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You work out regularly and watch your diet. Although you've lost fat from your face, chest, arms and legs, your belly fat refuses to budge.
Why?
Excess cortisol could be a possible cause of your stubborn belly fat. Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands in response to stress. It is not a bad hormone as it helps us cope in fight or flight situations. The right levels of all hormones are necessary for good health while insufficient or excessive levels can lead to health problems.
Stress - physical, mental or emotional - is a part of our daily lives. It can arise from over training, lack of sleep, heavy workload, under eating, arguments, exams, etc. Too much stress causes adrenal glands to produce excessive cortisol that can lead to muscle tissue loss, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased insulin resistance, weakened immune system and hormonal disruption.
Stress that induces overeating can cause weight gain. When under stress, people don't sleep well and tend to eat more processed or sugary carbohydrates. The same goes for those who skip meals during daytime. They may end up binging on high sugar foods later. Studies have shown the link between excessive cortisol and increased visceral abdominal fat accumulation. Visceral fat that is stored deep in the abdomen is more likely to cause diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
What can you do to reduce stress (and lose belly fat)?
1. Engage in activities that promote relaxation: yoga, pilates, meditation and tai chi.
2. Avoid overtraining. There's no need to train for hours a day. A 45-minute session in the gym is more than enough. Cortisol increases significantly after 45 minutes of intense training.
3. Get sufficient amount of quality sleep.
4. Avoid extreme calorie deficit diet.
5. Take a break from your training program.
6. Avoid alcohol, drugs and smoking
7. Consume a carb-protein drink or meal immediately after your workout to suppress cortisol, prevent catabolism and speed up recovery.
Although there are supplements that claim to suppress cortisol, they are not the best way to deal with stress. Supplements only treat the symptoms but not the cause. A natural approach (such as the stress management strategies mentioned above) is a better way to take control of stress and lose belly fat.
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