Let’s talk about stubborn belly fat and how to reduce it, it’s a common question we get and there are a lot of misconceptions and myths surrounding belly fat and how to get rid of it. 

But first things first, before we talk about how to get rid of belly fat, it’s important to know exactly what it is we’re talking about.

Belly fat or abdominal fat is the subcutaneous (under the skin) fat that sits around the waist and provides a store of energy, and also protection and heat, for our organs.

There are three types of fat: triglycerides (the fat that circulates in your blood), subcutaneous fat (the layer directly below the skin’s surface) and visceral fat (dangerous belly fat). Visceral fat is located beneath the muscles in your stomach and poses many dangers to your health when there is too much of it.

So how do you know if you have too much belly fat? An easy way to determine if you have too much belly fat is to measure yourself at home. Take a measuring tape and wrap it around your bare stomach, right above your hip bone. The tape should be snug but not too tight. For women, a measurement of 35 inches or more indicates an unhealthy amount of belly fat. For men, a measurement of 40 inches or more indicates an unhealthy measure.

Why is it so hard to get rid of?

Trying to get rid of stubborn belly fat comes down to a number of things. It’s not all about cutting back calories or doing really hard core workouts. There are many factors that play a role, including your genetics and the inevitable truth is that some people are just more likely to develop visible abs muscles than others. Now, don’t get us wrong, nutrition and daily movement are most certainly crucial, but managing your stress and looking after your sleep is key, too.

Tips for getting rid of stubborn belly fat

If it’s your goal to work on defining your abdominal muscles a little more, here are some tips to incorporate into your daily life and keep you belly fat under control, remember that perseverance is a key to obtain better results.

Attitude

If you’re only on a health kick to lose weight or look a certain way, it will be hard to lose weight permanently. Weight loss is a great goal, but finding something else to motivate you can help. It takes time, and you need to motivate yourself throughout the journey. One way is to find more reasons to be healthy. Remind yourself of all the amazing benefits of exercise, nutrition, sleeping for 7 to 8 hours, and so on.

Nutrition

Following a healthy diet is key in getting rid of belly fat. Diets high in fiber and low in carbohydrates, which include foods like fish, poultry, lean meats, eggs, healthy fats like avocado and olive oil, and lots of colourful vegetables, build up less visceral fat. Try reducing processed food, alcohol and inflammatories food when possible.

Exercise

If you don’t work out consistently enough, it’s hard to lose weight. But, you don’t need to spend hours in the gym; you only need to set up a reasonable workout schedule that you can follow each week. It’s not about killing yourself with workouts—it’s about finding something you like and that you’ll continue with for the long-term.You have to be willing to be more active on a regular basis — not just for a week here and there.

And remember daily activities (walking to the shops, making a cup of tea or taking your furry friend out to stretch their legs, taking public transport, opting for the stairs over the elevator or doing household chores) can contribute to hitting your healthy fat loss goals. 

Stress

The number one cause of unwanted belly fat is chronic stress.  Stress is something that your body needs, however in unfiltered amounts it can cause a lot of damage.

Think of it this way – your adrenal glands kick into action to produce cortisol anytime you are put in a threatening situation.  The release of cortisol is needed to trigger the cells in your liver, fat, and muscle tissues to release the energy your body needs to get through the threatening situation. When we’re in “flight or flight” mode, the body releases glucose (energy) into the blood to prepare you for a difficult situation. If stress levels remain high enough to continue producing cortisol for long periods of time, unhealthy and dangerous changes will begin to occur within your body.

The belly fat created begins to act as an endocrine organ – sending hormones directly into the circulatory system.  These hormones increase inflammatory compounds within your body damaging cells, compromising your health, increasing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many other diseases. 

This isn’t something to beat yourself up over. It just means you may need to be more aware about managing your stress as much as you can and finding outlets that help you release that stress and keep it at bay.

Sleep

Oh the power of a good night’s sleep. It has been found that adults who get more than six hours of sleep per night are likely to carry 3cm less around their waist. Amazing right?! Create a healthy sleep schedule for yourself and make sure you stick to it.

Conclusion

So where do you start? We suggest making small, manageable changes, and figure out what’s most sustainable for you. You will probably not eat, manage stress, exercise, or sleep perfectly every day, but that’s ok, you’re in it for the long run, and it’s all about balance. Keep trying your best to make good decisions about your health and you’ll start to see changes that will motivate you to keep going! 

There are still PLENTY of fitness benefits to exercising and strengthening your core – like improved stability and strength – but we’ll leave that for the next blog post!

It’s all about balance right? Looking for a delicious cocktail and something to nibble this long weekend, check out our traditional (and healthier) Paloma recipe, guacamole and crispy tortillas on the blog.

Long weekend Paloma

The Paloma (which means dove in Spanish) is a traditional Mexican cocktail made with tequila, lime and grapefruit juice, or grapefruit soda. It’s refreshing and perfect for those hot humid days, try this healthier twist of this popular cocktail.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (about 2 grapefruits, juiced)
• 3 ounces tequila
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 tsp honey (raw if possible)
• grapefruit flavoured sparkling water
• ice
• sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt for the rim

Instructions

Homemade Crispy Tortillas

Ingredients

• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste coarse salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and spread the wedges in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Brush 2 tbs olive oil over each tortilla.
4. Salt chips
5. Bake 10 to 15 minutes depending on your baking sheet. They are done when completely crunchy!
6. Let chips cool before serving. You can store in airtight container and they should stay crispy up to a week.

ADDITIONAL TOPPING OPTIONS: you can also use any of these additional toppings to spice things up: paprika, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper (sparingly, will add heat!). CHEESES: grated parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, etc.

Easy Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3 avocados, ripe
• 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely diced
• 1-2 lime, juiced
• sea salt
• jalapeño (optional)

Instructions

1. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop into a mixing bowl (save the pit for later).
2. Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like.
3. Add the finely diced onion and pour half of the lime juice over the onion, add a pinch of salt and let the onion cook in the lime and salt for 5 min.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add a pinch more salt or lime juice if needed.
5. Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips, Paloma & enjoy!

TIP: To keep the guacamole green for longer, add in the pit and wrap with plastic wrap.

Cheers to the long weekend and the warmer days ahead!

Looking for quick and healthy weeknight dinner ideas? We have just the thing, this chicken parm stuffed zucchini dish is a delicious alternative to traditional lasagna, and a great way to get your greens in while enjoying a deliciously meal that’s packed with protein and loaded with flavour! Plus now that summer is almost here, this is a great way to use up fresh zucchini from our vegetable garden!

Serves: 2  Cooking Time: 40min

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. lean ground chicken
• 1 cup Pasta Sauce or Homemade Tomato Sauce (when time permits, we like to make our own tomato sauce, check out the recipe below )
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 2-3 medium zucchini
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Basil to garnish

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Lightly coat a baking dish with spray; set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Add chicken, breaking apart with a spoon as it cooks for about 5 minutes, or until no longer pink (*Note, if we are using pre-made pasta sauce, we add 2 garlic cloves minced to the chicken, cooking for a few minutes before moving on to the next step for additional flavour).

5. Add Pasta Sauce or Homemade Tomato Sauce, salt, pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and remove from heat.

6. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out centers with a spoon (you can use the scooped centers for extra nutrients in a smoothie, you won’t even notice it)

7. Divide chicken mixture among the zucchini, top each with parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

8. Place zucchini in prepared baking dish, cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and place under broil for an extra few min.

9. Serve warm and garnish with basil

Homemade Tomato Sauce

We don’t know about you, but we love making our ow sauce. If you have some time, here is our go to recipe, nothing beats freshly made tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine
• 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes (we like using San Marzano)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 oz. Parmesan cheese rind
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes

3. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add wine, stirring constantly

5. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

6. Add cheese rind, cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour.

7. Remove cheese rind. Add basil, mix well and enjoy!

There you have it, let us know how your Chicken Parm Stuffed Zucchini turned out!

Spring is officially here, and although the weather doesn’t match just yet, it is a great reminder of a law that governs life, everything evolves in a cycle. It brings hope and positivity, a reminder of rebirth where nature comes back to life and the entire cycle starts all over again. Spring is often seen as a good time to regroup, reprioritize and improve areas in their life and find a balance. We couldn’t agree more that this is a great time to set new goals, to get rid of old things, and to consciously work on improvement.

That’s why we’ve partnered up with Culinary Nutritionist & Health Coach Gorete Almeida, together, we’ll be hosting a facebook live stream on April 8th at 11am, where she’ll be answering your top questions and providing you with great tips and tricks to get you to the healthy and balanced life you deserve, just in time to get you ready for summer!

Do you have a health and/or nutrition question that’s been on your mind lately? Submit your top 3 questions around nutrition here, so we can be sure to answer them during our live stream!

Quick tip: A daily green smoothie does the body some serious good! Why not start the Spring season with this healthy green smoothie to keep you energized throughout you day. Super green, check, super delicious, check and check.

SUPER GREEN SMOOTHIE

1 ¼ Cup chopped kale, stems and tough rib remove

1 ¼ cup frozen cubed mango

2 medium ribs celery, chopped

1 Cup chilled fresh tangerine or orange juice

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender.
2. Puree until smooth
3. Pour mixture into 2 chilled glasses

Per serving:

Calories 160, Protein 3.5g, Carbohydrates 39g (5 g fiber), Fat 1 g (0g sat), Sodium 56g

We clearly had some help along the way…

We hope you enjoy this! Take a picture of your smoothie and perhaps little helpers, and tag us on instagram #EAFitness!