10 WAYS TO LOSE BELLY FAT

Avoid common mistakes and craft abs of steel by following these 10 simple steps to lose belly fat First of all, let's get one thing clear: there is no way to target specific areas of fat on your body. No matter how enthusiastically the lady on the infomercial promises her products will be able to 'melt those love handles' or 'firm up that butt', she's lying. Or at least, bending the truth. And even if you work out twice a day, every day, if you're consuming more calories than you’re burning, and if the food you’re eating is packed full of sugar and other things that encourage your body to store fat - you will still carry some excess flab. However, there are some tricks you can employ to give your body the best chance in your fight against the flab. Thousands of crunches won’t give you a six-pack, but making some dietary changes and switching up your training approach can and will. The quickest way to fail your fat-fighting mission is by flaking out on your commitments and lacking discipline. But even if you are properly motivated, you need to ensure you aren’t making silly mistakes that will stall your belly fat burning progress. We've come up with ten of the most common, critical errors even the most ardent gym-goer could still make, and the simple changes that could see your six-pack come out of hiding within a matter of weeks. Are you sitting comfortably? Let’s begin… 1. Banish stress Minimising stress lowers your cortisol levels. It's been understood for ages that chronically high cortisol results in fat gain, particularly around the middle. No matter how much you exercise or how healthy your diet, you’ll struggle to lose weight if your cortisol is elevated. And unfortunately for us gentlemen, we're more prone to stress-related cortisol and belly fat so reducing stress levels is a surefire way to help attack the belly flab. Of course, reducing stress is easier said than done, but three scientifically proven ways you can do it are: yoga, laughter and listening to music. So, hit a yoga class, watch a comedy and keep some headphones handy. 2. Get plenty of vitamin C Vitamin C can help balance the cortisol spikes that occur while you're stressed. And as well as being a good way to boost you immune system and prevent colds, Vitamin C is also essential for making carnitine, a compound that helps your body with the process of turning fat into fuel. If you’re going through a particularly stressful period then increase your vitamin C and it’ll go some way to help counteract the negative side-effects. However, don't just neck a load of orange juice to up your intake. OJ may be a great vitamin C source but it's also full of sugar (even though it's naturally occurring it will still hamper your weight-loss efforts). Try including more chilli peppers, tomatoes, kale and kiwi fruit in your diet. These all have even more vitamin C than oranges, along with a host of other healthy nutrients. The best abs workout to help you shift your belly fat 3. Start strength training Strength training isn't just about building bulging biceps that look good in the mirror. It's essential for weight loss because it burns calories while improving insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake. It's preferable to steady state cardio training because it produces a more favourable muscle-building response and burns more fat. For the best results, follow a periodised strength training programme that changes regularly – so you are not doing the same thing for longer than two months – and include sprint training. 4. Don’t avoid fat Avoiding fat in your diet to shift fat from your body may seem logical, but when you appreciate the role of fat in the body you’ll realise it isn’t. You need a decent amount of ‘good’ fat in your diet because all the cells in your body are made up of two layers of fats, or lipids, which are composed of good fats or bad fats depending on the type that’s predominant in your diet. If the cell lipid layers are made up of healthy fats, it will make them more sensitive to insulin and allow the receptors to bind more easily, which is necessary for good metabolism and energy production. Of course, removing trans fats from your diet is essential because they will make you fat and then they will kill you. The truth about losing weight and burning fat 5. Balance your healthy fat intake To get a balanced intake you ideally want a nearly equal ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fats. Most people get way too many omega 6 fats because they are abundantly found in the most commonly used vegetable oils. Omega 3 fatty acids are those that come from fish oil (usually known as DHA, EPA and ALA) but they also are found in grass-fed beef and wild meats. So for better insulin health and body composition, eat wild meat and fish and take an omega 3 supplement. 6. Take a probiotic Probiotics are tiny bacteria that live naturally in the gastrointestinal tract and are commonly found in dairy products such as yogurt. It’s difficult to lose weight if you don’t have a healthy gut. Why? More than half the neurotransmitters that send messages from the brain to cells and hormone receptors throughout the body are made in the gastrointestinal lining. If your gut is not healthy, it negatively affects the production of the neurotransmitters, leading to poor cognitive function, low mood and lack of motivation to exercise. Gut health is also essential because it improves digestion. Your metabolism will be supported so that nutrients are broken down, absorbed and used by the body effectively. A recent study even found that the probiotics found in fermented kimchi and yoghurt can naturally speed up your metabolism. The best six-pack moves 7. Top up your nutrients Another trick for supporting digestion and fat loss is to make sure you have adequate stomach acid to break down food. Take a hydrochloric acid (HCl) supplement to improve acid levels in the stomach and to allow your body to completely break down food. The increased acid levels in the stomach will improve the absorption of protein, calcium, vitamin B, magnesium, zinc, iron and other basic nutrients. 8. Get a good night’s sleep When you’re tired you produce more of the hunger-stimulating hormone called ghrelin, which triggers cravings for sugar and other foods that will do your waistline no favours. Losing sleep can also alter your hormone production, which affects your cortisol levels and can cause insulin sensitivity - one of the main offenders when it comes to seemingly unshiftable belly flab. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night is one of the best things you can do if you want to lose weight and reveal your abs. 9. Start your day with protein Skipping meals will set you up to fail to lose weight, and eating breakfast is one of the simplest, healthiest things you can do to feel better and have more energy – but it’s vital that it includes protein. Cereal is bad for breakfast because it’s typically packed with sugar and additives. Setting the neurotransmitters up for the day is the reason a high-quality protein breakfast is essential. The macronutrient content of the food you eat for breakfast will prime the chemicals that send messages from the brain to all your muscles and tissues throughout the whole day. 10. Drink green tea A study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition suggests that drinking four cups of green tea each day could help people shed around 2-3kg in two months because there is a compound in the brewed tea that temporarily speeds up your metabolism. If you want to up your intake even further keep a jug of iced green tea in the fridge for a bit of variation. (MAX ANDERTON)