Lose the Muffin Top

When you feel stressed, because you’re under pressure at work or just trying to juggle the many things we all do each day, your body produces a hormone called cortisol.  An increased level of cortisol in the system leads to fat accumulation.  Specifically, midsection fat, or the dreaded muffin top.

How Does Cortisol Cause Fat Accumulation?

To answer that question, let’s go back to the days of the caveman. When being chased by wild animals, cavemen’s bodies went into a fight or flight mentality. When this happens, the hormone cortisol is produced. This causes stored fat to be released into the bloodstream to give the liver and other organs energy to deal with the threat.  

When cortisol is not used for energy, it gets stored in the ab tissue.  Your middle area can house as much as four times as many cortisol receptors as fat-storage units in other areas of the body.  

Now, we aren’t cavemen, and we hardly ever get chased by wild animals, but that doesn’t matter.  Our body doesn’t know the difference between being chased by a pack of wolves, or having to deal with a hostile boss at work. So,  when we are under constant stress, cortisol continues to store fat in our mid section. This is why cortisol is a known contributor to belly fat, a.k.a a muffin top.

How to Combat Cortisol

So how do you combat this problem when you have a stressful job and a family that requires you to run around like a chicken without a head?  Well, I get it, we can’t all quit our jobs and become professional yogis.  The goal here is to create balance in our lives and to find ways to manage and reduce stress, even when in the midst of it. 

Here are a list of ways to accomplish this:

• Learn to breathe.  Taking very long inhales and even longer exhales, repeatedly, cannot just reduce stress in the very moment you are experiencing it, but also over the long haul.

• Take yoga classes or guided meditation sessions. They can help you to reduce stress even further.

• Get more sleep!  The body reads sleep deprivation as stress, therefore increasing cortisol levels.  So aim for 8 hours of sleep per night or be sure to get in a power nap if at all possible.

• Drink tea.  Tea has been proven to reduce cortisol levels.

• Weight training.  That’s right ladies, don’t worry about bulking up by lifting heavy weights.  It takes a lot of work to build large muscles and it ain’t gonna happen because you lifted 10-15 lb weights 3 times a week.  Lifting weights will surely increase muscle in your body, and that will release fat from stored areas so it can be delivered to the muscles for energy.  And don’t forget the old saying, “The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn!”

• Learn to delegate.  If you’re anything like me, you wear the cuffs of Wonder Woman pretty well and take on way too much.  Learn to ask for help, and give others some of the workload.  If your kids are old enough to tackle their laundry, unload the dishwasher, or bathe the dog, then gosh darn it… let them.  Stop trying to do it all!  You’re not getting a badge from anyone, unless you see your middle bulge as a badge of honor.

• Power down at night.  Turn off the phone, laptop, ipad, etc. an hour before you need to sleep.  Let your body and mind wind down.  Oh and yes, this is a good time to breathe, communicate with a loved one, or pray to your higher power.

• Have more sex!  That’s right, I said it… sex!  Stop waiting for the romantic moment to present itself.  Just relax, have fun, and let the body decompress while releasing pleasure hormones, instead of cortisol:)

• Stop being a perfectionist.  Let it go.  The bed doesn’t need to be made, you can have dishes in your sink, and no one wants to eat off of your floors.  Let all of that fear of judgment go.  Your mother isn’t going to come inspect your house.  I get it, this is much easier said than done.  Take baby steps.  Finding ways to let things go not only lightens your load, but also frees you of the constant need to be perfect, which only makes for stress and anxiety.

• Get rid of toxic people in your life.  You know them: the Negative Nellies and Debby Downers, people who suck the joy out of everyday living.   Steer clear of them.  Limit your exposure to them.  Pray for them to find happiness, but do not let them drain you of yours and ultimately, mess with your peace and serenity.

Take Control Over Cortisol to Lose That Muffin Top

Taking control over cortisol is just one way to redirect the trajectory of your life. As a heath and life coach, I would love to help you feel better and do better. Schedule a free consultation today!