Losing fat isn't rocket science. It comes down to your eating habits, your exercise habits, and your ability to handle stress.

Now, I'm sure you've heard of the first two ways to lose weight (i.e. nutrition and exercise). However, do you know your ability to handle stress also plays a major role in your ability to burn fat?

The more stress in your life, the more fat your body hordes.

You see, your body fights stress by releasing "stress hormones" into your system. These stress hormones allow your body to function while stress is wearing you out.

These stress hormones also lock up your fat cells, so they cannot burn any fat. I'm sure you've experienced this before...

You are losing weight and all of a sudden you hit a plateau. You stop losing the fat and you get frustrated. After all, you didn't change your eating habits and God knows you haven't changed your exercise routine. So what gives?

Stress!

Our bodies are not meant to deal with the level of stress in today's world. This just might be why we're seeing an increase in obesity at epidemic proportions. It may also be why we're seeing an upswing in dis-eases like Heart Disease, Cancer, and Diabetes.

Again, when you're experiencing stress your body protects itself by releasing those pesky stress hormones. Good for your body, but bad for your weight loss efforts.

To help you relax (and lose that unwanted fat) here's a mind de-stressing exercise that only takes 3-5 minutes:

1. Sit in a quiet place (i.e. ' your room, the basement, your car, or even your bathroom if you must)

2. Close your eyes and take a deep breathe from your diaphragm

3. Now, imagine you're on the beach (or another place you enjoy) and having fun

4. Picture in your mind what you're doing to have fun. Are you swimming in the ocean with your kids? Are you catching some rays, while listening to your favorite music on your iPod? Are you fishing off the pier kicking back a cold one (ignore the fat loss goal if you're doing this)?

5. Breathe in that fun and SMILE, while you continue to breathe deeply

6. Open your eyes and become aware of how you feel

So, take it easy today and let the stress in your life slide off you like water off a duck's back. Trust me...you'll enjoy the day more, get a lot more accomplished, and even burn more fat.