The 3-point Guide to Losing Belly Fat – Meditation, Breakfast and Snacking

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Let’s be honest, those washboard abs aren’t anything new. They are something that have been thrown in front of us for years in the media and for most of us, it’s a case of wincing and thinking “what might have been”.

Unsurprisingly, there’s boatloads of advice around prevention of the infamous muffin-top. Most guys will hit the gym hard, perform umpteen crunches on a day to day basis, but still see that persistent layer of fat. In short, it’s not because their workout is wrong (although there might be small tweaks you can make), but it’s for a completely different reason.

In short, you are what you eat. Specifically, if your blood sugar is all over the place, so is your belly fat. It’s something that’s rarely spoken about but your blood sugar levels are something that can wreak absolute havoc with your abs and make them look a lot worse than your workouts deserve.

Every time you eat sugar, or maybe even refined carbs, your blood sugar levels are sent through the roof. The knock-on effect is that more insulin is released – but few people realize that this hormone also tells your body to store belly fat. Notice the problem?

The problem intensifies when even more hormones come into the picture, such as ones of the stress variety, which again inflates the overall belly fat levels.

Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sure, you could just cut out these sugars – but that’s easier said than done. Instead, we’re going to look at a three pronged approach which can provide you a more efficient path to losing the dreaded belly fat.

Meditation isn’t a fad

There’s a lot of publicity around meditation at the moment – and don’t be led to believe that this is purely marketing spiel. While some of the benefits might “seem” far-fetched, when it comes to resolving this particular belly fat problem meditation might be your best friend.

You can perform all of the exercise in the world, but it will all be for nothing if your mind has been blasted with stress. As we’ve already mentioned, one of the big reasons behind belly fat is the stress hormone (scientifically referred to as cortisol). Therefore, if you can engage in a practice like meditation which can reduce these, you’re immediately onto a winner. Other benefits of relieving stress include improved sleep, lower blood pressure and a better immune system – all of which can impact your belly in some shape or form.

Fortunately, meditation isn’t one of those things which will tie you down for hours. While some guys will resort to the practice in most of their free time, it’s really not necessary. Instead, you can achieve really positive results with just several minutes work. In fact, it might be less – the experts recommend taking just ten deep breaths when you wake up, whilst continually performing the practice through the day whenever you find a gap.

Additionally, meditation isn’t necessarily about sitting around. It can be performed when you go for a walk, or even as you sleep. The whole aim is to clear your mind and lower those stress levels – so anything that can help you achieve the above should be considered.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

Let’s turn to one of the oldest dietary clichés around; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This isn’t something that was made up off the cuff; there’s plenty of evidence behind the statement and it can help to reduce your belly fat.

The concept is to provide your body with a breakfast that is stable and healthy – something that will keep your body satisfied. Sure, sugary cereals might give you that instant happiness boost and make you feel on top of the world for the next hour – but after that it all goes downhill. If you can turn to a healthy, nutritional option the positive effects will slowly be released through the morning, and you don’t have to worry about the dreaded crash. There are no spikes – just stability.

In terms of the exact foods you should turn to, a breakfast full of good fats, protein and complex carbohydrates is just the ticket. In fact, let’s throw some suggestions out there:

• Hot chocolate: Ok, let’s start with a favorable suggestion. Firstly, this isn’t your classic hot chocolate by any stretch of the imagination; it’s something comprised of almond milk and raw cacao, with the likes of hemp seeds, sesame seeds and berries thrown in there for good measure. It isn’t quite as chocolatey, but it will do wonders for your morning.
• Porridge: This is something of an old classic, although you should be turning to whole-grain porridge to reap the full benefits. If you’re heading buying from the shop, make sure it’s full of quinoa, oats or millet, while you should supplement it with seeds, eggs or nuts to get an added punch.
• Sweet potato: It might seem like a strange choice for breakfast, but this is another option that can really kick start your day. Steam half a sweet potato, mash it up with coconut oil and finish off with a sprinkle of seeds. It’s a different, but completely tasty, way to start the morning.

It can all go wrong with snacking

Snacking is a pretty essential component of modern-day life; without it, most of us would go crazy. However, there are most certainly good and bad ways to snack – and make sure you fall into the former group.

Unfortunately, most of us tend to grab a snack at times where convenience is crucial. It’s at those periods where you only have a few minutes to spare at work, or where you’re desperately short of time and need that quick energy boost. Most of the time this results in food and drink that is ablaze with sugar, caffeine and all sorts of nasty’s that our body just isn’t going to appreciate. Again, as we’ve already mentioned, it’s all about preventing that short spike and creating something more constant for the next few hours.

So, what’s the solution? Well anything that’s healthy is a good start. At this point we should remind you not to be fooled by “healthy snacks” sold at the shops, most of the time these are full of all of the ingredients that can cause our insulin levels to skyrocket.

Instead, you need some “truly” healthy snacks. Sure, they might not be quite as delicious as that caramel latte, or anything else that usually takes your fancy, but by turning to some of the following you can really transform the effect snacks have on your body:

• Homemade granola bar: Again, make sure you don’t take the lazy option and turn to one of the on-the-shelf versions. When consumed correctly, granola bars can be a prime source of energy and help you to get through the day.
• Miso soup: This one is hardly surprising, but for added punch turn to some hemp seeds to top the soup off with.
• Trail mix: It’s as natural as it gets, and it’s the “natural-factor” which will help you the most in these times of need.