Stress and belly fat are inter-related. As one grows older (30+), the metabolism of the body slows down and fat starts to accumulate.
Stress along with a natural ageing process, a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits all contribute to excess body fat.
Deep fat, called visceral fat, is especially bad.
Since this fat is located behind the abdominal wall, it has the fastest access to the heart and other important organs of the body.
This abdominal fat is not content with simply resting on the stomach.
It is very active, releasing free fatty acids into your body systems which impair the proper functioning of your body.
It is for this reason that you don't want to go too hard, too soon with any exercise programme - even if you keep hearing about the amazing effects of high tempo 4 min workouts!
Build a proper exercise base first.
And although behavioral responses to stress are the main cause of weight gain, there are physiological reasons too.
Under stress, the body lets go of a hormone called cortisol.
In the body, the release of this hormone is a signal to increase appetite and store fat.
This means that whenever we are stressed, the hormone in our brain tells us that we are hungry while simultaneously instructing our fat cells to store as much fat as they can.
In small amounts cortisol is essential for the body to control carbohydrate metabolism.
But too much of it tends to cause a build-up of abdominal fat.
Plus cortisol responses use a lot of energy. Cortisol simultaneously tells other important physical functions - digestion, physical growth, reproduction, immunity - to either slow down or shut down.
[Ever wondered why you feel tired all the time?!]
People who experience daily stress like work deadlines, family demands, traffic, less sleep, very strict dieting are more prone to falling prey to an increased waist line.
So add into the equation the behavioral response to stress. Eg when we are feeling low or stressed out, we invariably reach out for comfort food without regard for whether what we are eating is right for us or not.
And we see that stress is not good for a low body fat.
Now stress can be controlled by meditation, yoga, good dietary habits, regular exercise and adopting a holistic approach to life etc
So if what you are doing in terms of trying to lose weight is not currently working, my advice would be take a good look at the challenges in your life, the pace at which you live, and your overall stress levels.
Like many things in life, a little stress can be good (it keeps us alert and motivated), but too much is clearly not.
The Busy Person's Exercise Coach (http://www.getfit.es)