What Causes Belly Fat
Your body is protecting you. You have two small pyramid shaped glands that sit on top of your kidneys called the adrenals. Your adrenals are nicknamed your stress glands or your stress organs. The hormones they release can be triggered by emotional stress, chemical stress, or even physical trauma. The adrenals are a part of a feedback loop that helps control and respond to various functions of your body’s hormonal and nervous system. There is part of your nervous system that is in control and active while you are relaxed called the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system has an opposite effect and is active when you are in an excited state. These tiny adrenal glands are responsible for the funny feeling you get when you are scared by something. Just imagine the last time you were driving or riding in the car, when suddenly another car cuts in front of you. The brakes are slammed to avoid an accident and hopefully the near accident was avoided. That “wave” of fear
Well, of course, overeating causes belly fat. So does drinking. It’s no mistake that downing a couple of beers every Friday night gets you what is called a “beer” belly. Alcohol must be consumed in moderation, if at all, in order to avoid a beer belly. Another cause of belly fat is the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. When our ancestors were attacked by that sabertooth tiger, cortisol surged into their systems, along with adrenaline, which helped them flee. However, once the danger was past, they calmed down and their cortisol levels fell back to normal levels. Unfortunately, today, we’re under such pressure and stress as a society that our cortisol levels can remain elevated all the time. This is because your nervous system is pretty primitive. If you’re constantly flustered and stressed, running here and there, late for work, mad at the kids, not sleeping enough, getting too much caffeine, etc., etc., your cortisol levels go, “Okay, I need to kick in here, because you’
