Everywhere you look on the internet and through magazines you’re sure to come across an article on how to lose belly fat. As you read through these articles you learn of ways to banish the fat through foods and exercise and exercise and more exercise! Sure some articles will touch on why we get belly fat but it often only scratches the surface; this led me to sharing what I’ve learned about belly fat through scouring the internet and my many books.

What does belly fat actually do to our belly? Well, belly fat doesn’t just sit behind your belt, it also surrounds your organs which leaves them less room to hang out in – sort of constricting them; belly fat also cogs some of the organs such as the liver, the kidneys and the bowls.

Of course one of the biggest culprits of belly fat is sugar. Sugar is one of the most over-consumed products as well as unhealthy fats such as vegetable shortening, fatty meats and wheat products, both bleached and unbleached alike. But these things don’t stand alone in credit for belly fat.

Other factors that lead to belly fat are as follows – the focus is on the why here more than the how to get rid of it. When you know why, you can easily figure out the how.

1 – Age – as we get older out metabolism slows, you’ve probably heard this many times over, but it’s true even if you’re an active person; for women there’s the added bonus of menopause and peri-menopause. These slow down the production of estrogen and progesterone and testosterone levels also begin to drop.

2 – Processed foods – as mentioned before, sugars, bad fats and added to that, chemicals, there are many food chemicals in many processed foods; one great example is artificial sweeteners, they are all chemical and more harmful than table sugar. Opt for natural sweeteners and better yet, kick the habit, learn how to cut back.

3 – Bad fats – saturated fats as in meat, dairy and processed vegetable oils (shortening)

4 – Not enough good fats – nuts, avocado, seeds, olives and olive oil, fish and fish oil. These help burn fat cells and metabolize food.

5 – Poor workout indoors or outdoors – having a low activity level on a regular basis decreases your fat burning efforts – try to get 1.5-2 hours of a high intensity workout weekly; that’s only about 30-minutes a day for 5-6 days a week. Choose something you enjoy doing and build your activities from there.

6 – Stress – the hormone cortisol increases the amount of fat your body holds on to and it may enlarge your fat cells. Find ways to relieve stress, try exercise, meditation, therapy, time out for yourself.

7 – Poor Sleep – If you get 5 hours or less, you’re likely to have more belly fat, try to get at least 7 hours per night. There are ways to help you sleep, ask me.

8 – Genetics – Yup, it’s true, it does matter, it makes it harder to lose/keep belly fat off but it’s not impossible.

9 – Illness – there may be an underlying cause for your difficulty in losing belly fat, seeing your doctor on a regular basis is important for you to be sure you’re at your optimal health.

10 – Motivation – you may simply be unmotivated, it’s common, but there are ways to get motivated; you can join a group with like-minded people, friends, & family online, in-person or you can join a gym or an outdoor adventure group, and you can gain motivation through working with a health coach. You’re welcome to reach out to me since this is work I do.

Belly fat is no fun, it’s easy to gain and hard to lose for most, but it’s not impossible. See where you can make changes and try to encourage yourself and incorporate small changes at a time so that you will be able to stick with it. Get support again through a health coach, a therapist, a trainer, friends and groups.

Never give up on yourself!

As I was getting ready to sit at my desk to do some work, I decided to light a sage scented candle to add to the scent of slightly warming air coming in through the open window. I lit the candle, carried it to the fireplace hearth to place it down but I decided to first clean out the wood stove insert, that led to ash dust flying and dropping in front of the hearth which led to dusting the furniture right into the dining room which is open to the living room..then onto the kitchen. I then pulled out the quick vacuum and gave the three rooms plus the office a quick sweep.

As I returned to the fireplace to wash the little window in the wood stove, I realized that my bigger accomplishment started with that single candle.

All accomplishments, big or small, begin with that first step, that first action. If your plan is to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, slow down, quit smoking, quit sugar, drink more water and less soda; whatever it is, it begins with that first action. One step forward brings you closer to big achievements even when you’re not sure what the first step should be.

Take that first action step, do it for you!

Are you working toward your goals and succeeding? If not, what things are getting in your way? What stops you from reaching your destination? Are you eliminating the unnecessary things in your daily routine or are you doing the same thing over and over thinking that eventually you’ll get the results you’re looking for? And an even bigger question, do you know exactly what your goal is, or is your vision a little foggy?

In today’s world of great distractions it’s easy to lose focus, to fail to complete your thought or intentions; it’s easy to procrastinate. The thing is, and you know it without me telling you, procrastination doesn’t bring us to our goal. Procrastination and distractions will eventually carry us farther from our goals. Don’t let these things lead you to failing to reach your dream.

Grab a pen and paper and write down your answers to the questions I posed above. Be truthful with yourself; open and honest. Write it, see it, read it…read it aloud so you can hear yourself say what your goals are. Keep your answers handy so that you can remind yourself of what you truly want daily so that you can reach them.

Here are a few steps you can use and should put into practice on a regular basis:

1- Make a date with yourself. Once a day would be ideal but if you don’t think you can ‘fit yourself in’ start with once or twice a week. For daily, take just 10 minutes each day to focus on your desired goals. Sit in silence with eyes closed and have a mental conversation with yourself, to just breathe and be, and take time writing about your goal and how you will attempt to reach it today or what you did do to reach it today. If making time once or twice weekly, take an hour for plan your week ahead, to find peace within yourself and to dust off the old.

2- Eliminate one thing you do that doesn’t serve your destination. All of us do things that we claim is for our own greater good but in reality it has gotten us nowhere; what is your thing(s) that has you spinning your wheels while staying in one spot?

3- One day at a time. One of my most common pieces of advice is to set your intention every day; have a big goal in mind but break it up into daily goals – by doing this, you will be less overwhelmed and less discouraged and more likely to reach the big picture.

Always have a goal and always revive and renew your goals. Breathe new life into your dreams and do whatever it takes to reach them!

I’m not sure if you feel the same way but for me, when we are smack-dab in the middle of winter, I find myself eating more bread & pasta, and thick creamy, saucy type meals. I feel that it warms me up and keeps me filled. I also feel that it makes me want to snuggle down with a warm throw and a dog or two – the the pups, well, they don’t mind a bit.

After a few months of switching from hearty and warming to clean and lean, I feel like I’ve been on a food roller coaster where I feel awkward and craving balance.

Enter Spring! We’re four days away from kissing winter goodbye for a while. Spring is a nice time to clean out the goop and reinvent yourself and your eating plan. Lately I’ve been craving leafy greens and other vegetables, eggs, chicken and berries. All of these items are part spring fare. I also crave bread, especially the crusty kind with big air bubbles baked into them but that’s a weakness of mine that I have to constantly keep in check! I give in to my healthy food cravings because I trust my body and what it needs.

It’s interesting that your body knows what it needs to keep it running like a well oiled machine – especially when you are in the habit of feeding it healthy foods. On the flip side, because your body will crave what you feed it most, it will crave junk foods, fast foods and sweet unhealthy drinks too. Make a change today, make a choice to treat your body with love, care and respect. Feed it well, exercise it well and it will treat you well for many happy years.

What foods do you find your body asking for and do you give in to it?