Our sights are on swim suit season. We have gotten awfully comfy in our oversized sweatshirts and baggy pants over the last few months. Are you looking at all the weight loss books wondering which one holds the magic for you? I say stop looking. I’m going to introduce you to the No-Stress way to achieve your body goals.
Most importantly, be realistic with yourself. Are you going to the gym just so you can eat those late night potato chips or that pint of choco-licious ice cream? Or are you eating barely anything because you tell yourself you can’t make it to the gym? I hate to inform you of something you already know, but these strategies are not going to get you into the cute shorts you have your eyes on. So cut out the self sabotage.
Start with eating. In fact, eat lots! Eat a lot of Fruit and vegetables. Eat lean proteins and eat (but don’t overeat) whole grains. Choose low glycemic index foods. These are foods that don’t increase your blood sugar quickly. They are the foods I just mentioned, they are not white bread, white pasta, white potatoes, corn, or sugar.
Eat often. Eating every 2 ½ to 3 hours will maintain your blood sugar. This will help you feel satisfied throughout the day and help you prevent diabetes and heart disease. Eat smaller meals since you are eating more frequently and if you are at a restaurant, ask them to bring you a take out container when they bring your meal. I know it tastes great and you want to eat it all in one sitting, but remember you get to eat that wonderful food again in just a few hours.
Eat a lean protein at every meal. That means you are eating a protein every 2 ½-3 hours. Muscle is made of protein and increasing muscle helps to increase your metabolic rate, the rate at which you burn calories. And we want to burn calories right? But we don’t want to lose muscle, we only want to lose extra fat.
“What about exercise?” you may ask. Well of course you need to exercise, you already knew that, but take the stress out. Find 20 minutes in the morning to do your thing. That can be chasing your kids in the snow, salsa dancing or sweating it out at the gym, but do it for 20 minutes every day. If you are lifting weights, also called strength training, that will help you build muscles and now you know that increasing muscle increases your metabolic rate which means you are burning more calories.
Guess what? It’s not easy. We want it to be easy, it’s not easy. But it doesn’t have to be work. Make it fun. Say it’s fun to yourself and everyone you come in contact with. Create eating to improve your body and your health to be the most fun and least stressful thing you do for yourself. Then enjoy those shorts.
Dr Francis has been treating patients using Chiropractic Kinesiology for 17 years in the metro Detroit area. She believes that it’s important to know how different foods and different movements affect our bodies. Kinesiology is the study of muscles. By using muscle testing in her practice it allows her to identify which muscles are getting an adequate supply of nerve impulses. Dr Francis give talks on chiropractic and how to prevent heart disease and diabetes. "I enjoy what I do and am constantly rewarded with the miracle of seeing the body heal itself." You can find Dr. Francis at www.staceyfrancisdc.com