After our partying years in our 20’s, we decide to try to grow up, maybe get married and have a couple of kiddos. Now, both moms and dads definitely have less sleep, rarely any exercise except for running after the children, too many latte’s, and a crazy amount of stress because kiddos are hard! The kids are a bit older now or you opted out of the kid phase and now you have some flab that just will not go away. Check out a few reasons why the belly fat may be loving you. Leaky Gut One of the most common reasons for the unwanted tummy flab, even on thin people, is called “leaky gut”. I know this sounds made up, but it is quite real. One of the gut’s functions is to absorb vital nutrients. The cells that line the intestinal wall can release zonulin, which is a protein that breaks apart junctions in the intestinal lining. Gluten, toxins, infections, stress and more can cause the junctions to break. If the junctions break, things like undigested food particles, toxins and more can escape your intestines. They travel through your bloodstream into your entire body. Ridding your body from unnecessary foods like too much processed sugar can help your digestive system get back on track. By watching your sugar intake you can reduce or eliminate the bloated tummy. Try eating more whole foods and less processed foods to help eliminate tummy flab. Diastasis Recti For moms who have had one or more babies, Diastasis Recti is a fairly common problem. Diastasis Recti is when the right and left halves of abdominal muscles separate from the body’s said line. This causes a pooch, which is sometimes referred to as the “mom pooch”. To check if you have Diastasis Recti and ways of treating it, refer to this link (befitmom.com)
Not Enough Exercise Lack of exercise is always on the list for reasons that fat has adhered itself to you. According to the Mayo Clinic, you should exercise 30 minutes a day to lose weight or to meet specific goals. Amp up to more minutes a day and you can achieve even more health benefits. That Extra Cocktail Skip that extra cocktail when you are out and if you really need that last drink, aim for simpler drinks. The sweeter drinks tend to contain more calories. Also, the additional sugar can make you hungrier. Try and drink a glass of water for every alcoholic drink to help keep your body from craving the greasy foods the next day. On The Trans Fat Train We have all heard of trans fat and most of us know to stay away. Partially hydrogenated oils are one of the biggest culprits of trans fats. Hydrogenated oil is an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oils. This causes the oil to become solid. These Trans fats are in many packaged foods, margarine, and more. Trans fats raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers your HDL (good) cholesterol. Try to avoid any food product that contains hydrogenated oil. Ask your servers at restaurants what they fry their food in; you will be shocked at how many restaurants use hydrogenated oils!
Not Enough Shut-eye Getting some real shut-eye. Ya, ya…getting more sleep sounds too easy to really see belly reduction results. According to studies performed at the University of Chicago, not enough sleep reduces fat cells to not react properly to insulin. The average amount of sleep an adult should get is between 7 and 9 hours per night. Relaxing Enough? Try relaxing more. One reason people who cannot get rid of the extra fat in the mid-section can be due to stress. The stress hormone cortisol’s responsibility is to signal the body to store fat. Stress can also increase the output of insulin. Insulin is created whenever there is a rise in blood sugar. Insulin lowers blood glucose by signaling the body to store carbohydrates as fat. Try breathing exercises to relax while helping your abdominal muscles. Check out www.thefitindian.com/top-10-breathing-excercises-to-lose-belly-fat/.
There are plenty of ways to help your self and try to lose the belly flab. Even just trying a few solutions is better than none. Above all, relax, eat more whole foods, get some more zzz’s and love yourself. You will get there…keep trying! Featured photo credit: Pixabay.com via pixabay.com
