I made a video where I discuss the first three sections and show my workout gear, but I also wrote it out below.
INTRODUCTION:
-Be careful what you say around others and the language you use around yourself.
-Kids are especially susceptible to internalize these negative views. I recall negative things people said when I was young. Toxic thoughts and beliefs can hold you back from enjoying yourself and life!
-If you want to vent about how you feel about your body, talk to a super close friend, therapist, heath coach, or personal trainer.
-It’s ok not to love how you look, but you can still love yourself. What you look like is different than who you are.
-For a confidence boost, put on something flattering that makes you feel good, and remember that the people who love you love you not because of what you look like.
This post may contain carefully selected affiliate links including Amazon Associates, that I may earn small amounts from. See the bottom of this page for more details.
REPHRASE YOUR GOALS:
-You want to lose fat, NOT lose weight (from water, bone, muscle, etc).
-Get your goal weight and goal clothes size out of your head because of vanity sizes, hormones, menstrual cycles, and muscle growth can affect your weight but aren’t due to fat gain.
-Better phrasing example would be: “I want to fit back into the clothes I still have that are too small for me now.”
-Base your goals on how you want to look and feel.
MY HOME (AND TRAVEL) WORKOUT GADGETS AND TIPS:
-When exercising arms or legs, don’t switch back and forth between your right and left side; instead do just one side until you are too fatigued to do any more.
-Choose weight / resistance level appropriately.
-When doing core / pelvic floor exercises, don’t hold your breath. I highly recommend discussing these with a specialist such as this one called Recharged Performance Therapy that I have used. I get no benefit of sharing. She does virtual appointments if you aren’t near her area.
*Some of the gadgets I use at home:
-Adjustable dumbbell. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/43ZiRju
-Ankle weights. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/43XnRVQ
-Occlusion/ blood flow restriction bands (note that the ones I have aren’t available anymore. I tried other brands that had a strong toxic smell, so these might too.) I didn’t explain in my video, but there is research showing that when you wear these, it can help build muscle with lower weight resistance, so you can avoid using heavy weights that may stain your joints. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/3NyCl7A
-Pilates ring (note that this isn’t the exact brand I have). Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/3puF1Lq
-TRX straps system. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/4393V0R
-Silicone resistance bands. Note that other brands had a strong toxic smell. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/3CO3YEK
-Resistance tube bands. Note that this isn’t the exact brand that I have. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/3NxgTjg
-I didn’t mention this in the video but we also own one of these rower machines. Amazon associates link: https://amzn.to/44n5b1X
I forgot to mention this in the video, but I did make a post for toxicity considerations about the materials of workout gear: Avoid anything strong smelling, vinyl coated, and galvanized steel. Fake leather material used on workout machines and benches often contains lead. The EVA foam used for most gym floor mats is also toxic. For yoga mats, see my post for less-toxic options.
*From this point on isn’t explained in the video:
WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO LOSE WEIGHT:
-Because of most people’s lifestyles in the USA, they will slowly gain weight over time. If you change your diet OR exercise habits, sometimes people can halt the weight gain but have a very hard time keeping more than a few pounds off.
⁃ This is often because of the “set point” which is misunderstood. It is not necessarily the ideal weight for you and is not set in stone for life. Basically, your body gets used to whatever weight you are, and comes to think of it as normal. Your body strives to maintain this weight, so it resists losing more than a few pounds. I encourage you to look further into it and how you can break past it to lose fat.
-The “standard American diet (SAD) is nutritionally horrible. I’ve seen statistics showing that most people in this country are likely pre diabetic.
-I believe the “everything in moderation” attitude is a slippery slope. There has been actual research showing that most people don’t truly know what moderation is and therefore don’t actually practice it. Instead it gets used as an excuse to eat whatever you want, or a lot of little bits of bad things that add up to a lot, and often.
-Another mistake people make is rewarding their exercise efforts with junk food, which can effectively cancel out fat loss potential.
-Temporary “diets” (as in, when people say “I’m going on a diet) don’t work because any benefits gained will only be temporary if you go back to the eating habits you had that made you overweight in the first place.
-However, overly ridgid or specific diet plans (such as the ones that outline exact meals for the week) don’t work because they are unrealistic to be able to sustain. They ignore your changing preferences for what you feel like eating.
-They also seem to forget the very powerful biological programming known as HUNGER, which should not be underestimated. Most people can’t simply “willpower” their way around hunger, at least not for long. So what happens if you’re still hungry after your prescribed salad, 1 apple and 7 cashews (I’ve actually seen that printed in a magazine as part of a diet plan)? You might get overwhelmed and confused thinking about the diet menu plan, the calorie and carb counts, and simply throw your hands up and decide to eat cheese fries, because since you’re going outside the plan anyway, might as well go big right?
-Unhealthy seed/ vegetable/ soy oils may lead to stored fat that is nearly impossible to lose, because it is so processed that it isn’t fully digestible.
REASONS TO CHANGE DIET THAT ARE’NT ABOUT FAT LOSS:
– You literally are what you eat. Cells in your body continually regenerate and replace themselves using new material from what you put in your body. Do you want to be composed of hearty real food, or toxic processed junk?
-Rethink what is really a food; just because you can swallow something doesn’t mean it’s really a food. I don’t even think of things like Doritos as food anymore (and that helps much more than relying on “willpower” to resist eating junk food).
-You don’t need food per say; you need nutrients. They are needed for your brain, energy, skin, etc. If you eat processed, nutrient-devoid “food” products instead of nutritious real food, you can suffer in many ways (including your looks). Note that this is an important factor for how to gain weight in a healthy way too; Focus on nutrients, not calories.
-Eating healthy and exercising are the best things you can do for your skin and mental health! I’m 40 years old and don’t have any wrinkles or acne, and I think the main reason for that is my fitness and healthy eating lifestyle, plus the avoidance of toxicants. Before I started living this way, I had terrible acne, depression, and other health issues.
-“Calories in, calories out” is NOT all there is to it. Counting calories ignores the nutritional and toxicant load of foods. Also, a restrictive diet and mindset has detrimental effects on weight loss. This video explains it well.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE HUNGRY ALL THE TIME:
-Advice to eat less or eat smaller portions is bad advice. If you don’t eat enough to feel satiated you will constantly be hungry and if you constantly eat or snack, you keep your insulin high, in fat storage mode.
-I also don’t do fasting. I’ve heard that the research on fasting has only been done on men, and that it may not be good for women. For me personally it makes me ravenous the whole day. I eat when I start getting hungry and within an hour of waking, upon recommendation from my doctor.
-What works for me is eating full meals of healthy meat and veggies. Don’t snack. Avoid starchy carbs (such as grains, rice and potatoes) as much as possible. Personally I don’t eat any dairy or gluten.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEALTHY EATING:
-I do not recommend calorie or carb counting at all. If you eat only healthy foods, you can eat until you are full and satisfied and not worry about counting anything. I personally generally eat a Paleo style of eating, so I eat as much protein, veggies and fat as I want, with small/ occasional starchy carbs.
-I avoid sugars as much as possible. Fruit is ok sometimes. It’s better than processed sugar but is still sugar.
-I try to space my meals 3 hours apart or more, to give time for proper digestion and insulin normalization.
-Counting calories or carbs is problematic for many reasons. One is simply how difficult it is to really know exactly how many calories you eat unless you weigh every component of your meals and ingredients. Even more importantly, not all calories are created equal. Basing your diet choices based on only calories could leave you malnourished. Worst of all, only thinking about the calorie or carb content of food makes all foods seem “bad.” The Atkins low carb diet hit its peak when I was a teenager, and made me think that certain vegetables were bad for me.
-Don’t drink soda, juice, or any sweetened drink (including coffee).
-Don’t fall into the trap of: “I’ll start after this next holiday, or after we use up all the junk food already in our house.”
-I don’t recommend doing regularly scheduled “cheat days.” Your body doesn’t know that Saturday’s “don’t count.” It all counts. Taking two steps forward and one leap back won’t get you very far. The biggest danger of doing cheat days is binging, to get all you can in your one day “off.” It’s ok to have treats once in a while, but don’t make a whole regularly scheduled day out of it.
-As far as cravings, I do NOT believe they stem from nutrient deficiencies except in rare cases. Cravings come from habits and good memories of yummy food. If you’re trying to reduce or eliminate certain foods, make your experiences with them less pleasant. For instance, don’t put cream or sugar in your coffee, or eat unsweetened chocolate instead of truffles.
WHAT ABOUT WHEN I’M TRAVELING OR NOT AT HOME?
-I NEVER eat fast food. Ever. Even when I’m traveling, or have a busy day and get hungry. I plan in advance and bring my own healthy snacks.
-See my posts on eating out/ fast food, healthy recipes, and snack lists.
-When you eat out, make the best choice you can out of what is available. Don’t be afraid to ask to modify and pick and choose from the menu. Don’t go to buffets.
-Free food isn’t free. It will cost you in other ways: Your health and your waistline! This includes free samples, free food at events, meetings, parties, office snacks, etc.
-When at parties or other people’s houses, get used to politely saying no repeatedly.
-I almost never drink any alcohol (maybe once a year I’ll have a drink at a special occasion). Best choices from what I’ve read are vodka or tequila, and the best mixer is soda water. But remember that all alcohol is literally drinking poison; that’s why drinking makes you “intoxicated.”
EXERCISE AND TIPS FOR TURNING YOUR BODY INTO A FAT BURNING MACHINE:
-Even though I don’t recommend counting calories you eat or setting goals based on how many calories you burn, it is useful to understand that your body “burns” calories all the time, not only when you work out. So ideally, you can raise your “resting rate” of calorie utilization, including when you’re sitting on the couch and even sleeping. One way to do that is by having more muscle mass.
-Minimize sitting. Working out a few times a week doesn’t cancel out sitting the rest of the time. Try to move more throughout your day.
-Stand more often, because even standing still burns utilizes more calories than sitting. Set reoccurring alarms if you have a desk job, to remind yourself to get up and walk to the bathroom or water break area regularly. Also consider a standing desk.
-There are a few benefits of exercise first thing in morning before eating, as research shows that basically workouts are more effective when you have been fasting overnight (as I mentioned I don’t do extended fasting, but overnight is normal). As an extra benefit for all day energy and sleep regulation, try to do some of your exercise outside in the morning in the sunlight (or even if it’s cloudy).
-I personally aim to exercise every morning unless there are unusual plans. This works best for me because otherwise, if I set a goal such as “three times a week” I’d put it off and think “I’ll do it the next three days” possibly indefinitely. My sessions are usually short and not very intense, but the regularity is key for me. I do resistance exercises and then some bursts of low impact cardio.
-I never think about needing to “burn calories” when exercising. When doing resistance/ weights, I think about strengthening my muscles. When I do cardio, I think about my mental health, because exercising has been proven to be as effective as antidepressants!
-Don’t be afraid of “bulking up” when lifting weights. However, you can do it strategically. For example, if you’d like a bigger or shapelier butt, you can do glute building exercises.
-Unfortunately, we can’t control where we add or lose fat on our bodies. But as mentioned, do do have some control over how to target muscle growth.
-Incorporate more activity into your day too, which can be as simple as swinging your arms up and down as you walk across your house, or do some leg lifts while you fill up your water or stir your soup pot.
-If you struggle with self-motivation, try signing up for prepaid group exercise or personal training sessions that don’t have a good cancellation policy (so it kind of forces you to go or else you waste money). However, if you have prior injury or health conditions, be sure warn your teacher and take it upon yourself to skip or modify movements that aren’t right for you.
-Try fun, weird workouts. You aren’t regulated to a treadmill! There’s so many different ways to get exercise that it’s definitely possible to find ones you enjoy (or at least can tolerate pretty well). I’ve done things including acrobatic yoga, pole fitness, and workouts that use drumsticks or wooden swords!
-If you’re a parent or grandparent, do activities with kids such as trampoline parks, and swimming pools. I often see most parents sitting off on the sidelines with their phones. Stop caring what other people think, and get in there and jump, swim, and have fun! I even do workouts on playground equipment if there aren’t kids using it. When my babies were small, I would hold them while doing squats, and walk around the house with them in my arms.
-Sleep is crucial for health and fat loss. It affects hormones, hunger, energy, metabolism, willpower, mood, etc.
-This video explains who to best space out your strength training and cardio.
-Resting about 3 minutes between sets has a lot of benefits. But I don’t like just waiting around, so I do “sensible supersets” which means I switch between two different weight exercises. For example, I’ll switch between an arm exercise and a glute exercise, so arms are resting while my glutes are working, and vice versa. Meanwhile, my heart rate stays up which also has benefits.
-If any of these tips sound hard, it’s really just a matter of changing habits and enabling and getting used to new habits. You can do it!
LEAST TOXIC PROTEIN POWDER AND CREATINE:
-Creatine with low lead and no additives. Amazon Associates link: https://amzn.to/3JC5RbE
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