Whilst we address many aspects of fat loss sometimes other factors are sidelined and they can have a very adverse effect on our fat loss journey.
We have put together our top 5 tips for you to consider when trying to lose body fat:
🔵 Managing Stress and lowering Cortisol levels
To lose fat it is essential that you minimize you stress to lower your cortisol levels. Chronically high cortisol is associated with higher body fat, particularly around the mid section. This means that no matter how much you exercise or eat healthy, you’re unlikely to lose fat if your cortisol is elevated because of how cortisol makes the body insensitive to insulin.
One recent study looked at the relationship between cortisol levels, insulin sensitivity and visceral bely fat in men. Men with more belly fat produced far more cortisol through the day and had decreased insulin sensitivity than those with less belly fat.
If you have had previous experience with fat loss, you know that you probably found it easier to lose fat when you were calm and not stressed.
Proven ways to reduce stress:
• Yoga & meditation
• Doing activities you enjoy
• Strength training
🔵 Fix your gut with probiotics
At Steelextreme we always promote gut health. If you don’t start from the inside you can’t fix the outside! Fix your gut health and improve digestion by eating plenty of probiotic foods to lose fat, have more energy, and feel better. Probiotics are tiny bacteria that naturally occur in our gastrointestinal tract and are commonly found in fermented dairy products such as yogurt.
Fat loss is made more difficult if your gut isn’t healthy. A healthy gut has better digestion and will make you feel less bloated and gassy.
Greats probiotics are found in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi.
🔵 Don’t eliminate fat
When it comes to dietary fat it is the type of fat you eat that matters. Contrary to past dietary advice promoting low fat diets, newer research shows that healthy fats are necessary and beneficial for health and also fat loss. Healthy fat are also essential to balance hormones especially in women.
The right kind of fats helps you to feel fuller, maximize your metabolism and minimizing snacking.
Good fats are:
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Oily fish
🔵 Support digestion with Digestive Enzymes
Another trick to support fat loss and aid digestion is to make sure you have healthy levels of digestive enzymes to break down food. Adequate digestive enzymes will allow your body to completely digest food, improving absorption of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Better digestion and absorption of protein and nutrients will support protein synthesis and the development of lean body mass. A great digestive enzyme is Pineapple which is ideal as a post training snack! Two birds with one stone
🔵 STRENGTH TRAIN – build muscle and lose fat!
Whilst most would think the 1st go to would be cardio, we highly recommend strength training. Ample research shows that strength training should be at the forefront of your fat loss journey. Strength training is essential because it will burn calories, improves insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake and it makes you stronger. It also produces a more favorable muscle building response, which in turn raises your metabolism to support a leaner body composition. A win win!
🔵 If you are looking to start your fitness or have fallen off track and don’t know where to start – make the 1st step and get in touch. With our years of experience helping clients from all walks of life we are confident that we can help you get back to your confident and happy self!