Are you often left feeling that, no matter how hard you try, the extra pounds around your middle just don’t seem to budge? There are a few things that could be to blame for the belly fat, most of which a simple lifestyle shake-up can easily improve.
1. You’re doing the wrong exercise
While it’s true that cardio workouts tend to be the best to bust belly fat, running, rowing, or cycling alone won’t help to tone your waist. Instead, include strength training into your workout that can help to increase muscle mass and, in turn, burn more fat. At the same time, functional exercises such as planks will help to reveal your six-pack. We know it’s in there somewhere…
2. Too many processed foods
Your diet plays a huge role in your weight loss journey. Belly fat is associated with inflammation, and processed foods such as white bread, crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolate, and desserts all increase this inflammation and hinder our ability to lose fat around the middle. Keep a food diary to see how many processed foods you need to cut out of your diet and make a conscious effort to switch to lean meat, fruit, vegetables and whole grains.
3. Stress
Whatever your source of stress may be, it’s something that can make it even harder to get into shape. The stress hormone cortisol increases the amount of fat your body clings to, particularly visceral fat which is what is stored in your abdominal cavity. A large amount of visceral fat can cause serious health problems such as an increased risk of heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cancer. Take time to de-stress, and you should start to shed the pounds faster.
4. You need a good nights sleep
It’s not uncommon to struggle to sleep more than 6 hours a night, especially when we’ve got a lot on our minds. However, failing to catch enough z’s can actually prompt us to gain pound after pound. This is because a lack of sleep has a negative effect on our cortisol balance – the dreaded stress hormone that forces our body to cling to fat. Finding the right balance is important, as a lack of cortisol has been linked to thinning hair, brittle bones and even fibromyalgia.
5. Lack of motivation
Maybe the reason you’re not losing weight is simply that you lack the motivation and the drive to do so. The excess pounds around your middle are some of the hardest to budge, and it takes effort and dedication to see results. Maintain a low-calorie diet with cardio such as a Prestige Boot Camp and strength training, and you’ll soon realise that it’s not an impossible feat.