Everybody has a six pack.

Trouble is, in most cases that six pack muscle is buried deep under a layer of fat that hides the muscles from public view and keeping them out of sight and out of mind.

Many people believe that performing endless rep after rep of crunches or situps will somehow miraculously burn away the fat from the abs but science tells us that whilst an element of spot reduction from exercise may be possible, the contribution of fat burned during an exercise comes from the overall fat supply within the body rather than from one site alone.

So trying to show off your six-pack with endless crunches is a waste of time. Sure, you’ll make the area stronger and create greater endurance (both worthy goals) but you can be sure that the fat sitting over your stomach won’t be going anywhere as a result of your efforts.

But wait a minute!

That doesn’t mean that spot reduction is impossible altogether.

In fact, it’s not only possible but probable if your approach it from a different perspective… such as that of your hormones.

Science has shown that where you lay your fat stores down is directly related to the action of your hormones and that you can predict how balanced or imbalanced your hormones are by looking at where you hold your fat.

If you find that your belly fat is a problem, chances are that your cortisol levels (your ‘fight or flight’ hormones) are markedly elevated due to increased stress levels and/or lack of sleep.

Whilst endlessly grinding out the abdominal exercises won’t ever help you to remove this layer of fat, simply getting to bed by 10.00 – 10.30pm 5 nights a week and taking steps to reduce your stress can often yield dramatic and rapid results.

Try supplementing with Ayurvedic supplements like Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola and taking magnesium and zinc supplements and even the most stubborn of belly fat will start to shift.

Reduce stimulants such as coffee, tea and caffeine containing sodas and replace them with green tea (only after elimination diet as it contains caffeine) and Tulsi which is an excellent cortisol lowering Ayurvedic tea.

Ditch the sugar, maltose, dextrose, fructose and all the other ‘oses’ from your diet and serious consider dropping starches from your diet too to give the sympathetic branch of your nervous system a chance to rest and recover and allow your parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ branch to do its thing.

In addition, try incorporating breathing and meditation exercises into your daily routine by trying ‘cyclical breathing patterns’ that have you breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4 seconds and breathing out for 8 seconds for 8-10 breaths. The relaxation and oxygenation effect is an amazing counterpoint to the stress that most people are under and it’ll leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed in no time.

Finally, commit to shorter, more intense and more frequent workouts rather than longer ones as these create far less cortisol and are often offset by the surges of testosterone and growth hormone that follow.

Net result?

More belly fat loss for you : )

Give it a go and see how much belly fat you can shift in the next 7 days, You’ll be pleasantly surprised : )

Adrian Ford Personal Trainer

Ford Fitness

Tel: 0203 278 9543

Mobile: 07940 41 44 41

Email: info@fordfitness.co.uk

Personal Training: www.fordfitness.co.uk

Sports/Fitness Equipment: www.fordfitnesssportsequipment.co.uk

FOLLOW ME ON

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/fordfitness

LINKEDIN: http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/adrian-ford/16/83b/9aa