3 Ways to Lose Belly Fat

Happy Food /

Want to lose belly fat?  Are you doing tons of sit-ups?  That’s not going to help.  We cannot target fat reduction.  That only tones the muscles in your abdomen, which is awesome, but it does not reduce fat.  Here are some ideas. 

  1. Regular aerobic exercise.  Regular is the optimal word.  We have to move every day so why not make it easy.
    1. Schedule walking meetings, social physical activities (instead of just meals and happy hours), plan more moving fun.
    2. Take every opportunity to move like taking the stairs, parking far, biking to work, walking around the block, etc.
    3. Focus on 10 minutes.  If you do a few 10 minutes, you’ll be golden like dancing, jumping jacks, walking, something you enjoy.
  2. Whole food diet.  Change how you eat without following a fad diet.
    1. Eat slowly and mindfully.  I think this is the hardest for my clients but slowing down makes us eat far less.  Plus, eating without distractions prevents mindless munching.
    2. Start with a salad or vegetables.  Front load the good stuff before consuming the carbs and proteins.
    3. Use a smaller plate.  This really helps with portion control.
  3. Reduce stress.  When stressed, we excrete more cortisol which is more concentrated in our belly.  We don’t seem to gravitate towards broccoli when stressed.
    1. Exercise is my stress reliever.  Have you found yours (that is also healthy)?
    2. Gratitude.  Starting my day with gratitude has really changed my attitude on life and myself.  Find your peace.
    3. Let It Go!  It’s hard not to sing that since the Frozen movie especially because my daughter sings it all the time.  How do you let go of things you can’t control? 

In my office, we address all three but it seems that for most people, we focus on stress and mental health.  When we resolve the underlying stressors, eating well and exercising comes naturally.  I suppose, self-care comes with peace and self-love.  I’d love to support you.  

If you need help understanding nutrition and all the mixed messages out there, give us a call. We will address your stress level, eating habits, exercise, cravings, emotional eating, and overall health and happiness. Start with a free health consultation at www.HappyFoodHealth.com or (619) 876-2655. See if this is the right match for you. I do things very differently to make health a natural lifestyle and this is not for everyone. Check out Yelp for other people’s opinion of Happy Food.   

~ Samantha Hua, Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach, San Diego, CA