Burn Your Belly Fat - Part 6

Belly Fat Burner #6: Stress Less

Each day, we have a lot of external and internal stressors. This includes everything from keeping up with our finances, going to work, maintaining our household, running personal errands, etc. Internally there’s a flood of emotions we experience, often changing by the hour. We all have a picture of where we want to be and how we want to look, but if we are not there yet, it sparks emotions of being a letdown and a failure.

External and internal stresses are not always a bad thing. In fact we need stress in our lives. Stress gives us a physical edge during moments when our survival is in jeopardy. Stress also keeps us mentally alert and focused, which can be particularly helpful if you’re giving a presentation or leading a meeting at work. However, there is a tipping point of when stress turns against your body.

When your body is constantly in a state of stress, it can have devastating consequences on your health and your waistline. Chronic stress can increase cravings and portion sizes, especially of unhealthy carbohydrates. [35] This happens because your body desires instant gratification, often in the form of a quick fix like food or alcohol. This activates the pleasure area of your brain while calming the amygdala, the area responsible for emotion.

Cortisol is a hormone that is responsible for stubborn belly fat. Many people are so stressed from day-to-day pressures of life that their cortisol levels are through the roof. The good news is that there are several ways for you to decrease your cortisol levels.

Meditate

One way to reduce stress levels and reduce cortisol is by meditating. [36] Before you say “This is nice to know, but I’m not into the whole meditation thing,” hear me out. Meditation is a way to bring your body out of stress and into relaxation. It gives your mind a chance to unweave the web of tasks and memories that our brain spins throughout the day. If you want to have an uncluttered mind and be less anxious (which I’m sure most, if not all people want), then you may want to consider meditating.

Best of all, it’s a free way to stop those cortisol hormones from wreaking havoc on your midsection. We’re going to show you a deep breathing exercise that you can do anywhere. It will relax your body, ease muscle tension, quiet your mind, and most importantly keep your unrelenting belly fat at bay.

I have personally tried to meditate using various techniques. I’ve listened and purchased meditation audio to help me quiet my mind. I’ve also purchased a deep breathing device called Resperate to help me combat high blood pressure. On a side note, check out my blog post on my struggle with high blood pressure and how I’ve been able to get myself off high blood pressure medicine (this article is not published yet.. click here and sign up to receive an update when it’s available).

The point is, I’ve gone through countless hours of meditation courses and audio. And while some have helped me relax to a certain extent, none have been as good as this diaphragmatic breathing meditation.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

The way diaphragmatic breathing works is by focusing your attention on your breathing, which in turn signals your brain that it’s time to relax.

Think about it this way. When we get stressed, what happens to our breathing? It becomes quick and shallow, right?

If you don’t believe me just take note the next time someone cuts you off in traffic (which for me happens on a daily basis since I’m on the road several hours a day). Deep breathing forces us to properly breathe deeply and slowly. As a result, your mind follows by relaxing.

Click the video and practice this meditation whenever you want to take a mental vacation.

You can get huge benefits by doing this for just 10 minutes a day.

This will do wonders if you can’t fall asleep as well. We’ll talk about the importance of sleep in the next Belly Burner tip.

Another way to effectively reduce cortisol levels is by eating the right foods. Foods rich in vitamin C, whole grains and zinc have been found to lower cortisol levels. People who have low levels of Vitamin C experience more signs of physical and mental stress, and take longer to bounce back from stressful situations. [37]

One way whole grains help with stress is that they help regulate serotonin production, the hormone that improves your mood. [38] Also, whole grain foods are high in vitamin B5 and folic acid which slash cortisol levels. Other food sources that contain vitamin B5 and folic acid are beans, fish, peas, sunflower seeds and fruits.

Even if you’re not a nutritionist, you probably know at least a couple ways to get whole grain foods and foods rich in vitamin C in your diet. But what about zinc?

Here’s a list of foods that can bring your zinc levels up to where they need to be. [39]

• Almond butter

• Eggs

• Liquid zinc supplement

The next food that reduces cortisol and boosts the feel-good hormone serotonin is cacao powder (pronounced KAY-cow). Cacao is similar yet different than cocoa. Cacao is the bean that cocoa and chocolate is made from in its pure, raw state. It is uncooked, additive-free and unprocessed. [40] That means it has more anti-oxidants, as well as less sugar and fat.

There are several ways in which you can introduce cacao to your diet. I combine 2 tablespoons of cacao powder, 8 ounces of reduced sugar almond milk, stevia extract (which I’ll tell you more about later) and a scoop of hemp seed protein powder.

I used to blend it in my Nutribullet, which I absolutely recommend to everyone. However now I upgraded to a Vitamix. The price tag is a little higher but the power on this thing is incredible.

Cortisol levels are highest in the morning. This happens because your body needs to wake up from sleep so it secretes this hormone to start that process. [41] Your cortisol levels can remain high, especially if stress makes its way into your morning routine. You have to drive your kids to school. You’re late for an appointment or for work. You’re sitting in traffic on your morning commute.

As the stress mounts, so do your cortisol levels.

You can stop morning stress in its tracks with the following tip.

Set your morning alarm just 20 minutes earlier and station it across the room. The walk to shut your alarm off will force you out of bed and make you rethink before pressing the snooze button. Trust me- that extra 20 minutes in the morning will help you do everything you need to do without feeling rushed.