Exercise is of course an important part of any natural weight loss plan, but it is now becoming clear that for some people, the wrong kind of exercise may actually interfere with their ability to lose weight. This is primarily true for those people who carry their excess weight mostly in the lower abdomen - the saggy stomach “pooch”. This type of weight deposition is characteristic of adrenal fatigue from chronic stress, and too much or the wrong kind of exercise can make this problem worse.

The adrenals are small glands that sit on top of the kidneys (”adrenal” translates to “on top of the kidney”). Alhough they are small, the adrenal glands are powerful organs and produce hormones involved in many functions. The most familiar of the adrenal horomones is probably adrenaline (also called epinephrine). As you are probably aware, adrenaline is produced in response to stress or fear and mobilizes the body for “flight or fight” responses by raising blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing, and by diverting blood flow to the muscles for fast action. Adrenaline also promotes the burning of fat for energy, so adrenal function can promote weight loss during short periods of physical or even emotional stress.

In addition to adrenaline, the adrenal glands produce another hormone that is involved in weight control, called cortisol. Cortisol stimulates the storage of fat in the lower abdomen, creating a stomach “pooch” of fat deposited below the waistline. Cortisol can be produced in significant quantities over a long period of time, unlike adrenaline which can only be produced in short bursts. Because of this, in cases of long-term stress, the fat burning of adrenaline will fade out long before the fat-depositing effects of cortisol.

From a survival standpoint, cortisol serves the purpose of providing emergency storage of fat for energy when the body is under stress for a long period of time. For human cultures in which the primary source of stress is physical stress, this fat storage can help keep people alive during extended periods of living under harsh conditions. Unfortuately, emotional stress stimulates cortisol production as well, and for many people who live stressful lives, their ongoing cortisol production will tend to cause weight gain in the lower abdomen.

Now we come to exercise. In a person who is under a lot of emotional stress and who has chronically overworked adrenal glands, cortisol levels will be high and adrenaline will have long since been used up. Under these circumstances, if you add heavy physical exercise as an additional stressor to the body, the result will be even more cortisol release from the adrenals. The high levels of cortisone result in more and more fat storage in the lower belly.

Frustrated by the persistence of the belly fat, some people will attempt to get resuls by working out more often and more vigorously. This may produce some weight loss but rarely does it help reduce the fat deposits in the lower abdomen. This will drive some to try to exercise even harder, but as they do, they become tired, sore, and may even lose strength and endurance in the muscles of the arms and legs.

Why would somone lose strength in the muscles in the arms and legs? Isn’t exercise supposed to build muscle? Well, cortisol not only stores fat in the lower abdomen, it also stimulates the breakdown of muscle and other tissue to use for immediate energy needs. So the more determined a person is to exercise away the belly fat, the more cortisol is produced, and as we said a moment ago, if you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight, only in this case the weight being lost is muscle and not fat!

The result is a downward spiral of fatigue, loss of muscle mass and strength, and sometimes the development of joint problems as the body eats it’s own tissues for energy - but there’s no reduction in that lower abdomen fat deposit that the body holds in reserve.

So what should a person with this problem do to lose that lower stomach “pooch”? Well, first of all it is important to figure out if you actually fall into this category, because with the exception of someone who has high cortisol production and overworked adrenals, vigorous exercise is still one of the most effective weight loss measures one can take.

Someone with a high cortisol problem will have a certain collection of signs and symptoms. First, as we’ve mentioned several times already, the excess weight is deposited almost exclusively in the lower abdomen. The weight would create a sagging area just below the waistline. As we’ve already stated, there may be loss of muscle in the arms and legs, and this might be visibly noticable, or it may manifest simply as an inability to build strength in these muscles. In addition, people with adrenal fatigue and high cortisol may have a collection of symptoms that could include chronic fatigue, cravings for salty foods, a need for caffeine or other stimulants just to stay awake during the day, swelling in the lower legs, dizziness when arising quickly from a seated position, numerous arthritic problems, cramps in the calves at night, and waking up frequently in the middle of the night.

For those who do have the pattern of adrenal fatigue, exercise is still helpful for weight loss and general health, but it is important to stick to activities that help you to alleviate stress rather than things that place further stress on the body. For individuals with overworked adrenals, walking, swimming, bicycling, or other low-intensity aerobic exercise is best. This means sticking to activities that don’t get you out of breath or leave you sore and fatigued. This type of exercise should be done about 3 time per week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time.

Besides the exercise approach just mentioned, it is good to eat a reasonable amount of protein in order to maintain muscle mass. About 3 to 4 ounces of animal protein (meat, fish, eggs, poultry, or dairy) 3 times per day is usually good. If you happen to be a vegan, then be sure to consume plenty of seeds, nuts, beans, and other vegetarian proteins.

If you’ve been working out like crazy to try to get rid of that belly fat, but all you’ve managed to accomplish was feeling tired, weak, and sore, by reducing the intensity of your workouts and controlling stress better, you’ll likely find that the belly fat gradually shrinks away and you’ll look and feel great!