From diet and exercise to supplements and the amount of zzzz's you're getting, we've uncovered the best and fastest ways to beat the bloat and tone that tum.
The Relaxation Method
If stress can make you store fat around your stomach, then it makes sense that plenty of rest will help to combat that.
Susan Cass, Technogym Master Trainer recommends plenty of sleep. ‘A hormone called leptin is responsible for telling your brain when your stomach is full; it also helps to control appetite and metabolism. Lack of sleep disrupts this hormone, which is why you find yourself eating more when you’re not getting your eight hours.’
ELLE loves: a relaxing bath filled with Epsom Salts. The magnesium draws out toxins, reduces bloating and can see your drop pounds on the scales, a nice mental boost. It’s a pre-red carpet trick for many A-listers.
Click here to visit the Technogym website...
The Drinks
Making sure you are sufficiently hydrated can make a world of difference to your tummy. Sean McBurney, National Fitness Manager, Nuffield Health recommends drinking Green Tea, ‘there is a lot of evidence that Green Tea can help reduce BMI, body fat percent and hip to waist ratio’.
Plus, the recommended 8-10 glasses of water (around 1.5- 2 litres) per day isn’t just for hydration. ‘Drinking plenty of water can assist in body fat reduction,’ says Sean. – 8-10 glasses
ELLE loves: Tea Pigs Mao Feng Green Tea, from £3.80
Click here to visit the Tea Pigs website...
The Cortisol Controller
Surprisingly, stress can cause you to store excess weight around your stomach.
‘These days our bodies can’t distinguish between day-to-day stress (late trains, deadlines) and real stress (danger), so it reacts by going into fight or flight mode releasing adrenaline and cortisol. This excess energy, in the form of fat and glucose, has nowhere to go so it is re-deposited as fat,’ says Marilyn Glenville, author of Fat around the Middle.
So why does fat target the middle? ‘The stomach is close to the liver so it can be quickly converted to energy if needed. And if you eat something sugary or fatty due to post-stress cravings, any weight you gain as a result will be around your middle too,’ says Marilyn.
Take Co-enzyme Q10, (£20.99 at Holland & Barratt), it releases energy by burning the fat around your middle and Zinc, (£11.59 at Holland & Barratt), which research has shown can help control cortisol.
Cortisol is also released when your blood sugar drops, to avoid this Marilyn advises the following: stop dieting; eat little and often; don’t skip breakfast; eliminate all stimulants including sugar, coffee and refined carbohydrates; add protein to each meal; eat essential fats and don’t eat on the run.
ELLE loves: Relaxing with meditation or meditative yoga. Also, try Tata Harper Stress Treatment, £64 (spacenk.co.uk), if you feel yourself getting stressed throughout the day use this rollerball on the palms of your hands, cup around your nose and take several deep breaths. The aromatherapy oil blend with linden blossom, rose otto and neroli instantly calms.
Fat around the Middle by Marilyn Glenville, £5.86 at Amazon .
The Exercise
Try this exercise that works as many core muscle groups at one time, which Jess Schuring , founder of Heartcore calls ‘the ultimate star’:
Lie flat on the floor (on your back) with legs open and arms overhead (like a star) - now lift arms and legs slightly (just an inch or two) off the floor and keep them off the floor for 60 seconds.
‘Next, lift your left leg and your right arm and crunch up so they meet above your torso. Exhale as you crunch and inhale when you bring them back down - then repeat other side - never let arms and legs touch floor. Try 60 seconds without stopping.
This is great as it works all abdominal muscles - rectus, internal and external obliques, transverse... great tummy toner.’
ELLE loves: Skipping, as this works your core muscles but also burns calories and reduces body fat. It’s no good having a toned stomach if there is a layer of fat concealing it.
Click here to visit the Heartcore website...
The Supplements
‘Bloating is the single biggest symptom of an enlarged stomach and causes include stress, improper digestion and a lack of beneficial bacteria in the gut,’ says Shabir Daya M R Pharms, resident pharmacist and co-founder of www.victoriahealth.com.
‘Take a daily digestive enzyme supplement such as Extrazyme 13 by Lifetime Vitamins, £21.95. It contains carbohydrate, protein, fat and fibre digesting enzymes ensuring a complete breakdown of your meal which prevents the stagnation of foods that often leads to bloating.’
ELLE loves: Ginger that, according to Shabir, stimulates digestive enzyme production and encourages digestion, Cook with it, take ginger supplements or sip ginger tea after a meal.
Click here to buy Extrazyme 13 at Victoria Health...
The Test
It doesn’t matter how many stomach crunches you do, if your body fat is sky high you won’t be able to see results. The key to battling the bulge, according to Pieter Vodden, PT Manager at Gymbox, is to understand your body’s fat levels.
Pieter suggests measuring your fat, ‘that way you know where you are starting from and can set a goal to reduce it. Aim toward 20% (if you are a woman between 20 and 40) and you will start to see a difference’.
Next, he recommends a Biosignature reading. Devised by world-renowned fat loss expert Charles Poliquin, this test measures where you’re storing fat and at what level; that build up of fat in particular areas is the result of hormonal imbalances that are unique to you.
‘For example if fatty deposits are on your love handles then you could have a problem with insulin,’ explains Pieter. ‘Once you’ve had a reading you will understand more clearly how to make the right dietary, lifestyle and exercise choices to reduce those fatty deposits.’
Click here to visit Gymbox's website....
Or visit Pieter Vodden's website...
The Diet
‘Citrus juice is one of the best sources of vitamin C, a fat-burning powerhouse linked to less body fat and smaller waist measurements,’ says Cynthia Sass, RD, author of the New York Times best selling book Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches.
‘Arizona State University researchers found that the amount of vitamin C in the bloodstream is directly related to fat oxidation—the body's ability to burn fat as fuel at any given time. Research shows that as blood vitamin C levels fall, so does the ability to burn fat - by as much as 11 percent,’ which is why Cynthia advises using a splash of citrus juice and zest to season meals.
ELLE loves: A juice detox to beat the bloat; Purifyne and Nosh are EBT favourites.
Cinch! By Cynthia Sass RD, £11.04 at Amazon.co.uk
Click here to visit the Nosh Detox delivery website...
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