Friday, August 29, 2008

The Middle Aged Spread Stress And Belly Fat

If you are one of those women who just can't loose your belly no matter how hard you exercise, Stresses that are put on your body maybe causing hormonal changes causing belly fat, this can come from physical, emotional, or diet related.



Are You Stressed?



The adrenal glands secrete the hormone cortisol as a reaction to stress; this causes the ovaries to overproduce estrogen, which attracts body fat to the belly.

We live in a toxic world that puts stress on our bodies in the form of Free Radicals; from the foods we eat, to the air we breathe. Things like heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and Algerians. By the time you hit 30 your body is full of toxins that get stored in your fat cells.

What Do You Stress About ?

Emotional stress takes a serious toll on your body, for most people not a day goes by without stressing about something. Could be your job, relationship, money, or just not being happy in general.

This can lead to chronic stress, if the condition continuously goes unchecked your digestive system will suffer. Your liver and kidneys are your body’s detox system, in order for them to do their job they need proper nourishment. But emotional stress hampers their ability to function properly.

If your body suffers from physical, emotional, or diet related stress you may have some of the following, constipation, gas, bloating, IBS, headaches, bad breath, allergy symptoms, PMS, fatigue, depression, irritability, and weight gain.

The First Sign Your Becoming Toxic:

You should have a bowel movement at least one to two times a day. When you have less than two bowels movements per day the actual bowel walls become impacted with uneliminated fecal matter. This hampers the absorption of vital nutrients and providing a breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria, organisms and even parasites. Imagine your garbage sitting outside the door for a few days to get the idea what’s happening inside your body.

A healthy bowel movement should be one solid piece, light golden brown in color, one inch in diameter, odorless and semi floats in the toilet basin. Anything other than that is worth taking a closer look. Broken apart, hard, dark, odor, large or loose stools are the indication of purification and constipation and thus the beginning of poor health.

Detoxing Is It For You?

Detoxing has become very popular; when you detox you eliminate the things that put the biggest stress on your organs such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and red meat.

The end result is your body has the time and energy to eliminate toxins that have built up, leading to a healthier digestive system. But before you go running for the next hottest detox product, you might want to think twice.

Doing some Detox programs takes some serious commitment, and has some down sides. First if you are not eating a true healthy diet, imagine going cold turkey from just coffee alone can make most people irritable. Withdrawal symptoms can make life miserable for most.

Possible side effects of Detox Programs:

Headaches
Fever
Chills
Diarrhea
Nausea
Skin rashes
Drowsiness and fatigue
Sleep interruptions
Thirst
Loss of appetite
Increased urination

Then there is the health risk, some detox programs want you to cut out too much protein, carbohydrates, and good fats from your diet leaving your body in a deficit state. If this is for to long you put your overall health at risk just to loose a few pounds.


A Healthy Approach:

If you consume a healthy diet daily consisting of lean protein, Complex Carbohydrates, Good Fats, with proper hydration (healthy water) you will rid your body of those toxins. It may take a little longer but it’s a process worth learning!

Protein has the highest thermal effect of all the food groups, so when consuming lean protein you speed up your metabolism. Lean protein, like eggs, white meat poultry, triggers the production of the hormone glucagon that burns fat, plus you need lean protein to create lean muscle. And lean muscle burns fat!

Healthy fats from natural oils, Flax seed oil, macadamia oil, olive oil, and almonds nourish the liver and help burn Belly Fat. Look for oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids for optimal fat burning.

Complex carbohydrates give your body the energy to make it through the day. Complex carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains.

Green vegetables like broccoli, green beans, and spinach contain less starch and more fiber. Whole grains like oatmeal contain soluble fiber that significantly slows down your digestive process. Due to it's high fiber content and high levels of certain fat burning antioxidants it is essential to anyone’s diet.

P.S. If you want to avoid most toxins buy 100% organic, it will cost you a little more up front but what is your future health worth?

Want To Know More? see - Nitrates In Your Food

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great blog, Just found it and have enjoyed back tracking through your posts! Thanks very much...

Nathalie said...

Wow, this was very interesting. My mother has had these "belly" issues, and I often wondered about them.

Thanks for your insightful posts!