The Fastest Way to Lose Weight This Week
You’re searching high and low for the fastest way to lose weight this week. You’re stressing. You’re kicking yourself for eating pizza over the weekend and missing your Sunday morning hot yoga class because you were hungover. Whether it’s for a date with the hot new guy at the office (our lips are sealed), that tropical vacation you’ve been waiting on for months, or as a jumpstart to your weight loss plan, you need to drop a few pounds stat. We’ve all been there. If you want to look amazing in your LBD but the zipper is way tight and you can’t quite sit down in your favorite jeans at the moment, read on for the fastest way to lose weight in a jiffy. And no, starving yourself is not the answer. The Fastest Way to Lose Weight This Week 1. Eat Empowered Eat real food. Often. Stop worrying about what extreme diet you need to start. Stop counting calories and start thinking about the real food you’re going to eat. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner—and at least one snack a day (no skipping meals!)—consisting of whole, real foods. I’m talking loads of veggies, lean protein such as grass-fed steak, chicken, fish and eggs, and healthy fats as in cashews, pecans, olives, avocado and coconut. Ditch the packaged and processed foods—especially anything that includes added sugar. If you need an exact plan, I’ve got you covered here. Begin your day with breakfast and eat every few hours or when you feel slightly hungry and stop when you feel slightly satisfied. Not sure what that feels like? Check out this hack . Eating real food combined with listening to your body is your new winning combo. Fact: Eating real food makes you feel better and that alone can make you look better. If you’re skimping on nutrients or need a way to boost your protein, check out our Nutritious Life-developed Life’s Abundance Greens Blend and Life’s Abundance Vanilla Plant Protein. It’s the fastest way to up your nutrition game. RELATED: Sugar Cravings: 4 Reasons They Happen and How to Stop Them 2. Sweat Often Get 45 minutes of movement in—every day this week. I’m a fan of mixing up exercise. This might mean getting in HIIT workouts one day, long bouts of cardio or a hike on another, and pilates and yoga on other days. But, most of all, I’m a fan of being consistent with exercising and moving, in whatever way, shape or form makes you feel your best. The fastest way to lose weight means sticking with whatever movement makes you feel good. When you feel good, you’re more likely to be consistent. Also, when you feel you good, you eat well and you sleep well which, guess what … helps you eat well again. This intertwined cycle is what a Nutritious Life is all about. This week, I want you to focus on being consistent with your exercise and doing it daily. You don’t even need to hit a gym to get it in. Here’s a quickie workout I do just about anywhere. Five-mile run sound good? Do it. Spin class right up your alley? Get that in. Hike in the hills all you want to do? Go for it. Fact: Yes, you’ll shed pounds by burning calories when you exercise, but exercising also increases blood flow. This helps with circulation and gives your skin a healthy glow. Exercise can also help reduce stress, which will help you sleep better. Both exercise and sleep are needed to calm your nerves. RELATED: Quick 5-Minute Full-Body Workout You Can Do Anywhere 3. Sleep Deep Aim for 8 hours of sleep a night, settle for no less than 7. For some reason, sleep is still one of those things that we give up in order to fit everything else into our busy schedules. Many of us still feel like we should get a gold star when we triumphantly go without sleep to log more hours at a bar chatting it up with friends or burning the midnight oil at our desk. Unfortunately, no medals awarded here. Sleep should be a top priority. It’s right up there with what we put into our bodies, especially when we want to be looking and feeling our best. This week, practice good sleep hygiene by picking a bedtime and sticking to it. Allow yourself 15 minutes of winding down time before your head hits the pillow. Fact: They don’t call it “beauty sleep” for nothing. While we sleep, our body’s natural antioxidant and sleep hormone, melatonin, fights off free radical invaders. If you’re not getting enough sleep at night, you’re reducing the amount of time that melatonin gets to fight off wrinkles, and those bags under your eyes will only get worse. By getting enough sleep at night, you not only look and feel well-rested, but your immune system will be strengthened. RELATED: Sleep Procrastination: What It Is and How to Stop Doing It, Pronto! 4. Drink Up Drink eight glasses of water and two cups of green tea a day. For two days before your special occasion, drink one cup of dandelion root tea as well. Trust me, this one is important. Being properly hydrated is linked to metabolism, energy and skin health. Fact: It might sound counterintuitive, but drinking water throughout the day, helps you to reduce bloating, flush out toxins, hydrate your skin to achieve a healthy glow, and keep your digestive organs in good working order. On top of that, green tea has been shown to boost metabolism and dandelion tea will help flush you out, further reducing toxins and any bloating. RELATED: Do I Really Need to Be Drinking Water to Lose Weight? 5. Nurture Yourself No time or money to book that expensive facial? Have no fear, your DIY cleansers are here. Give these easy homemade facial cleanser and mask a try. You’ll almost be able to feel the antioxidants and nutrients seep into your skin making it soft, smooth
How Your Lymphatic System Can Help You Lose Weight
By: Lauren Roxburgh The lymphatic system is truly a forgotten hero in our amazing bodies. By getting to know your lymph system you can help eliminate cellulite and jumpstart your weight loss goals! Basically, it’s the garbage disposal of our bodies, it’s responsible for filtering our system and eliminating toxins which is incredibly important for immunity, optimal health and even weight loss. We are exposed to thousands of toxins daily from household cleaning products, beauty products, processed foods, plastics, chemically based foods and other environmental toxins. Efficient functioning of the lymph system is essential to eliminate these excess wastes in our modern day bodies and help the body function optimally. Stress, sitting too much, lack of activity, injuries and poor posture also contribute to a sluggish lymphatic system. The lymph system is found under the skin throughout the entire body and support circulation, immunity and help the body flush of toxins. The lymph has to move against gravity since we are upright and that is what makes this system become congested and make you feel sluggish and carry excess weight. Since toxicity can play a huge roll in premature aging, losing or keeping excess weight off, this system must be addressed when we are seeking optimal health. Here are a few amazing ways to reboot your lymphatic system to get glowing and feel lighter and brighter. Foam Rolling: Rolling helps smooth away congestion, inflammation, flush out the lymphatic system, increase immunity, stimulate blood circulation, “wring out” and hydrate the connective tissue and revitalize your whole being. I always say it’s like an internal juice cleanse of your connective tissue! Inversions: Getting your hips above your heart is an amazing way to help improve your lymphatic system. By using gravity to drain stagnant fluid, inversions help bring blood and lymph from your feet and legs up to your kidneys to drain excess fluid, toxins, and stagnant energy. Brisk Walking: When walking your legs act as a natural pump that helps move the lymph fluid through the body. Plus, the deep breathing creates pressure and expansion that helps aid the lymphatic fluid. The more transverse rotation you have while walking, the better your lymph system can flush the upper body, arms, neck and shoulders. Rebounding: For me the combo of rolling and rebounding is the key to getting the best results. I use the Bellicon in conjunction with foam rolling each day for a transformative combination. Start with the roller for a few minutes to smooth out the density, congestion, and inflammation and then finish with 5-10 minutes bouncing on the rebounder for a fully restorative, stress busting, cellulite reducing and detoxifying workout. I have my Bellicon set up in my backyard for maximum results, breathing fresh air and soaking up a bit of vitamin D. BOUNCE #1 The Health Bounce: Move up and down without actually jumping for 1-2 minutes to warm up your muscles, joints, lymphatic system, and organs. BOUNCE #2 The Toning Bounce: Jump as high as you can, which helps improve balance, strengthens your primary and intrinsic muscles throughout your entire body, and also jumpstarts your lymph garbage disposal. Do this for 1-2 minutes. BOUNCE #3 The Cardio Bounce Combo: This includes Jumping Jacks, running in place, the ski bunny twist, bouncing on one leg at a time, dancing, and any other ways you can think of. Doing these with some high intensity will help you sweat out the toxins. Do this for 10 minutes. Dry Brushing: Dry brushing has been around since ancient times, though it’s been surging in popularity lately as many supermodels claim it as their beauty secret weapon. The idea is to get the circulation going, effectively “tightening” the skin by stimulating it with a vigorous rub, using either a brush or dry brushing gloves before a bath or shower. Always brush towards your heart and rub each limb and your torso for about 30 seconds. I find it invigorates me in the morning—and is almost as essential as that first cup of coffee. It also helps exfoliate any dry or damaged skin. Mineral Bath: This is another ancient technique that’s just as relevant today. I recommend adding Magnesium flakes to your bath for two reasons. First it helps draw out toxins and impurities, and secondly it helps re-mineralize your skin (many of us are magnesium deficient as our Western diet and farming techniques often don’t provide the minerals we need). Rosemary essential oil and lemongrass are also great things to add as they boost the lymphatic system. Other benefits of a warm bath include easing sore muscles and helping you relax and sleep. About Lauren: Lauren Roxburgh is an international best-selling author of ‘Taller, Slimmer, Younger – 21 Days to a Foam Roller Physique’, and creator of the Lo Rox Aligned Rollers and the Aligned Life video series. Certified in the fields of Structural Integration, classical Pilates, nutrition and pre/post-natal yoga, Lauren is a body alignment, fascia and movement healer, and has been fortunate enough to work with some of the world’s top athletes and celebrities. She is the go-to writer and expert on all things fascia, alignment and foam rolling and regularly works with some of the country’s top orthopedic surgeons.
Your Thanksgiving Guide to Not Gaining Weight
Thanksgiving is probably the biggest day of eating in the USA. No shocker there, right? With all that ridiculously yummy food on the table, it’s hard to figure out what to do with your hands besides, well, eat. Good thing you’re here now, because I’m sharing 5 tried and true weight loss tips that are sure to get you through Thanksgiving without stuffing yourself like that bird. Tip #1: Feast on good company I always encourage my clients to make the company the focus of the day, rather than the food. For real this time. Be in the moment. Laugh. Really listen to your cousin’s story about his recent trip. Ask your grandma about what Thanksgiving was like 50 years ago. Challenge your nephew to spell cornucopia. Challenge your niece to say it three times fast. Make eye contact, connect and engage with every person who is special to you in the room and make sure that you leave the day full of love, rather than mashed potatoes. You don’t have to treat the meal like your last supper to be satisfied, nourished and giving thanks. Tip #2: Have a plan (and share it with Aunt Millie) I can’t tell you what to eat, how much to eat or what it will take for you to feel successful on Thanksgiving. I customize that work for each and every one of my clients individually (though I do have some go-to Thanksgiving recipes that I recycle each year). I will tell you that going into Thanksgiving with a plan of attack for what goes into your mouth will give you the opportunity to be successful. Without a plan, you cannot set yourself up for success or stay on track with your healthy diet. You can be the Thanksgivophile (just made that word up, permish to use granted) who plans to eat a small serving of all of the offerings. You can be the parade watcher who plans to eat only the healthy snacks, crudites and desserts. You can even be the marathon football watching fan who snacks from morning to night in planned combinations of portion-controlled holiday favorites. Make a plan so you can stick to it. Tell this plan to someone who will be celebrating the holiday with you. It will keep you accountable and on your healthy eating task. Tip #3: Use your hands for something besides eating Eeeeek. Turkey’s resting for 30 minutes. It smells soooooo good. You’re surrounded by snacks: nuts, cheese, something puffy that’s oozing parm and pancetta. Code red. Remember your plan! Rather than eating whatever’s nearby, keep a glass in your dominant hand (preferably seltzer with a few pomegranate seeds tossed in, a little wine spritzer or an herbal tea). It will keep you from munching mindlessly. Other ideas to keep your fingers from putting unwanted items between your lips: take holiday wish lists from your friends and relatives to make your shopping easier; help the host; bring your knitting, a puzzle, craft or an origami activity to do with the kids; pull out old board games; or look at old photographs. Thanksgiving is a good day to go old school here. Tip #4: Fab your gorgeous self out Take a few minutes before the company arrives, or you head out into the world to your turkey soiree and make sure you feel good about how you look. Celebrating your Thanksgiving in sweats and bed head isn’t going to inspire you to feel your best, make good food choices and propel you into anything other than a food coma. Think about someone you admire who exudes health, confidence and positivity (with a little sex appeal thrown in) and take a little inspiration. Why not feel amazing on the outside?! You’re amazing on the inside! Keeping your appearance on the forefront of your brain may help you make good food choices. Tip #5: Take a nap There are many reasons I recommend a little mid-day shut eye on Thanksgiving. Yes, obvi you cannot eat and sleep at the same time. A little siesta also honors that you’re taking a day off for enjoyment, and quiets the stress hormone cortisol, which is linked to holding on to extra belly fat in your bod. Rested bodies are also better able to fight off germs and keep you well as cold and flu season starts knockin’ on the door. You don’t have to be anti-social — a 30 minute break from the festivities should be enough to refresh you (and maybe help get you out of doing some of those dishes). Happy Thanksgiving, friends. You can celebrate this one without a souvenir extra pound or two to remember it with. Cheers to you — you can practice these tips for all of the holidays to come!
3 Rules to Enjoy Seasonal Foods Without Wrecking Your Waistline
I’m not into the shame game. I know you’ve been looking forward to your _______________ (fill in the blank with candy corn, oktoberfest beer, pumpkin spice latte, cider donuts . . . ), just like you looked forward to the Valentine hearts, peeps and Cadbury creme eggs. And, I know I’m probably not going to convert (completely!) your cult-like desires to get you excited for figs, pomegranates or heavenly sweet potatoes instead. But I don’t want to make you feel bad about that. Let’s be realists. You’re thinking “OMG, (again, your blank) are BACK!!!” and then panicking with feelings that “they’ll only be available for 3 more weeks” only to find that you’re, ahem, pants don’t fit by the end of the month. I’m here to help. If you need to find a way to indulge in the seasonal foods you have mad love for without having to loosen your buckle before the next season hits, you’ve come to the right place. 3 Rules to Enjoying Seasonal Foods Without Wrecking Your Waistline: 1. Grant yourself permission. I had a client with a self proclaimed addiction to peanut butter cups. She’d hit the vending machine hard around 3 o’clock, indulge her choco-pb habit, then throw away her healthy diet and “hate” herself the rest of the day. The first assignment I gave her was to go out and buy a peanut butter cup, IF, and only if, she truly craved it. She was not allowed to go to the work vending machine and buy it. She had permish to indulge in it if she took the time to assess the craving (was it just work boredom? habit?) and then decide if she would go out and buy it. Know what? As soon as she had permission, she realized she didn’t “need” them as much as she thought she did. Give yourself permission to have your favorite fall treat! Eating foods just for the sake of pleasure, in a conscious and deliberate way, is all part of healthy eating and will not zap your healthy diet. For the record, that client now regularly chooses healthy snacks like hummus and crudites or almonds and yogurt instead of peanut butter cups and has been doing uh-mazing. 2. Plan, plan, plan! Each and every one of us is unique and what works for one of us, may not work for another. But here are a few tips to help you plan your treats. Try to: indulge in your fall goodies twice a week and give up another conscious indulgence to make that happen (meaning you may have to give up your usual serving of fries that you look forward to on the weekend, so you can eat the cider donut). get it out of your system and buy one bag of candy corn and add 5 pieces to the 10 almonds you have between breakfast and lunch until it’s gone. make a date with a friend to enjoy and indulge in (fill in the blank again!) and follow it up with a long walk to catch up. 3. Be mindful and deliberate. Its a sad thing when I hear a client tell me that they indulged in their fave indulgence and “didn’t even taste it” because they were beating themselves for eating the treat before they even finished it. Don’t fall into that trap. Make it a conscious indulgence, eat slowly, enjoy every bite and remember every meal is a Monday morning. Make the next thing to hit your lips uber healthy. Grant yourself permission, plan your treat and ENJOY it! Slow down by using a plate and real napkin. Do not take a nibble while texting, hailing a taxi, watching TV, chatting on the phone or opening up your mail. Be present and in the moment. After all, the seasons change quickly. Bookmark this blog. Refer to it in the winter, when Santa Claus is comin’ to town, in spring when the Easter chocolates are everywhere and again in the summertime when the ice-cream truck is ringing for you!
How Sex Can Help you Lose Weight
Today I’m talking about why steaming it up between the sheets is good for you and helpful to the fitification (I just made that up) of your body. My goal isn’t to make you blush here. In all honesty, I’m a huge believer in the role of sex, touching and cuddling when it comes to health and wellness, but I don’t chat about it as regularly as I talk about the benefits of omega-3s, hydration and antioxidants with my clients or students. So, I’m sayin’ it here and I’m sayin’ it now: go have sex to lose weight, peops! {Tweet this} Cortisol is your stress hormone, often called the fight-or-flight hormone, that wreaks havoc on your health, makes your body hold onto weight around the middle and contributes to illnesses. If cortisol is the villain who comes out when you’re running late, arguing, pressured or otherwise overwhelmed, do you know who the hero is? Oxytocin. Do you know how you get oxytocin to rescue your damaged bod? That’s right. S-E-X. Sex. You need to get rid of excessive cortisol in your body to shuck your weight and a romp with your boo is a great way to do just that. While I’m talking up the superhero powers of oxytocin, magic from this powerful hormone helps you to sleep like a babe as well, which also happens to be another great way to lose weight! Sex is also great for your body image. It’s hard to hold on to negative feelings about your body when someone’s lovin’ it. {Tweet this} It’s also motivating to stick to your healthy ways when you know you’re gonna be naked with somebody. More than that, it seems as though sexual pleasure is greater in leaner peops. Overweight and obese people struggle more with lower testosterone levels, erectile dysfunction and performance difficulty. You know how you’re significant other always wants you to look and feel your best? Time to prove it. Instead of Netflix and the popcorn between you two on the couch tonight, bust out your satin jammies and look forward to turning in early!
Why You Aren’t Losing Weight…Even Though You’re Exercising!
Have you been sweating it out at the gym in the name of squeezing into smaller jeans? And do those smaller jeans always seem to be too small, no matter how many walking lunges you suffer through? Unfortunately, for anyone overweight, exercise alone doesn’t do the best job of shedding extra layers of padding…and working hard and not losing weight is so frustrating. See, your muscles respond to exercise pretty quickly (the soreness means those muscles have been worked!), but your fat is less responsive to the charms of strength training and feeling that burn.{Tweet this} If you’re only exercising to lose weight, it’s probably not going to work. Not buying it? You should. Here’s one possibility of why you are not losing weight, even though you’ve logged so many hours in the gym this month: Science has already proven that our bodies are not caloric bank accounts. We can’t put in food (calories) and “burn” them, or take them out, with a “you just burned 500 calories” workout on the treadmill. It doesn’t work that way. Storing fat is a complicated process, and it’s even more complicated to take that fat out of your cells and use it for energy. You have to factor in your hormones, metabolism and genetics. Sorry Charlie, none of those are yours to control. There is some truth to eating less and moving more, but that moving more part is tricky. See, exercise stimulates your heart. Your muscles. Your immune system. And, it stimulates your appetite. The harder you exercise, the hungrier you’ll be. This makes it really, really, really hard to stick to your controlled meal plan, which leads you to feeling like a failure for the extra spoonfuls of peanut butter at the end of the day. If you set your mind to it, you can do it, though. After all, you’re a warrior who would rather be fit and strong with a few pounds to lose, than an out of shape underweight cake for breakfast eating wimp, right? If you have those few pounds you need to obliterate, it’s the food work that will get you most of the way there. Still, exercise helps, so I want you to use it wisely. For now, intense exercise isn’t the best bet. Stick to low intensity activities. Taking fat out of your cells and using it for fuel requires a lot of oxygen, so make sure you can take good breaths. If you’re panting like a dog, you’re not gonna burn fat. Also, 15 minutes isn’t going to do the trick. A 30 minute or longer walk won’t stimulate your appetite and it’s long enough to kick into fat-for-energy mode. My best advice for you: maximize your genetic potential. Just as you may never get to be 5’10”, your body may be designed for strength and power (read: muscular) and not endurance (read: lanky), or vice versa. Look at your body for what it is built for and embrace it. Make it as fit as possible. Don’t waste your time aspiring to make your body into something it isn’t. Being strong is fierce, even if it doesn’t translate into you looking like an underwear model. {Tweet this}
