For the majority of people the stomach area is the very last place they want to store fat.
There can be a number of reasons why you would store fat in this particular area. One of the main reasons is because your cortisol levels are a little too high.
Cortisol is your stress hormone and, when kept in the right balance with other hormones, can be protective by helping you deal with stress.
However, if your cortisol levels are too high it can become more harmful by breaking down muscle tissue which will lead to an increase of fat storage as your metabolic rate becomes lower (the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn at rest, therefore when you lose muscle you burn less calories at rest. If your calorific intake doesn't drop at the same time, you will be highly likely to increase your fat stores).
You can balance your cortisol levels in many ways.
The first would be to decrease the amount of caffeine you have each day. Caffeine increases cortisol, so if you are a 5 cups a day type of person, reducing this to one per day (preferably a black coffee before you train) will go a long way to balancing your cortisol levels.
Try swapping your coffee for green tea. Not only will it help lower your stress hormone, but it also has a large amount of health benefits. One such benefit would be that it will help you detoxify and burn fat! Green tea is extremely healthy.
The second tip would be not to train for longer than one hour. There have been many scientific studies which show that when you train for periods over 45 minutes, your body starts to produce more cortisol than is beneficial.
Ever wondered why marathon runners have very little muscle and sprinters are extremely muscular? That is one of the reasons. Running for long distances increases cortisol which is a catabolic hormone (meaning it breaks down muscle tissue). Keep exercise sessions short and snappy and try to favour anaerobic exercise and resistance training.
Staying hydrated is very important for health, fat loss and balanced cortisol levels.
When you are more hydrated, your body will be more likely to use body fat as fuel for energy.
Dehydration can cause an undesired balance of cortisol and other hormones. Men should aim for 3 litres of water and women 2 litres of water, each and every day.
Avoiding sugary foods when you are stressed will have a big impact on the fat you store around your stomach. When your cortisol levels are higher, it will be harder to make the correct nutritional choices, and fast food or sugary foods will become very appealing.
Research shows that when your cortisol levels are high, the goal orientated part of your brain doesn't function as well and is reduced.
The best solution is to avoid all sugary and processed foods, not just for balancing your hormone levels but also for protecting your health.
Finally, using magnesium can have a great effect on reducing your cortisol levels. Being unable to fall asleep quickly in an evening and waking up frequently during the night are telltale signs that your cortisol levels are higher than they should be. Using a high quality magnesium, magnesium
bisglycinate, will help to reduce your cortisol levels and allow you to have a better sleep pattern. Other magnesium supplements such as magnesium oxide and magnesium citrate are not effective at reducing cortisol, so if you go to buy some, be aware of the type of magnesium you are buying beforehand.
