How to Lose Stomach FatMyths and FactsHow do I lose stomach fat? It's a question that every fitness professional gets asked at some point. The question is usually accompanied with a little demonstration from the client and an inch or two pinched for added effect! The human body is covered in fat cells, the number of which largely depends upon your genetics, gender, body type (mesomorph, endomorph and ectomorph), food/drink consumed and activity levels. Fat cells are like plastic bags which store fatty acids. These fatty acids may be released through the action of the hormone adrenaline (exercise is useful in achieving this). Adrenaline acts on fat cells by way of a receptor. Fat cells have two kinds of receptors - Alpha and Beta. Beta receptors are responsible for helping release fat (GOOD), while alpha receptors help store fat (BAD) in fat cells. Still with me? Now the ratio of Alpha to Beta receptors varies from one fat cell to another and seems to be related to our sex hormones. The greater the distribution of alpha receptors in one area, the more likelihood there is of storing fat in that area. People who have a tendency to store fat around the stomach usually have a higher quantity of alpha receptors in that area, explaining why losing stomach fat can be so difficult. It also explains why fat in these areas is usually the last to come off! How to Lose Stomach Fat - Myths1# You can lose belly fat with creams and potionsThere are many products on the market that promise to help you lose fat if applied to the troublesome areas. In my experience, products of this type promise a great deal and deliver at best, very little. Any observable effect tends to come from a slight reduction in fluid retention in the area and that is it! 2# Neoprene waist bands are useful in losing belly fat. 3# Reduce stomach fat through breathing exercises 4# How to lose stomach fat? - It's NOT via endless sit ups! While it is true that performing any kind of exercise will help increase calories burned, performing ab specific exercise in this fashion will do nothing towards losing the fat on your stomach if an overall calorie deficit is not elicited. Yes abdominal muscle tone should improve, but this is useless if it is still covered in a layer of fat! In short, if someone tells you how to lose stomach fat, and in doing so, sends you off to do hundreds of sit ups or crunches - walk away and seek another trainer! 5# Electronic ab stimulators are useful tools for losing belly fat. How to Lose Stomach Fat - The FactsIf you want to know how to lose stomach fat effectively, you must understand that there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is lost from the body as a complete unit, some areas giving up their free fatty acids more readily than others. Once this crucial point is understood and accepted, an effective plan can be designed to increase fat loss, including losing stomach fat!Adhering to the following points will prime your body for fat loss and increase your success in losing stomach fat.
For people looking to further their understanding of how to get into the best shape of their lives, I highly recommend the best selling e-book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. The e-book is known as the fat loss bible and for good reason - everything you ever need to know and how to apply it to your own circumstance is right there within the pages. If you follow the advice presented, you really can't go wrong and it's a book I recommend to all of my own clients. You can read my review of it
HERE.
Best of Luck
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