BYE BYE BEER BELLY
It’s gut-check time! You may joke amongst your beer drinking buddies “why get a six-pack when you can settle for a belly instead”, but deep down we know you’re not proud of it. You don’t like the way it looks, it’s a turn-off with the ladies, it zaps your sex-drive, your clothes don’t fit AND it’s linked to a host of life-threatening diseases like diabetes, stroke and high cholesterol – just to name a few.
In reality, that beer belly of yours is poisoning your body and decreasing your quality of life. But enough scary stuff, it’s clear that by landing on this page you’re motivated to make the change. First, here’s the lowdown on beer-belly physiology, including what causes it and why… and just a heads up .. all guys on my programme still enjoy a beer or two, just don’t go OVERBOARD and keep it in moderation 😉
So… WHAT CAUSES IT? You’d be mistaken for thinking beer alone causes a beer belly, but that’s not the whole story. The real culprit is excess calories!! Food, alcohol, sugary drinks and super-size portions can all contribute to a ballooning belly.
Beer, however, delivers a killer blow by inhibiting the liver’s ability to burn fat. And with each glass delivering 150 calories (not too mention the snacks on-hand at the bar), it’s easy to end up with serious calorie overload… what a bitch.
WHY THE BELLY? You can thank your genetics and masculinity for that. Unlike women who store fat on their hips/bum, men are genetically predisposed to store excess fat in their belly. Getting older is also bad news for your belly thanks to a natural drop-off in fat-burning hormones like testosterone and a decrease in activity levels.
My MENS ONLY fit camp in Cambridge makes sure we address hormones in order to burn fat in these areas.
But it’s not all bad news, transforming that gut into a six pack is easy with the right tools. Below I’ve broken down your beer-belly action plan into three lifestyle components – Mindset, done for you Diet & Exercise. Get each of these right and that beer gut won’t stand a chance.
MINDSET: KNOWLEDGE FOR SUCCESS
A simple scale is the key to fat loss. Balance the two sides of the scale and your body-fat percentage stays the same. A swing to right hand-side where you expend more calories than you take in through your diet will cause your body to seek out and burn fat while the flip side will cause you start piling on the pounds.
But before you slap a padlock on your fridge and wear-out your runners, consider this. The ticket to permanent gut reduction doesn’t start with starving yourself. While you may lose weight at first, fasting long term isn’t the answer. What’s more, the only thing you’ll lose with of endless bouts of long, boring cardio is your motivation.
If you want to find your abs, you have to burn the fat covering them. Not with liposuction or bogus pills, but with a practical, well-balanced action plan made up of smart strategies. Just follow the the guidelines below. In the meantime we trust you’ll lay of the beer, or at least substitute in a lighter alternative.
HOW TO EXERCISE: CARDIOVASCULAR
SPRINTING .. this is an amazing tool for fat loss.. i’m talking as fast as possible Usain Bolt style.. this will rev your metabolism up. My 3x weekly 40 minute sessions with men is one awesome formula for burning tons of calories to accelerate your results.
HOW TO EXERCISE: RESISTANCE
Your muscles are your body’s own built-in natural fat burners, so take advantage of them by pumping some iron. If the only curls you’ve done recently is with a beer can in your hand, don’t worry. You don’t need to lift heavy or get caught-up in fancy techniques to reap the benefits. All you need is a pair of adjustable dumbbells, even your own body-weight will do.
To get the most bang for you buck, don’t bother with ab exercises, like the crunch. Stick with compound, multi-joint exercises, including press up’s, dips, squats, lunges, pull up’s and chest presses. These exercises use large amounts of muscle, which helps burn more belly fat both during and after your workout and stimulate the production of testosterone and human growth hormone – 2 potent fat burners. Have a cheeky look at my 3x weekly mens only exercise class for guys just like you for the real deal when it comes to that belly.
BEER BELLY COUCH BLASTER WORKOUT: As I mentioned, one of the best ways to lose your beer belly is with exercise. Exercise burns calories and increases lean muscle mass which increases your resting metabolic rate. But who’s got time the time? After all, working out is hard and who wouldn’t rather spend time chilling out watching TV at home? I find it hard to find the time to exercise these days too.. as you get older more responsibilities and no time so i found the perfect formula. Most of these workouts can be done with NO equipment in the comfort of your own home too if you can’t make a session.
HOW TO EAT: FAST, EASY & HEALTHY
If you follow to the principles above but remain a few cans shy of a six-pack, the choices you make inside and outside the kitchen may be sabotaging your success. To help you get your diet on track, just follow this advice; you’ll quickly discover that everything else is just details.
Instead of giving you the usual riff about counting calories, one of the fastest ways to lose fat is to cut back (NOT OUT) on sugar. Excess sugar makes you fat, plain and simple, so steer clear of the usual suspects – processed goods, soda/energy drinks and alcohol. The leftovers from this sugar embargo – lean meats, fresh fruits & vegetables, whole grain bread, rice & high fiber cereals – should form the backbone of your eating plan.
What’s more, with these natural, healthy food sources, you’ll quickly discover that cooking for yourself not only provides the self assurance of using fresh & healthy ingredients, but the gateway to keeping your gut in check – for good.
DON’T CUT THE FAT: Not only is enforcing a total fat restriction in your diet impractical, it’s the fastest way to deflate your motivation. After all, fat keeps you feeling full and adds flavor. Remember, your body doesn’t discriminate between high fat & low fat diets, rather it focuses on total caloric intake and stores/burns fat accordingly.
So while this doesn’t give you the excuse to fill up on fast-food every night of the week, it does leave you free to splurge occasionally and enjoy the healthy fats found in natural oils (olive & avocado) and protein sources (meat, fish and dairy).