Five powerful habits to start losing fat now By Sandy Albert
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"By eating a whole food plant-based diet, you can eat much more volume for fewer calories yet more nutrients."
o you have fat loss goals for the new year? Or, more importantly, for life? In this article, I’ll share my top five habits to start losing fat immediately. These habits helped me lose over 45kg (100 pounds), and I’ve kept it off for over a decade. Some of these may sound obvious to you, but we don’t always do what we know will take us closer to our goals, do we? Why is that? Why doesn’t wanting a new job necessarily translate to sitting down to work on updating our resume? Or, why doesn’t wanting to feel energized and rested necessarily translate into turning off the TV and getting to bed? AND….why doesn’t wanting to be a healthy weight necessarily translate into us doing the things that will cause us to lose fat? It’s because changing habits can be really hard. Fortyfive to 95 per cent of our behaviours occur out of habit. Changing our habits takes conscious, deliberate, repeated action, doing things over and over and OVER again. Even when we don’t feel like it, even when we have thoughts in our head that try to convince us we can do it tomorrow, start Monday or “this one time won’t matter”. Interesting fact: research shows that 95 per cent of people who start a diet and lose weight will regain all of it AND THEN SOME. How sad is that? This is why “diets” don’t work! I am going to share with you my TOP most powerful habits on how to start losing fat immediately and some tips on how to make them work for you.
As recovery stories go, South Carolina's Sandy Albert, has a remarkable experience to tell. Sandy is an ACE certified personal trainer, and is certified in weight loss as well as vegan nutrition health coaching. She was inspired to help others live a healthy life after starting her own health and weight loss journey over a decade ago. She lost over 45kg (100 pounds) using a whole foods diet and the habits outlined in this article. You can connect online via Facebook and through her website.
1. Drink your water
Our bodies are 60-70 per cent water. And every biological function requires water. So why is drinking water important for fat loss? When we are not properly hydrated, we are not functioning optimally. And when we are not functioning optimally, fat burning is not a priority. Being properly hydrated also aids in digestion and flushes toxins. Being dehydrated can cause false hunger cues, slow metabolism, and increase metabolism. So get that water in! How much is enough? Some experts say 64 to 96 oz. Others say half your body weight in ounces. A good rule of thumb is to just make sure to keep drinking! My top hacks for making this a habit: • • • • •
Fill up your water bottle first thing in the morning Flavour with tasty fruits that you enjoy Keep your bottle in sight Use a straw (if you like one!) Use a motivational bottle and/or make it a game/challenge
2. Get your sleep
Just like when you don’t get enough water, your body does not function properly when you don’t get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep increases appetite and affects our hormones. Being sleep-deprived causes making poor decisions - including decisions around food! But how much sleep is enough? Experts
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recommend getting AT LEAST 7 hours of restorative sleep a night. My top hacks for making this a habit: •
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Determine how much sleep you are getting now. Plan to go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each night until you are up to 7 hours. Put a reminder like an alarm in your phone to signal it's time to get ready for bed. Since it’s not a habit yet, you will not do this without conscious, deliberate thought Turn off electronics 2 hours before bed! If it helps, try some sleepy time tea, a warm shower, or reading a PAPER book
