Belly fat is something that many people have a hard time getting rid of. It is certainly the most stubborn of all the areas on the body when it comes to losing weight, and even with good amounts of exercise and a healthy diet, belly fat can remain. Here are some great ways to lose this fat naturally for a more toned and slender look. 

Photo by Andres Ayrton from Pexels

Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep has a massive range of health benefits, including losing weight. Firstly, if you haven’t slept enough, you will – obviously – feel tired. This tiredness can affect how much and how well you can exercise. It could even mean that you skip your crucial exercise routine altogether because you are just too exhausted. On top of that, lack of sleep can also cause problems with your hormone production and metabolism, both of which need to be in perfect working order for fat loss to occur. Not getting enough sleep means you’re exercising less, plus the food you’re eating can’t be metabolized properly. No wonder it’s hard to lose that stubborn fat. 

Do More Exercise 

It’s not possible for everyone to get to the gym every day. Not everyone has the time or the cash to join a class and do an organized routine activity to burn off excess belly fat. However, everyone has time to do at least a little exercising during that day, and a little is a lot better than none at all. Just three five-minute sets of vigorous (that means you should sweat and your heart should beat faster) exercise five days a week can help immensely. You can do a range of different activities – you could run in place for five minutes or get outside and jog around the parking lot or up the road and back. You could do jumping jacks. You could even dance to a song on the radio. 

Take Time To Relax 

Relaxing is a major component of losing stubborn belly fat. When we are stressed, our bodies create too much of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol actually causes the body to maintain the current levels of belly fat and even builds more. So stress could be a significant reason why your fat just isn’t going anywhere. One way to combat stress is to set aside a little time each day to do something you enjoy. This can be enough to reduce stress levels and reduce the amount of cortisol that your body makes. You can also seek expert advice to reduce your stress levels, including seeking ways to get your testosterone back to normal levels. 

Snack Wisely 

It could be that you’re doing absolutely everything right but that your stubborn belly fat still isn’t going away. So what about your snacks? It’s recommended that adults have two snacks a day; one between breakfast and lunch and one between lunch and dinner. However, those snacks must be healthy if you want to lose weight. Those snacks include chia seeds, which are among the best foods you can eat when you want to reduce belly fat. What’s really great about them is that you can add them to most other foods. Other healthy snacks include Greek yogurt and mixed berries, mixed nuts, fruit, and kale chips. 

Drink Well 

Some beverages that you can drink are also good at helping you to lose belly fat. These include matcha green tea, ginger tea, good old-fashioned water, and fruit juices. Any fizzy soft drinks that you currently consume can be replaced by these more natural drinks, and you will not only hopefully lose the excess fat you want to be rid of, but you’ll feel better too because you will be flushing away any toxins in your body. 

Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners 

Artificial sweeteners are a big cause of weight gain. The problem is that many people consume them because they don’t want to have too much sugar in their diet. However, these sugar substitutes can be even worse for your health than the sugar they are replacing. This is because they contain chemicals that actually preserve your fat cells and make it much hard to break them down and remove them. If you want an all-natural alternative to sugar, stevia is a much better answer. It is a leaf extract with almost no calories and no harmful chemicals.   

Eat Healthy Fats 

Our bodies need fat in our diets to work properly. Essential fatty acids actually help to produce the hormones that metabolize fat stores. Essential fatty acids are ‘good fats’ and should not be confused with ‘bad fats’ that do no good at all. You can find essential fatty acids in coconut oil, nuts and seeds, cold water fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardines, and other items – you can easily research these online. Some of these items, such as nuts, are high in calories, so it’s essential only to eat the recommended portion sizes otherwise, your weight loss efforts will be undone.