Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Best 'Get Skinny' Tips

1. Be realistic. Base your "skinny" on how you feel at a certain weight, how clothes fit you and how much energy you have. NOT on how skinny your friends, coworkers, prepubescent teens or Kate Moss look this month.

2. Self LOVE. Realize that if your skinny jeans don't zip this week that doesn't make you bad or wrong. It is an off week for your jeans and don't stress because Lululemon pants are more comfortable anyway. Also, it is perfectly normal for weight to fluctuate a few pounds during each day and throughout the month (ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A WOMAN). So go easy on YOU and know that you will get back to the basics of your eating and workout plan and those extra five pounds will fall off naturally. Never weigh yourself more than once a week (and only weigh yourself that often if you are actively losing weight). The scale is not the best indication of how you look and feel. You can turn five pounds of fat into muscle without the scale budging, but the way your clothes fit and HOW YOU FEEL will be the best indicators of that change.
Give yourself a self-hug. Look in the mirror and say you are sexy. Then find a figure flattering outfit that allows you to relax your tummy for today.

3. HYDRATE. I cannot reiterate this point enough. People that are skinny drink excessive amounts of water. When you are hydrated you digest food more completely, have more energy and stay full longer. Go for half of your body weight in ounces- if you weigh 140 lbs drink 70 ounces a day minimum! Bring a refillable water bottle with you everywhere you go so you will remember to stay hydrated (I'll allow you to skip black tie affairs with your bottle but thats it!) If you are a soda drinker (even diet soda), you will be amazed at how your body responds to drinking water instead and you will lose weight and feel better from making that one change in your diet. I recently gave up diet soda. I have gone two weeks without drinking any soda and had a sip of one yesterday and realized I have already lost my taste for it. I now prefer water with my popcorn snack. It was hard to forgo soda the first week, but stick to it and you will notice a huge difference in your energy and your belly bloat!

4. Slow down on the alcohol. I am a huge believer in having fun, but as I have grown older I realize that fun and alcohol are not synonymous.  When you are having several drinks a night it seems like everyone else is doing the same, but slow your roll and you will realize many people nurse the same drink all night, or separate their alcoholic drinks with an in-between water (YAY for hydrators). If you go out for long nights dancing, set a pace before you hit the dance floor. "I will have no more than 3 drinks today." That way you won't be tempted to keep throwing them back and losing track over the night. You also will likely cut out shots from your routine, which is a good way to stay in check of how much each drink is affecting you. By setting limits you will enjoy your night more, cut the crazy calorie intake of alcoholic drinks and have energy the next morning for a workout.

5. Snack Smart. I keep an apple, almonds and Skinny Bits in my purse. While running errands or working you often forget to eat when you get hungry. Having lean protein and fiber on hand is a great way to resist starving your body and craving the drive-in for a quick fix by the end of the day. When you drink water and snack on healthy snacks, you avoid wild blood sugar dips and will not be craving cupcakes or french fries by 4 pm. Starving yourself is never an effective way to lose weight. Keep your body feeling nicely satisfied all day and you will keep your metabolism moving and avoid the need to binge until you are stuffed.

Child-size, mini and sample are the best sizes :)
6. Avoid saying "I CAN'T". This tip is true for every aspect of your life. Even The Little Engine that Could taught us "I think I can", never I can't. So when you are on the path to a healthier life and someone offers you a slice of birthday cake please don't respond "I can't". It sets up a complex in your mind that there are things that are not allowed or forbidden. Just as we all learned as pre-teens, when something is not allowed it becomes more appealing. Change your language. It is never that you can't eat at that restaurant or that you can't order french fries or your fourth glass of wine or a shot of tequila, it is just that you "won't". You can do anything you want. Food has no power over you. So when a food comes up that you know will tip the scale or make you feel sluggish for the rest of the day just say "no thanks" and know in your head that you could have that cake, but you won't because you are focused on feeling your very best!
My friend, Kira, just taught me the genius trick of mentally telling yourself, "I can have it later" when it comes to dessert. This works phenomally for me because I am a sweets junky. So at the end of the meal when the waiter offers the dessert menu, I decline with the inner thought that if I am still hungry in an hour I can go get frozen yogurt. An hour later, I have digested more of my dinner and no longer am craving the sugar rush. If I still have my sweet tooth, I will make decaf green tea with a drop of honey knowing "I can always have dessert if I still want it later." Allow yourself to have something if you continue to want it, just don't over indulge. I believe everything is allowed in a healthy diet. Just use good judgement and smart portion sizes for high-fat and calorie dense foods.

(For more tips, see 5 things you can start doing today!)

It is so empowering to put yourself in charge of your health instead of following rigid rules and "I can't" philosophies. Your body is an amazing machine and when you feed and hydrate it well you will start to appreciate just how much your body loves being healthy. I hope that you can stay motivated and happy on your path to overall fitness. But, most importantly, LOVE YOURSELF for all that you are. I used to hate my thighs, I have to actively practice saying "I love you thighs," "You are strong, long and lean." I have come to realize that my legs are my best asset and even a possible source of my income, hello body parts modeling.  It may seem silly at first to use positive affirmations on what you have previously viewed as a body flaw, but trust me, you can change anything when you send it infinite amounts of positive energy. The more you love you, the more your body will respond to getting in the best shape of your life.

Health and happiness,
Olivia
xo



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