Stress-induced belly fat can develop based on several lifestyle factors, including career, diet and exercise regimen. While working under stressful conditions is an obvious cause of this type of weight gain, caffeine and sugary foods also cause a stress-reaction in the body. Not exercising exacerbates fat growth around the middle. There are several ways to reduce this form of fat, mostly centering around ways to decrease the affect of stress on your body.
Meditate
Meditation is one approach to tackling excess belly fat. Belly fat may stem from emotional eating, and according to Margaret Furtado in the book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery," regular meditation practitioners are less likely to deal with eating based on stress. It also decreases general stress in your life, which has a positive impact on your thyroid, the gland which controls your metabolism.
Practice Yoga
Yoga is one of the best ways to reduce stress while also burning calories and building muscle. Yoga takes the mind-body approach by using certain breathing techniques while performing postures that are meant to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system. This aspect of the nervous system, which oversees rest and repair, allows the metabolism to heal and increase its performance. It also increases the body's ability to absorb nutrients, according to Bikram Choudhury in his book, "Bikram Yoga." Often excess weight around the middle indicates digestion issues.
Reduce Carbohydrate Intake
According to Jorge Cruise, author of the book, "The Belly Fat Cure," eating too many refined carbohydrates is what causes belly fat. When sugar and carbohydrates are not quickly burned through exercise, they are stored in the body as fat. Protein and fat, on the other hand, are digested slowly and used efficiently in the body. Along the lines of the South Beach diet, "The Belly Fat Cure" employs eating smaller amounts of complex carbohydrates, along with protein and healthy fats, to lose weight.
Reduce Stress
It may sound like common sense, but an important way to get rid of stress-induced belly fat is to reduce stress in your life. Stress causes your adrenals to secrete the hormone cortisol, which causes fat storage around the middle, according to Shawn Talbott in his book, "The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health." Unless you cut down on stress or find ways to decrease its affect on you, you will continue to gain weight in your belly.
References
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery"; Margaret Furtado; 2009
- "Bikram Yoga"; Bikram Choudhury; 2007
- "The Belly Fat Cure"; Jorge Cruise; 2010
- ""The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health"; Shawn Talbott; 2007
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