Belly fat is no one’s friend, even though it may be loyal and want to stay by your side forever 😉

I often get asked what I do to keep mine to a minimum at my age. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

#1 – Cut processed carbohydrates & eliminate added sugar from your diet

This is a no brainer, but hard to swallow. The good news is that you’ll quickly find that you have more energy.

What I do: I’ll have steel cut oats on occasion for breakfast, but other than this choice, cereal is pretty much never an option. If you read the labels on cereals, it’s no wonder your energy peters out soon after eating it. When I have oats, I’ll usually top it with Greek yogurt or add some protein powder into it.

At lunch I feel most energized when I don’t cave into the carbs (breads/crackers etc). My goal is to try to include veggies and/or fruit into every meal.

#2 – Small doses of caffeine

Some research suggests that caffeine can help boost calorie burning when coupled with exercise. The more caffeine you have, the less effective caffeine becomes at providing the ‘pick me up’ we typically enjoy, so use moderately.

What I do: If I have coffee, it’s usually before noon and before my workout.  This is possibly due to the ‘boost’ of energy caffeine provides and so you burn more calories. In any case, it’s a ritual for me before I workout.

#3 – Go to bed and get up at the same time everyday, even on weekends.

This doesn’t sound like much fun, but neither does feeling run down and tired. If you want to feel energized on Monday mornings, this tip goes a long way to energizing you for the whole week.

You know how busy your week can be, when you start off dragging on Monday, it usually means you drag all week trying to get caught up on sleep and work etc. Do yourself a favor and try to maintain similar hours daily, you’ll be amazed at how it helps your energy.

What I do: I stay pretty much within an hour of my usual bedtime/wake up time, even on weekends.

#4 – Do a workout (in the morning if possible)

Short exercise sessions  like Female Fat Loss Over 40, will help you burn fat and stay alert all day.

I often get asked when the best time to train is. The REAL answer is ‘when your energy is best’ so that you can put the most into your workouts. However, the added benefit of training in the morning is that it typically sets you up for favorable eating all day long. It gets our metabolism and mind primed for the day. And nothing can come up so that you have to cancel your workout session.

What I do: I usually rise, work a little while I have a coffee and then get my workout in right away before life gets in the way to interrupt my plan.

#5 – Eat more whole, natural foods such as fruits and vegetables

Fruits and veggies help you lose fat.

Research shows subjects on a low-fat diet that ate more fruits and vegetables lost more fat than another group on just the low-fat diet. (Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 85: 1465-1477, 2007.)

Second, research shows subjects on a low-fat diet that ate more fruits and vegetables lost more fat than another group on only the low-fat diet. (Amer. J. Clin. Nutr. 85: 1465-1477, 2007.)

Both pretty powerful reasons to eat more fruits and veggies.

What I do: My goal is to have a serving of fruit/veggie at each meal/snack.

#6 – Sleep your way thin (another reason)

Too good to be true? Sleep deprivation results in elevated cortisol levels which is the fat storing hormone. Your adrenal glands will be overtaxed when in a constant state of sleep deprivation.

What I do: See tip #3. I’m not the last one at the party, that’s for sure.

#7 – Drink more water

This sounds like another tip that’s too good to be true, but it actually helps. Often times you may be dehydrated when you reach for food. Drinking water will help you feel full, especially when you maintain a high fiber diet. You’ll feel more energized and clear headed when you drink water. Remember to start your water intake early in the day so your sleep isn’t interrupted with bathroom breaks.

What I do: I start my day with a half a lemon squeezed in water, then I have my water bottle at my side and make sure I refill it several times.

Now, as you can see, lots of these points dealt with nutrition related issues. So many of my clients WANT to make healthy changes, but they’re really stumped as to HOW.

No diet works if you can’t stick to it right? In fact, I’m totally opposed to ‘diets’ because it means you ‘start’ and then ‘stop’ eating a certain way and it usually involves deprivation. A sure recipe for failure.

Without support, who can just eat meat and veggies all day long every day?

I’ve found a solution for you: it’s a Paleo Cookbook that I love.

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This entry was posted on January 17, 2014 at 4:38 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Posted in Healthy Eating by Shawna 2 Comments