Belly Fat… 5 Ways To Reduce It!
Excess belly fat is a major concern for a lot of women… myself included. As we age, belly fat can be harder and harder to shed as our core constitution changes. Decreasing metabolisms and fluctuating hormones definitely don’t help, but there are some practical changes we can make to our lifestyles that will help us get on top of our increasing belly size.
Excess belly fat is a major concern for a lot of women… myself included! As we age, belly fat can be harder and harder to shed as our core constitution changes. Decreasing metabolisms and fluctuating hormones definitely don’t help, but there are some practical changes we can make to our lifestyles that will help us get on top of our increasing belly size.
Before we dive in, stop beating yourself up! A little belly fat is completely normal.
I’m so excited to share 5 factors that contribute to excess belly fat (and what you can do to counteract the effects). These factors are:
exercise
insulin
stress
protein
menopause
Exercising Properly For Belly Fat Reduction
A big mistake I was making when trying to lose belly fat was exercising in the wrong way. It can be extremely frustrating when you are training hard and not seeing any results. I remember telling a classmate at the gym that it didn’t matter what I did, my marshmallow belly was here to stay. The logical leap I made was that by exercising hard and repetitively, I would see some drastic changes. I learned quickly this was not the case.
We can’t spot reduce fat; in that we can’t specifically target one area of our body for weight loss. The solution to this is to vary our exercise routines to include a combination of cardio to boost our metabolism and increase heart rate and strength training to build muscle.
One more important area to focus on is the core. Regardless of whether we can see it or not, it’s also vital to develop a strong core. The layer of fat that sits over our abdominal wall is held in place by our core, so a weaker core will make our stomachs droop lower than they need to be, making our bellies look bigger. A stronger core will also help to relieve back pain, improve balance and stability and pretty much allows the body to function properly.
Regulating Insulin
The second biggest mistake we can make that leads to increased belly fat is neglecting to regulate our insulin.
When we digest our food, our bodies turn that food into glucose. This glucose is then regulated with insulin (which we already have in our bodies) that helps turn the glucose into energy for our bodies to use. The problems start when there is an excess of glucose that can’t be used by our bodies and is stored as fat instead for later use. I will give you an analogy that helps put this into perspective.
Insulin is the “taxi,” glucose is the “passenger,” and your body’s cells are the “shops” the “passenger” wants to go to. The taxi (insulin) picks up the passenger (glucose) and drives it to the shop (cell), where it can then be used for energy immediately, or stocked on the shop shelves for later use.
The problem is that if you store too much of this extra energy and never burn it, you end up with larger and larger fat stores, sitting on the shelf for later use.
So, what’s the solution? Insulin reacts differently depending on the foods you choose to eat. Foods rich in refined carbohydrates and simple sugars, such as white bread, white rice, and sugary cereals, cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to an increase in belly fat storage. As a rule, it’s best to avoid, reduce or eliminate these types of food.
On the other hand, foods high in protein, healthy fats, and fiber slow the breakdown of sugar into the bloodstream, helping blood sugar levels remain fairly consistent during the day and preventing spikes in insulin.
Minimizing Stress
I know that I have talked about this before, but stress is the number one “dot” that gets connected to most illnesses and is the prime contributor to belly fat. Eliminating stress from your life will help you feel better in so many ways and one of them is to reduce belly fat.
Our bodies natural stress response is to kick adrenaline production into high gear to help us navigate tricky situations. Adrenaline causes fatty acids to be rapidly released, which was helpful when we were hunter/gatherers and we really had to hightail it out of a situation.
Today’s stressors, however, require a little less physical exertion:
work
encroaching deadlines
relationships
quarantine (during the pandemic)
While stressful, these examples don’t really allow us to burn that new energy off, and as we know, energy not used is stored for later use as fat. It’s a vicious cycle.
To compound these effects, our adrenal glands release the hormone cortisol to help collect and store the unused fatty acids.
Sadly, cortisol loves your belly, so it tends to deposit fat there.
This is where exercise comes in. Exercise it the best way to de-stress along with meditation and creativity to reduce your cortisol levels.
Increase Protein Intake
Getting enough of the right types of food each day will help lead to a decreased intake of calories. Making sure protein-rich foods are chief among those will help you to feel full and satisfied for longer. This is supported by several studies which observed those who included protein in their diets and those who skimped. The results overwhelmingly pointed to the fact that high protein diets yielded less excess fat purely by virtue.
My goal is to consume 30g of protein 3 times a day. Here is an example: I use nuts, seeds, grass-fed beef, organic chicken, wild-caught fish, pasture raised eggs and collagen powder (you can add chicken, beef, fish). I eliminate white bread, rice, sugar, cookies, and cakes. In their place, I supplement with increased good fats and oils such as coconut and avocado. Coconut butter and also ghee are healthier fats that enhance food flavors.
Menopause… a.k.a Second Puberty
Just like during puberty, menopause causes massive fluctuations and imbalances with our hormones and storing fat is one of the side effects. Unlike puberty, where our hormones are signaling fat to be stored in our hips, menopausal hormones send the fat right to our abdomen. Thank you, Mother Nature… not!
This is a topic that needs its own blog post, but to help you regulate menopause symptoms, everything I have outlined above will make a huge difference. Exercise, eating right and de-stressing will help you start to see improvement.
And for those of you that are with me in the post-menopause category, the same steps will help you too!
Lifestyle Is Key!
There are no quick and easy fixes for belly fat reduction without going under the knife. This can be extremely frustrating, especially if you are trying everything you can to no avail.
If we can make some simple, though effective, adjustments to our lifestyle, we will be able to keep our belly size in check. I really hope this has helped improve your understanding of how and why we gain belly fat and how you can make some positive changes.
Boundaries… Do You Have Them?
Many of you know that I’m a big Brene Brown fan. She says that to be clear is to be kind; to be unclear is to be unkind. This is where boundaries come in.
Regarding boundaries… do you have any? Why are they important?
I went to a baby shower shortly before the pandemic hit that was awesome. First, it was just fun to be with friends to celebrate the up-coming birth of our friend’s new son. Second, the theme was Bob’s Burgers and it was so much fun!
There is something about baby showers that has changed over the years and in my opinion, it’s for the good. There have always been bridal registries but now there are baby shower registries! How great is that! No more guessing what the parents need… they put it out there for everyone to know.
Many of you know that I’m a big Brene Brown fan. She says that to be clear is to be kind; to be unclear is to be unkind. This is where boundaries come in.
Regarding Boundaries… Do You Have Any? Why Are They Important?
The quick summary for boundaries is they dictate how we approach relationships with family, friends and acquaintances. Our boundaries help us live in-tune with our desires, needs and feelings. They make it so when we say “yes”, we mean “yes” and when we don’t mean “yes,” we say ‘no.’
Doesn’t that seem like an easy concept? Do you know how hard it is!?
The first step in understanding your boundaries, or your need for boundaries, is to learn about yourself. Are your needs being met? Or do you push your needs to the back shelf and put everyone else first? It obviously isn’t a bad thing to think about others, but when you do it to the extent that you don’t care for yourself, it’s not good.
We are going to do a little “Know your Boundaries” evaluation.
There are 3 types of boundaries:
Healthy
Ridged
Porous
Here are the descriptions for each type of boundary:
Healthy - You have healthy boundaries, if you:
value your own opinion
don’t compromise your values for other people
appropriately share personal information
are accepting of others when they say no to you
Rigid - You have rigid boundaries, if you:
avoid intimacy and close relationships
usually don’t ask for help
have few close relationships
may seem detached
distance yourself to avoid rejection
Porous - You have porous boundaries, if you:
over-share personal information
have difficulty saying no to the requests of others
get over involved with other’s problems
tolerate abuse or disrespect
It’s not uncommon to be a mixture, which is needed at times, but you can usually see which one is predominately you. For me, it’s porous… the two that really resonate are ‘have difficulty saying no to requests of others’ and ‘getting over involved with other’s problems.’
I look at this as being a ‘People Pleaser’ and the problem with being this way is then I get upset with myself for not taking care of me first and then I will sometimes get resentful at the commitment that I let myself get into. It’s a lose / lose situation.
Put plainly, boundaries are the line between where I end and you begin. Healthy boundaries define who we are in relation to others. They also help us to know what the extents and limits are with others. Personal boundaries are how we teach people who we are and how we would like to be handled in relationships. Good personal boundaries protect you.
Keep in mind that appropriateness of boundaries is also dictated by the setting. What is appropriate with friends isn’t necessarily appropriate at work. Culture differences also play a part.
How Do We Establish Healthy Boundaries?
Trust and believe in yourself. You are the ultimate authority on you! You know what you want, need and value. Healthy boundaries allow you to take better care of yourself emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually.
Accept that your needs and feelings are as important as other people’s needs and feelings. That can be hard when your religious values have taught you to always put others first. I’m not saying that you stop caring about others, but if you give, give and give some more, pretty soon you are worn out. At that point you can do nothing for yourself or for others.
Learn to say ‘no.’ This one can be sooooo hard! But a certain amount of selfishness is necessary for healthy personal boundaries.
You have the right to personal boundaries. This is how you take responsibility for how others treat you. Boundaries are filters that permit what is acceptable in life and what is not acceptable.
Clearly established boundaries truly help us care for ourselves. One of my favorite benefits of having personal boundaries is they help us to become less concerned about how we are viewed and more satisfied with the perception we have of ourselves.
Are you ready for a little homework?
We are going to practice honoring our “Yes’s” and our “No’s.”
Think about your top 5 priorities in life… you may want to write them down.
Next, look at your calendar for the next 7 days. What activities or commitments do you have that support your top 5 priorities?
Next, look at what activities or commitments that do not support your top 5 priorities.
Choose and select at least ONE activity or commitment that doesn’t support your top 5 priorities and cancel it within the next 24 hours.
Be BRAVE, you can do this! Your future self will thank your current self for setting clear boundaries!
Fabulous You!
We are all human and we have our human days. The best part is that we also have our super-human days! Do you remember to celebrate those? It all comes down to perspective. Which pair of ‘PERSPECTACLES’ are you choosing to wear?
I want you to picture in your mind the kind of day when a carton of milk is dropped on the floor, you are late for a meeting due to traffic and the dog gets loose and doesn’t come home for hours.
Not your favorite day ever, right?
In situations like this, it’s easy to look at the circumstances and see that they are just out of your control. It’s not your fault.
Now, let’s look at a day when you go to a class, but you just don‘t comprehend the lecture. Or how about the day when you have a great new idea to share, but someone finds a flaw in the plan and shuts it down. How about when you have been really great about not eating excessive sugar and then your very favorite dessert on the planet is placed before you and you get second and third helpings.
Who do you blame now?
Unfortunately, you blame you. Worse yet are the things you call yourself: loser, stupid, incapable, weak.
That’s the real flaw… The blame game!
We are all human and we have our human days. The best part is that we also have our super-human days! Do we remember to celebrate those? Just as importantly, do we cut ourselves some slack when its just a regular human day? All of this comes down to your perspective. Which pair of ‘perspectacles‘ are you choosing to wear?
Negative impressions can take up to 60 to 80 percent of our thoughts about ourselves. Why is this such a bad thing? Those voices inside our head are what we come to believe! We start to make those negative thoughts a reality.
‘The Law Of The Mirror’
The 3rd Law in John C. Maxwell’s book “The 15 Invaluable Laws Of Growth” is ‘The Law of the Mirror.’
He states that:
“You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself. There are few things that impact a person more than the way they talk to themselves on a day to day basis.”
So, how are you living this law?
Track your self thoughts for a week and see which way the scale tips.
If its in the negative direction, try this exercise:
Find a picture of yourself from when you were 5 years old or younger.
Place it somewhere that you will see it often.
When that negative thought train starts running through your mind, look at that beautiful child.
Would you use the label “loser” or “ugly”? Nope! You wouldn’t. That child is still in there, but in the grown up model. And he or she deserves the same respect and LOVE as when you were younger.
Why Did I Title This “Fabulous You”?
Because that is who you are! You are the only YOU that was ever created and you are a gift to this life.
Celebrate your wins all along the way. Its easy to celebrate the big ones, but don’t leave out the cheers for the small ones too!
In all of your humanness, YOU are Fabulous!!