It is the classic scenario that eludes so many people fat around the midrift. They hit the gym hard yet they find it hard to shift the love handles.
Days drag into weeks, weeks into months, months into years and still the dreaded tyre just wont shift. The rest of the body may (or may not be) taking shape nicely. So what is going on and more importantly how can we fix it?
midrift fat and how to reduce it using management of insulin
Your love handles or fat around the waist levels are a direct correlation to your glucose or sugar tolerance which in turn is a direct reflection of how healthy you are.
So, you want to get lean? Well then get healthy!
In simple terms when we eat sugar, take for instance a piece of cake, our body responds by releasing insulin to shuttle that sugar to the muscle cells for use. That is when we are insulin sensitive.
However, our consumption of grain, pastas, starches and simple sugars grossly outweigh our ability to tolerate the level of sugar in our diet. Do we need to consume the amount of sugar we consume on a day-to-day basis to ‘keep our energy levels up’? – NO!
We have become insulin resistant whereby the sugar is shuttled to the fat cells instead.
Genetically we have evolved 0.01% in 40,000 years. Our consumption of grain is alien in the grand scheme of things in our evolutionary diet. We are fighting against our genetic code instead of working worth it.
Can you imagine Larry the Caveman loading up on Sports Drinks, Porridge and pasta the night before for energy before he embarked on the equivalent of 5 marathons back to back for food???
Folks – we are not that different. So why eat Star Trek Food?
To stick to what you should be eating try this simple lifestyle adjustment:
Since our genetic code has not changed since Caveman times it seems logical to eat like one. That certainly did not mean popping to the tree and picking a biscuit off it or leaving the cave to pop on the fire 10 breaded chicken goujons.
We ate the occasional wild meats, fats, green vegetables some fruits and rarely (maybe once a year according to expert Loren Cordain) we would stumble across a bee-hive and gorge ourselves on the honey.
The easy way to locate this type of food will be found on the fringes of your supermarket and at your local butcher’s.
Upping your intake of more nutrient dense plant based proteins at each meal veggies and oils will aid in managing your insulin levels better with small more frequent feedings of protein and healthy fats such as Fish Oil, Avocado, Macademia, Walnut Oil. This will help you lean out that midrift by allowing you to become healthier.
Stick to some good grains AFTER some exercise or training session. Choose from quinoa, millet, brown rice and spelt.
It is a far cry from the ‘low fat’ offerings that are found in the aisles these days. Please – do not be fooled.
“But they are all high in fat” cry the ‘low fat gurus’
“Really?” I reply.
“Low fat = Get Fat”
The calorie is a calorie is far too simplistic in this case. Certain low-fat staples such as Skimmed Milk are low in fat but they have a high insulin load. This means they will still spike the insulin to store the sugar in fat cells.
In addition they are acid forming foods forcing our body to buffer this acidity by removing it from our blood and vital organs and straight to our fat tissues – out of harm’s way.
midrift fat and how to reduce using diet and exercise
The classic breakfast cereals with skimmed milk are out and best found in the bottom of a garbage bin. Replace for quinoa or gluten free porridge with some rice or almond milk.
But this is not the whole picture. Fat will accumulate in us in direct response to our levels of toxicity and boy are we swimming it them nowadays. Clean up your water intake, drop the paraben type cosmetics, look into the amount of metal in your mouth and you will see that it is no wonder obesity is on the rise. All of these factors contribute as a whole. Where do you think these toxins go? It ain’t round our organs!
So simple steps equals long term progress. A skilled exercise physiologist should be able to tell you why you are holding your body fat around your love handles and more importantly tell you how you can reduce them by getting you as a WHOLE healthier!
John Lark is a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Consultant. Download your ‘5 Top Tips for Fat Loss’ at www.spherefitnessstudio.com. He can be reached at 01-5052131.
