Our waists are often the target of anger and dismay. Let’s give our waists a little more love this year by giving them what they need to be healthier, happier, and a little more trim.
Avoid the Processed – Processed foods are packed with things that bulge your waistline. Simple sugars are fine when they’re a part of whole fruits and vegetables, but the concentrated forms and amounts in many packaged foods leads to fat storage. The added artificial chemicals and the plastic packaging also add more to fat stores as your body tries to lock them away someplace safe, like fat cells.
Berry it Up – Berries are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and water. They’re sweet and snacky, without causing all the problems that other sweet snacks might. They hydrate, improve digestion, and they’re delicious.
Crank the Heat – Spicy foods give your metabolism a boost for hours after you eat them. Chilies aren’t the only ones to consider either. Ginger, black pepper, garlic, and turmeric can have a similar effect.
Drop the Straw – Straws make things easy, but they also suck in extra air. This air contributes to bloat, gas, heartburn, and a more swollen stomach. We also tend to use straws with highly processed sodas.
Get Fat – Fat has been vilified for years, but not all fats are bad. We need a good amount of healthy fats to build hormones, nerve cells, and even to lose weight. Olive oil, olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and coconut oil should be a part of your diet, especially if you want to slim things down.
HIIT it Hard – The longer you do cardio, the less energy your cells have to work with and your fat burning slows down. High intensity interval training is one way to keep your cells chugging along. It involves alternating from high intensity to low intensity and then back up in quick bursts. This is how sprinters train and it works. You don’t have to spend hours in the gym. Try half an hour of HIIT and watch the fat melt away.
Hydrate – Our bodies like to store extra water if they think we aren’t giving them enough of this precious commodity. This results in extra bloat in your tummy region. Your body also needs plenty of water to accomplish all the jobs it has to do each day, including digestion and the removal of toxins around our fat cells, that might get sucked up if we don’t get rid of them.
Jump Around – Jumping increases the flow of lymph fluid through your body. Lymph fluid is your cellular garbage chute. It moves waste material away from cells and transports immune cells where they need to go. If the waste isn’t moved, it gets sucked into fat cells and packaged with extra fat until we’re ready to remove things more quickly. Unfortunately this gets harder to do as more fat gets stored and we are less inclined to move. Jump on a rebounder, a trampoline, with a jump rope, or just in place.
Lift – We often focus only on cardio when we want to slim up, tone down, and lose weight. This is a mistake. Your metabolism returns to normal pretty quickly after you do cardio, but strength training leaves you burning extra calories for hours. Muscles burn through far more calories than other tissues. You should be doing some lifting and strengthening of your muscles if you really want that waistline to look trimmer.
Planking – Planks are one way to target the muscles in your core. The more they burn, the less likely they are to have fat hanging around them. Planks are also an easy exercise you can do anywhere and almost anytime.
Probiotic Your Life – Many of us are lacking in probiotics, the good bacteria that live inside us and aid digestion and immunity. When there aren’t enough of these beneficial bacteria, the bad ones get out of control, multiply, and wreak havoc on everything they touch, causing bloating, gas, indigestion, bad breath, weight gain, and many more problems. Keep them in check with probiotics.
Protein for Breakfast – Skip the sugary cereals and dense carbs for breakfast and reach for more protein. That means eggs for ovo-vegetarians or a good, protein-rich smoothie for vegans. Protein has a thermogenic effect, meaning it helps you burn calories after you eat it. It also will leave you fueled, satisfied, and ready for the day.
Read More – Stress is one of the biggest reasons many of us gain weight. Stress interferes with normal digestion and metabolism, contributes to snacking, and floods our systems with toxins that lead to weight gain. Reading is a good way to unwind at the end of the day and stories help us release stress. Also try massage, yoga, and meditation.
Sleep – Our bodies are designed to get eight or more hours of sleep each night. This is a time for us to recharge and repair. It is when our bodies remove toxins, excess water, and mop up the spaces around our cells. Lack of sleep slows this process and increases fat stores. It also stresses our bodies out, which further encourages fat storage.
Sweeten with Cinnamon – Cinnamon is another spice that can boost metabolism. It can replace some of the sugar content in many recipes to cut back on calories while actually helping to control blood sugar levels.
Swiss Ball – The Swiss ball is a good way to take planks and other exercises to a new level. The ball forces you to use all the tiny stabilizing muscles you often forget are there. This burns more.
Think Chia – Chia seeds are rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. They help hydrate you by soaking up water and carrying it throughout digestion. They also help you feel fuller without puffing up your waist. Try them in fresh juices or in your smoothies.
Turn Off the TV – We move less the more TV we watch. Turn it off, get outside, and move around more. Your waist will thank you. This applies to video games, computers, tablets, and even phones now too. Turn them off.
Walk More – Walking is one of the best exercises for our bodies, but it’s one we’ve forgotten to use. We park as close as possible, we sit as often as we can, and we lounge about. Take a walk every day. Park farther away. Take the stairs. Move.
Watch the Sodium – Too much sodium encourages water storage and bloat. This is another problem you’ll find in many processed foods. Go easy on your salt. Try not to eat out as often. Rinse any food you pull out of a can and try to go for whole foods more often.
Good luck with your waist-trimming goals this year. You can do it if you stick with it and really watch what you eat and incorporate these tips into your life.
