Tips and Inspiration

Here are some tips to losing weight the right way that you may not think about, as well as fun facts that will keep you pumped!

Diet DON'T
-Stay away from diet sodas. Sure, it's better than a regular soda, but the amount of sodium makes you retain water and leaves you bloated and feeling fat. And I don't know about you, but I'm motivated to work out when I feel good, not when I feel disgusting. When I feel disgusting, exercise becomes a punishment. No one likes being punished.

Lettuce vs. Spinach
Lettuce is mostly water and pretty much empty calories. Spinach, however, has the same amount of calories as lettuce but it rich in fiber and protein. And you know high fiber and high protein diets are recommended for rapid weight loss!

Cardio
Did you know that runners who log 20 miles a week have 75% slower rate of depletion of anti-aging cells? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard me correctly. If you do 20 miles of cardio a week, you will be looking at your prime for a long, long time

Indulgence
Don't completely deprive yourself of sweets. If you deprive yourself of sweets, you have a 50% higher chance of breaking and binge eating and undoing all that wonderful progress you made. So, have one cookie a day. Yes, it's roughly 130 calories, but think of it in the long run. . . if you incorporate something small like that into your diet, but it keeps you on schedule and losing weight, doesn't seem so bad, does it? Losing weight is NOT punishment. I will keep saying it.

Green Tea vs. Coffee
Replace your cup of coffee with a nice cup of green tea. Green tea is known to boost your metabolism roughly 5% and is also filled with lots of antioxidants that protect you against heart disease, cancer, etc.

Morning Madness
It's much healthier to work out in the morning than it is in the evening. If you work out for at least 30 minutes before you eat breakfast, you'll be doing wonders for your body. If you exercise before breakfast, your body will be burning mostly body fat because there are no carbohydrates in your stomach for the body to use as fuel--so your fat becomes your fuel. Not only that, but the endorphins released during your exercise will make coping with the day's stress a lot easier and won't make stress-eating so tempting. Also, by exercising when you first wake up, you're giving your metabolism a boost in the morning and you will keep it elevated all day long! If you work out at night, then you won't get to reap the benefits of an elevated metabolism because you'll be sleeping shortly thereafter, and your metabolism will decrease again.

Don't Overdo It
If you're in pain, take a break. Sure, "pain is weakness leaving the body" and most of it is "mind over body" but you also know your body best. When something is wrong, you need to take a step back and figure out what it is before you continue. If you have a craving that you can't ignore, it's most likely because your body is being starved of some essential vitamin or nutrient. So if you're craving something sweet, get some fruit and enjoy the natural sugars. Don't be afraid to chug a glass of milk. If you're craving something, find a healthy alternative that will satisfy you. Your body will thank you.

Lots of Dairy!
Studies show that people on a high-dairy diet vs. a low-dairy diet, as long as both follow the same total calorie restrictions, will burn up to twice as much fat and lose up to twice the weight. Yogurt never looked so good, huh?

Just thought I'd share some of my inspirations and diet tips