Is belly fat still on you even though you are constantly active and exercise all the time? Well, if you’re one of those people that exercise regularly and eat really well but can’t seem to get rid of your stubborn belly fat…it may be that you’re simply doing too much.
I think I need to make this clear when I write "exercising too much," I’m talking at least once a day and for a duration of an hour at minimum doing mostly cardio related activities. And eating “really well" meaning all whole foods with no refined carbohydrates and the proper ratio of protein, carbs and healthy fats. Honestly, most people don’t fall into this category.
Well, believe it or not you may actually be doing too much! I know these kinds of people and it is really upsetting to witness. As much as exercise and being active is good for your body, it does have it’s down side when your body can’t recover enough. When your body is exposed to cortisol for longer than normal periods, it starts to produce negative effects.
Your body has an amazing capacity to adapt, which is what makes your body so resilient. It's awesome! BUT, if you keep demanding TOO MUCH from your body, without the necessary rest and recovery, it will start to compromise and compensate in an effort to keep functioning. Your stubborn body fat…especially belly fat…is just one of the ways it's easy to tell if you are putting yourself under too much stress. It might be time to reaccess your lifestyle.
So, if you happen to fall into the category of being over-stressed and over-exercising, without adequate rest and recovery… this is what I recommend:
1. Keep your workouts intense but short. Less than 30 minutes! Including 5 min warm up and 5 min cool down. These workouts are much more effective at promoting fat burning hormones that target your stubborn fat. Your workouts should be intensity dependent (think high energy and quick like a sprint) and not time dependent, so you don’t need to worry about exercising for hours. If you spend a lot of time doing long cardio all that is happening is your body eating away at your lean muscle mass which is essential for increasing your metabolism to burn more calories. And it dramatically increases your appetite making you more susceptible to unnecessary snacking and over eating.
2. Recovery and rest are often times more important than exercising. If you’re feeling sluggish or drained of energy you can do an active recovery instead like an easy walk, hike, leisurely bike ride or if you’re really tired, take the day off. Remember, it’s during periods of rest that your body does most of the fat burning, so don’t short change yourself. Proper rest and recovery means you’re enabling your body to burn more fat. This is NOT an excuse to be lazy though.
3. Keep a good diet. If you’re cortisol levels are out of control, even a little indulgence can produce significantly negative effects. Your diet should be composed of a well balanced ratio of whole foods, which should include ample amounts of dark green leafy vegetables (ie. kale, spinach, collard greens, chard, etc), fruits especially berries (ie. blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.) and cruciferous vegetables (ie. broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage etc.) which are all high in antioxidants. These foods will help fight the negative effects of (too much) stressors. Keep away from refined sugar and alcohol…which (unfortunately) also happen to be the two foods your body craves most when you’re overstressed. Keep in mind that it’s not forever, once your cortisol levels are back to normal a little indulgence is completely fine, but during times of cortisol overload, it’s best to stay away from any foods that’ll makes thing worse.
If you’ve had a real tough time getting rid of that last bit of stubborn (belly) fat, it may be that your body is overwhelmed and needs more time to rest and recover, and if so try implementing these simple steps. You may be pleasantly surprised at how simple but effective these steps are in helping you finally shed that last bit of fat.
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