Still Can't Stop Learning About Belly Fat

Some HUGE Misunderstandings About Exercise

In studying personal training and being a runner for the past 2 decades, I’ve encountered more than one bump in the road that has tripped me up when it comes to exercising to increase muscle tone and/or lose body fat. My goal here is for you to learn from my mistakes.

Understanding Exercise:

First and foremost, you need to understand what exercise means AND that alone it doesn’t melt away body fat. Look at it like this: fat cells are storage units for energy. These storage units are locked (imagine the ones that hold your furniture & personal belongings) and you don’t get the key until you pay the fee…the cost is your understanding of what’s called a “hormone triggering effect” or what will trigger the fat to burn. And there ya have it – that’s all you need! While you’re working at obtaining this hormone trigger, keep in mind that fat helps keep you alive and neither the fat, nor the energy reserves are going anywhere if your body is imbalanced. So, how do we get balanced? By exercising! The problem is, not everybody knows what exercise is. Getting educated on it will help you make the right choices. Maybe this will help --

By working out, you stress the muscles of the body. The body automatically uses energy reserves to build them back up and make them stronger. Now, because energy comes from either sugar or fat and you're not consuming sugar, the body is forced to pull from fat reserves. This all happens during rest.

Things To Avoid:

Now that you understand how the process works, below are a few common mistakes in which to avoid:

1. Not working out intensely enough to trigger the right amount of the fat-burning hormone[1];
2. Consuming some or even a little sugar (which prevents fat burning)....Sorry you wine-loving folk, this means not even a small glass of wine!; and,
3. Daily work outs which won't allow the right hormones to be activated.

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[1] If your adrenals are weak, however, you will need to adjust your workout to include a lower heart rate (120-130 bpm) and for longer amounts of time (e.g., 1 hr versus ½ hr of high intensity). As always, if you would like further details, please email me!

Another tip on reducing belly fat!

Is your midsection expanding and the latest trendy diet isn’t quite do’n it for ya? Here’s a handy tip that will help you get you thru these tough and confusing times: build up your potassium reserves by eating green food!

Potassium reserves throw you off and sound complicated? Well, it’s not.
Below are a few beginning baby steps to help you start winning the battle against the bulge:

1) Do a liver detox. I recommend Dr. Eric Berg’s Liver Enhancement Program -- organic, of course. You may visit: http://www.drberg.com/index.cfm/8811 for more information on this and to purchase his book (The 7 Principles of Fat Burning). If you would like to have a copy of just the detox, I would be happy to download it and email it to you – just let me know! OR, I've also found an organic, herbal detox that can be purchased online or at your local health food store. It's called "Perfect Cleanse 3 in 1 Herbal Detox" by Garden of Life. (For more details, see: http://www.gardenoflifeusa.com/detail_perfect_cleanse.shtmlhttp://.)

2) Stop eating potassium-depleting foods – that is, refined foods (like cereal, breads, and sugar, a/k/a CARBS) and eat more food WITH potassium! No, not bananas, I am referring to leafy greens [organic (non-toxic) if at all possible] and then sing the ditty that Audrey Hepburn sang in her classic film Sabrina -- I have no bananas today lalala!) Most veggies in general are low in sodium (except beats and celery), but still it is better to consume even these when given a choice.

3) No more restaurant food – sound crazy?! Not if you do some research and learn what is in this food (e.g., TONS of sodium, low in potassium – this will be another post, so stay-tuned)!

WHY? Potassium is needed in order to store sugar. Without potassium the body will instead store FAT! I know. Bummer. However, the good news is, there’s a way out. See, the biggest reason people become depleted is simply because they eat potassium-depleting foods (mentioned above). They literally suck the potassium right out of your cells!! Then guess what? You get trapped in fat-storing mode :(

WHEN WILL YOU SEE RESULTS? Though everybody’s body varies, you should see your body change right after (and even during) the liver detox, because your cells will re-hydrate and the excess water will drip (drain or poor) right off -- depending on your weight. Know what else is great about this tip? Once potassium deficiency is lessened, high blood pressure, high pulse rate, insomnia, leg cramps, and excessive irritability are all reduced significantly as well – YAY!

I hope you enjoyed this tip! Check back in and see what else I’ve learned!

Got belly fat?!

Are you plagued with stress and exhaustion? These are all factors that correlate with adrenal weakness and getting into that smaller size may not happen if you don’t adjust your diet & how you exercise!

Many females, including me, want to immediately blame their hormones, but if it’s a hormone reeking havoc, it may very well be caused by the adrenal gland and not the ovaries. I've been studying natural health and personal training for 3 years and have been a runner for 20 and this happened to me. So, I did the research and here's what I've found:

The adrenal glands (or stress glands) are a major part of the endocrine system and are responsible for producing hormones critical to the stress response. When the body experiences stress, the adrenal glands’ survival mechanism kicks in (otherwise known as “fight or flight”), and as a result, the body will store fat around the vital organs, which just happen to be in your stomach! In this fast-paced world, most Americans have encountered some or many of the following which causes this to occur: anxiety, depression, emotional or physical trauma, lack of sleep, etc. Something as simple as a physiological reaction will not allow your body to burn fat! Instead, it burns sugar. Once the sugars are depleted, the body takes the protein reserves which are found in muscles, not fat. As a result, the body is burning its energy reserves and subsequently becomes fatigued, exhausted, loses muscle mass and stores belly fat.

Additionally, one part of the glands (the cortex) plays a role in producing cortisol, a powerful anti-inflammatory hormone -- cortisol controls how much inflammation is in your body! The other part, the medulla, produces epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. These hormones speed up the body's metabolism in order to help us cope with stress. These just happen to be the two most important hormones in the body that manage the fight or flight response, which then send an “alarm signal” and are almost a direct extension of the nervous system. Clearly, all the factors aforementioned (belly fat, fatigue, exhaustion, muscle mass reduction, inflammation, and change in metabolism) affect the way we “appear” and how we feel and can ALL come from stress!

Things to avoid: continued stress, poor diet, over-consumption of sugar and refined carbs, overuse of caffeine, alcohol, drugs and nicotine. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you DO NOT over-exercise! When working out, keep your pulse rate low (about 120-130); otherwise, you will stress your muscles & cause an adverse reaction as well (weight gain, increased fatigue, and no chance to improve muscle tone).

Some suggestions to help promote the healing process: acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, meditation, relaxation techniques, nutrient saturation through diet supplementation, chiropractic adjustments (since the adrenals are richly fed by nerves connecting to the spine and by releasing blockages through these simple and effective techniques the glands can be stimulated and strengthened), consume organically grown whole foods as much as possible and PLENTY of fresh, lightly steamed vegetables and their juices (since they contain minerals which will prevent fatigue), include potassium rich foods and avoid foods high in sodium.