Stubborn Fat
As the saying goes, it’s easy to put it on but hard to take it off. Do those hard-to-lose areas of our bodies seem like they won’t go anywhere? We can’t control some things, but it can be challenging to control the things we can. Let’s not get discouraged. Let’s get determined.
Obsessed with the scale
Don’t let the numbers on the scale discourage you. Have you heard the phrase “the scales never lie?” Let’s put it this way; it doesn’t tell you the whole truth. Throughout the day, our weight fluctuates, causing the scale to read differently morning, noon, and night. The scale will not tell you how much of your weight is water, fat and how much is muscle. Note: Muscle is more dense, which means the muscle fibers are more compacted, so keep that in mind as well.
Abs
These factors consist of: abdominal (visceral) obesity, hypertension, elevated serum triglycerides, low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome can make it difficult to lose weight.
Treatments: Live a healthy lifestyle with dietary changes and exercise. Next, determine which plans work best for you. If you’re having trouble finding a balance, consult with a dietician, physical therapist, or personal trainer to see what plan works best for you. If none of the above work, consult a medical professional to rule out any other underlying causes.
Not doing resistance training
Are you only doing cardio? Incorporating resistance training should be included as part of your routine.
- Plank
- Push-ups
- Tri-cep dips
- Squats
- Leg lifts
- Calf raises
- Mountain climbers
- Burpees
- Butt lifts
- Lunges
- V-Ups
Increase the intensity
It’s easy to get comfortable. Just like on a job, staying in your comfort zone can mean not pushing yourself to learn that you are capable of much more than you think.
For example, don’t continue to get on the treadmill for weeks at a time and never increase the speed and incline. Train your body and mind to go beyond where you started. Don’t get satisfied with where you’re at, but at the same time, don’t overexert yourself. Work your way up.
Stress and emotional eating
Are you an emotional eater? Whether it’s the job, the kids, the dog, or our minds being all over the place. This can cause us to consume more foods that aren’t good for us or more than we need.
We may not get rid of it, but we can control how we deal with it. Everyone deals with stress in different ways.
When we’re stressed, our body releases cortisol, the stress hormone. The primary function of cortisol is to prepare our bodies for stressful events. Our heart starts beating fast, our breathing pattern changes, and our muscles tense up. The long-term stress and the overload of cortisol puts our bodies at health risk, and weight gain is one of them.
Sleepless nights
After a good workout, our body needs time to recover. Growth and repair of our muscles happen when we sleep but not like in the picture above. Our body goes through many other processes and sleepless nights interrupt these. Shop Sleep + Stress Test Kits at EverlyWell.com!
See what the National Institute of Health has to say about sleep loss & weight gain.
For example, don’t continue to get on the treadmill for weeks at a time and never increase the speed and incline. Train your body and mind to go beyond where you started. Don’t get satisfied with where you’re at, but at the same time, don’t overexert yourself. Work your way up.
There may be some things that you can do that could help you get a good night’s sleep. There are many, but this is a small list. You may have your best practices, but I wanted to share my ideas.
– Get a sleep monitor
– Work out in the evenings and take long warm showers afterward. This may help relax you.
– Eat your heaviest foods early in the day.
– Give your food enough time to digest (at least) three hours before lying down.
– If you must eat something right before bed, make it a piece of fruit or something very light.
– Try not to fall asleep with the television or music on.
– The later in the day it gets, limit your caffeine intake.
– If you have small kids, try to accomplish as many things as early and as soon as you can.
– Don’t bring your work home.
– Try not to go to bed angry.
Age
As you get older, your metabolism freezes, which causes you to have to work out extra hard. Muscle mass decreases, and the amount of fat stored increases. The production of hormones slows down (men & women), which causes our bodies not to want to let go of the weight.
Genes
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Suppose you come from an overweight family; you’re more likely to become overweight than someone without a family history of obesity.
Still, if you’re blaming being overweight entirely on your genes, then you may be accepting that things cannot change. Don’t allow your genes to be your destiny. We can’t control our genes, but we can our environment.
Studies suggest that a less common version of the BDNF gene may predispose people to obesity by producing lower levels of BDNF protein, a regulator of appetite, in the brain.
Environment
There’s food everywhere, whether at the office, breakrooms, airports, conferences, malls, sporting events, drug stores, convenience stores, or gas stations.
Foods are advertised by word of mouth, television, and radio. We steadily receive food coupons that get delivered to our mailboxes, enticing us with good deals.
Overindulging in processed foods
If it seems tough to depart ways from heavily processed foods, eat them at a minimum. The more we eat these types of food, the easier it is to become addicted to them. Many processed foods contain many hidden dangers like sugar, syrup, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, salt, color agents, and other things that aren’t good for us.
Hardly anyone cooks now, which can cause concern. Eating out hurts not only our pockets but our health. So why don’t most of us cook anymore? It could be because of lifestyle.
One solution may be time management. Everyone seems to be in a hurry. With a sound system in place, you may find the time to cook more.
Cooking at home gives you control to choose how to prepare your food. If you have crazy hours at work and see no way around it, start meal prepping on your off days or prepare meals in a crockpot so that your food’s ready by the time you get off work. Try this chuck roast recipe.
Saturated fats
Are you eating more bad fats (saturated fats) and less good fats (unsaturated fats)? Saturated fats are in things like butter, cheese, red meats, and some oils, which carry a risk of heart disease, and weight gain.
The next time you’re in the grocery store, flip the product over and scan the food label to see the amount of saturated fat.
Don’t forget about the serving size. It tells you how much of something you’ll be consuming. For example, if 1 cup has 6g of saturated fat and you eat 2 cups, you’re consuming 12g. Take time to read the nutrition labels.
MOTIVATION + DETERMINATION + HARDWORK = SUCCESS