If you had to choose between diet and exercise, diet would have far more influence on your weight than exercise, but for a truly healthy diet you should incorporate both. With that said, this is my biggest issue, or was. Once I got a grip on healthier eating, I realized that there were other things that I needed to tackle, and over time, I found out a number of RULES TO LIVE BY:
Nutrition—
Some people (and I used to belong to this group) believe that if you work out regularly, you can eat whatever you want… NOT SO MUCH. If you want to lose weight it is very important to ELIMINATE sugar from your diet. Sugars relate to carbs. I know how people are all like “Oooo carbs are not the enemy and you should eat them” Blah blah bullshit. Carbs break down into sugar and will contribute to insulin resistance, which is one of the major reasons people are unable to lose weight. Most people don’t lose weight if they consume large amounts of carbs like rise, pasta, and potatoes. This may sound like no fun, but this is the way I lost a lot of weight. I gets redundant and I always wanted to cheat, but the results were uncanny. I loaded up on chicken, fish, and veggies and I was never lacking energy. This may not work for everyone, but its one of the things I live by.
Vitamins---
As women, it is imperative that have the proper nutrients on a daily basis. It sucks big time that men barely have to do anything to uphold their bodies, but as soon as we start getting older sh*t starts dangling, getting hairy, and sagging. NOT OK! So to avoid this as much as possible, I take vitamins. Daily, I take B12 and B6 (for metabolism and brain function), multivitamin, Biotin, and Omega 3’s.
Working out---
Don’t believe the hype of fad’s. I have tried like a gazillion things in the past; recent past to be exact. If you read my last blog I talked about how I was going to go with P90x. While it sounded great and definitely worked me, it was not the kind of exercise my body needs at this time. Our bodies change so much as time progresses and through different stages of our weight loss journeys, and we have to accommodate for that change. Once upon a time I could get away with just 30 minutes of cardio, and cutting down a few calories. Nowadays, I have to go hard in the paint. I have to bust sufficient ass on the treadmill and eat nothing I want for days on end. P90 is great in theory, but it not the kind of cardio that I need on a daily basis. Back to the treadmill I go. Do what works. And yes… include lifting.
Sleeping and stress---
Lack of sleep increases Leptin and Ghrelin which are two hormones linked with appetite and eating behavior. When you don’t sleep, your body decreases production of Leptin , the “full” hormone, and increases Ghrelin, the “hunger” trigger. Not to mention, No sleep just makes you feel like sh*t. Along the same line, stress also influences your weight loss because of the hormone Cortisol. Aptly named the “stress hormone”, Cortisol levels spike when the body is in an elevated emotional state. The biggest thing to know about the negative effects of prolonged stress levels is increase abdominal fat. So stop stressing about that guy who flipped you off in traffic and "WOO--SAH-ing"
Be sexy and Window shop---
Sounds dumb huh? When it comes down to it, I feel much better when I am wearing form-fitting clothes and sexy shoes. But taking it even further, I feel like making more healthy choices when I give myself facials, paint my nails, do my hair, wear some sexy lingerie pj’s (even when I’m by myself), put on some perfume and lie down to relax in my bed. When I maintain “sexy” all the time, I make better choices. And its quite hard to be fly all the time, but even underneath your baggy chill clothes, sexy underwear is good too. I also do a lot of online window shopping. Looking at things I want makes me watch what I do on a day to day basis. So maintain the sexy as much as you can, and look for things to treat yourself with.
So those are just a few of my RULE TO LIVE BY when it comes to weight loss and trying to get to my goals. It’s not just about weight loss, but about being healthier all around.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR RULES TO LIVE BY WHEN IT COMES TO A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE?
