects of
cortisol. So just make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep each
night, approximately at the same hours.
And besides these aspects, you should also relax! Don’t
sweat on the little things and simply enjoy life as it is.
2. Decrease Estrogen by Increasing Testosterone
Estrogen is not just a women hormone and everyone
produces it in larger or smaller quantities. One of its effects
is the storage of body fat in areas like the lower belly, the
hips and even on the chest for some men. One of the ways
to combat estrogen is by increasing your NATURAL levels
of testosterone. We highlighted the word natural because
some people artificially increase their testosterone by using
steroids. Besides the many negative side effects, steroids
will also lead to an increase in estrogen and this is
something you definitely don’t want.
Since we want to do things naturally, one of the best and
safest ways to increase testosterone is to increase the
intensity of your workouts and to use a natural testosterone
supplement . You can either do the same amount of work
you did before in less time, or train even harder in the same
amount of time. As the female hormone goes down, your
body will finally start to burn that lower belly fat.
Now that we seen the hormonal aspects of losing those last
few pounds of “stubborn” belly fat, let’s look at the
nutritional aspects. It’s definitely important to be careful at
WHAT you eat but also WHEN you eat it.
3. Decrease Carbohydrates
If you want to get rid of that ugly lower belly fat, you
definitely need to reduce the carbs in your diet. This is
mainly because they create insulin spikes which will stop
the fat loss process. While insulin is great when you want
to build muscle, it can be your biggest enemy when it
comes to losing weight.
So reduce the carbs and focus on quality sources of lean
protein and healthy fats. Also include low-glycemic fruits
and vegetables and you won’t go hungry or be depleted of
energy even on the low-carb days.
4. Time Your Nutrients
As we said before, you need to reduce carbohydrates but
not remove them completely. So it is important to know
when to consume them. You’ll want to have the majority of
them (if not all) in the first part of the day and especially
before and after your workout. Then you will just stick to
lean protein and fats for the rest of the day. This is because
you will need more energy for your workout and for your
daily activities and you won’t need that energy before going
to bed.
So make sure you take care of these 4 aspects and you will
definitely start to lose the belly fat and see the results of all
that hard work in the gym.
The most common goal in the world of men’s fitness is to
burn the belly fat and be able to see the results of those
intense abs workouts, which is the six pack abs. While
most women might not look for a six pack, they definitely
want a flat belly with not fat as well. Right or wrong, most
people judge their body by the way their abs look.
The lower belly is also one of the toughest places to lose
the fat from and many people who took their diet and
workouts seriously are now struggling to shed those last
few pounds.
Blame It On The Hormones!
One of the main hormones that lead to gaining that lower
belly fat in the first place is cortisol, the stress hormone.
When you go through any kind of stress, whether it’s
mental, emotional or physical, your brain releases cortisol
which then leads to storing body fat (among many other
effects). So decreasing cortisol levels is the first step you
need to take, but it’s not the only one. There are other
hormones that have an important role too and of course
there is the diet and the workouts that still need to be taken
seriously.
1. Decrease Cortisol Levels
So let’s start by discussing about cortisol, which is also
known as “the stress hormone”. Managing stress is one
aspect, but not the only one! If it were that easy we could
all meditate our way to a flat stomach. The way you work
out also plays an important part and it’s been shown that
long weight training sessions followed by long cardio
sessions produce a lot of cortisol. And that’s why we
recommend short but intense sessions of HIIT (High
Intensity Interval Training). You get more benefits, you burn
more fat and you need less time! So instead of that 5 mile
run or that 1 hour on the treadmill/elliptical, do 20 minutes
of HIIT.
The second aspect is SLEEP! Research has shown that
people who don’t get enough sleep have more belly fat and
a higher percentage of body fat. This is because the less
sleep you get, the more cortisol your brain releases. On the
other hand, when you sleep your body also produces the
growth hormone which reduces the negative effects of
cortisol. So just make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep each
night, approximately at the same hours.
And besides these aspects, you should also relax! Don’t
sweat on the little things and simply enjoy life as it is.
2. Decrease Estrogen by Increasing Testosterone
Estrogen is not just a women hormone and everyone
produces it in larger or smaller quantities. One of its effects
is the storage of body fat in areas like the lower belly, the
hips and even on the chest for some men. One of the ways
to combat estrogen is by increasing your NATURAL levels
of testosterone. We highlighted the word natural because
some people artificially increase their testosterone by using
steroids. Besides the many negative side effects, steroids
will also lead to an increase in estrogen and this is
something you definitely don’t want.
Since we want to do things naturally, one of the best and
safest ways to increase testosterone is to increase the
intensity of your workouts and to use a natural testosterone
supplement . You can either do the same amount of work
you did before in less time, or train even harder in the same
amount of time. As the female hormone goes down, your
body will finally start to burn that lower belly fat.
Now that we seen the hormonal aspects of losing those last
few pounds of “stubborn” belly fat, let’s look at the
nutritional aspects. It’s definitely important to be careful at
WHAT you eat but also WHEN you eat it.
3. Decrease Carbohydrates
If you want to get rid of that ugly lower belly fat, you
definitely need to reduce the carbs in your diet. This is
mainly because they create insulin spikes which will stop
the fat loss process. While insulin is great when you want
to build muscle, it can be your biggest enemy when it
comes to losing weight.
So reduce the carbs and focus on quality sources of lean
protein and healthy fats. Also include low-glycemic fruits
and vegetables and you won’t go hungry or be depleted of
energy even on the low-carb days.
4. Time Your Nutrients
As we said before, you need to reduce carbohydrates but
not remove them completely. So it is important to know
when to consume them. You’ll want to have the majority of
them (if not all) in the first part of the day and especially
before and after your workout. Then you will just stick to
lean protein and fats for the rest of the day. This is because
you will need more energy for your workout and for your
daily activities and you won’t need that energy before going
to bed.
So make sure you take care of these 4 aspects and you will
definitely start to lose the belly fat and see the results of all
that hard work in the gym.