Here's to Health in 2016!
Happy New Year! With the new year comes the inevitable resolutions to eat better, exercise more, lose weight and be happier. So let's do it!
I get asked nearly every day, "I'm overwieght and out of shape. Can I still take classes at your studio?" and the answer is YES! We are here to help you achieve your goals. With that being said, exercise is only about 20% of overall weight health. 80% can be attributed to diet. In this post, I want to share my top 5 tips to start your weight loss journey in 2016.
Keep in mind eating better and losing weight does NOT require you to buy anything special. Don't be fooled by expensive marketing ads aimed at making you think you can't lose weight without the latest supplement, diet shake, or body wrap. In fact, you will be far healthier (and have more money in your wallet) in the long run if you practice common sense and simple strategies. So here goes.
1. Cut ALL soda, juice, snapple, vitamin water, gatorade, and sugary beverages 100% out of your diet. The majority of Juices are loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and will fill you with wasted calories with little to no nutritional value. Eat the entire fruit, not a processed juice. Replace soda with zero calorie seltzer if you need the bubbly. Make your own coffee and learn to love it without sugar. You will, I promise.
2. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning and eat breakfast within a half hour of waking up. This will fire up your metabolism for the day. Eat eggs and bacon for breakfast. I'm serious! It's best to eat your highest fat meal of the day for breakfast. Cut the bagels, english muffins, waffles, pancakes, etc. Save your carbs for later in the day.
3. Eat healthy snacks, nuts, cheese, fruit and veggies during the day to keep your blood sugar regular so you won't be starving at lunch and dinner. Eat reasonable portions. Include carbs, dairy, protein and whatever you love. Just keep portions reasonable and try to fill the majority of your plate with vegetables. Stop before you feel full and wait a half hour. If you are still hungry a half hour later, eat a light snack.
4. Do a short very high intensity workout once or twice a day. High intensity means very uncomfortable and out of breath for 10 minutes. Just keep telling yourself that it is only 10 minutes and you will be fine. Push it! Squats, lunges, pushups, planks, just keep it intense and keep it up for a full ten minutes with very short (30 sec) breaks when you need it. You will see results much faster with short, high intensity workouts than long low intensity workouts. Here is a sped of video of some example to get you started.
5. SLEEP! Make sure you are going to bed at a reasonable time and getting at least 7 hours. 8 or 9 is even better! During deep sleep, your body regulates hormone levels that are critical to keeping a stable eating pattern. In addition, sleep recharges and cleanses the brain leaving you more able to stick to these new life changes! If you struggle with insomnia, make this your number one priority to work on this year. Sleep truly does impact everything else, so it should be a top priority.
