1. Be flexible. In most cases, folks who overeat on weekends follow strict diets on weekdays. So when the weekend comes, they feel the need to reward themselves by overindulging in foods they couldn’t eat during the week. Follow flexible eating habits during the week to avoid this trap. Allow yourself to eat some of the foods you crave during the week—if you feel like eating pasta and meatballs for dinner on Tuesday, eat that. Being flexible will eliminate the feeling of deprivation and the need to reward yourself. 2. Re-think cheat days. Cheat days may work for some people, but they hinder weight loss for others. If cheat days help you lose weight and maintain sanity, continue having them. But if you always overeat and have feelings of guilt after cheat days, it's time to give them up. Chances are, if you have a cheat day on Friday, you’ll overeat on Saturday. 3. Stop Restricting Yourself. Restrictions on foods you should and shouldn’t eat usually lead to overeating and bingeing. Some dieters even start craving foods they don’t like simply because they’re not allowed to eat them. Instead, allow a few indulgences throughout the week, and you won't overindulge on the weekends. 4. Understand why you’re overeating. There will always be justifiable reasons to overeat--I was with friends, I was lonely, I was at a party,` and so on. All these situations can’t be the reason you eat too much. Find out the real reason why you overeat. It could be stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and so on. Keep a record of the habits that make you overeat, and eventually you’ll come up with an underlying reason. 5. Stay busy on the weekends. Stay busy and find ways to keep your mind off food. Read a book, go for a walk, clean the house—keep your legs moving in some way. You’re more likely to overeat if you sit around the house doing nothing. 6. Keep alcohol in check. Not only is alcohol high in calories, it can lead to poor dietary choices. So avoid getting drunk or make sure you’re full before you start drinking. Do you or someone you care about need to lose weight? Bodynista offers a fantastic line of weight loss, health and nutrition products from Total Life Changes to get you into the body you deserve and help you take your life back. Shop for your new body by visiting our Total Life Changes Store Page.
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Holiday Party?!!! NYE party? How to style your hair with that perfect dress can be a real stressor. The perfect dress deserves the perfect hairstyle. Below are some simple, classic but glamours hairstyles sure to make you look and feel amazing!
Triple Flip
Center-part your hair and pull back a narrow section from each temple to the nape. Then, secure with an elastic hairband. Flip the tail inward, through the V formed by the two strands—Topsy Tail–style. Repeat directly below with two more pairs of strands; secure and flip each pair.
High Bun
Pull hair into an elastic at the crown. Lay your thumb horizontally on the elastic. Loop a thin section of the tail over your thumb; anchor the section to the elastic with bobby pins. Wrap the rest of the tail around the loop to form a full bun. Pin in place.
Pretty Pony
Start with a naturally wavy texture (or create it with a curling iron) and sweep hair to the side. Secure in a ponytail holder. If the ponytail holder will be visible, keep a small section of hair out to wrap around ponytail holder. Embellish with GLAM!
Ripple Effect
Side-part and blow-dry freshly washed hair so that it's smooth. Add waves with an iron. (If you have natural loose waves, just air-dry.) Coat fingers with gel, then form twists with small sections of hair at each temple. Secure the twists at the back of the crown with two bobby pins.
Roll-Up
To create this look, a three-inch-long piece of flexible foam with a slit in the middle. Slide hair, an inch from the ends, into the slit, then roll the foam horizontally up to the nape. Secure the roll with bobby pins. The final touch? A bit of glam on top an Wow!
Side Braid
Scrunch a texturizing spray all over clean, dry hair for a tousled look. Gather hair to one side and braid. You can do two thicker sections with one thinner one for a modern effect. Secure the end with an elastic; cover with something fun!
Looking strictly for an updo? Check out our favorite messy bun tutorials here!
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of DIY. Project after project, unless it involves electrical work, I will always try to do it myself. Sometimes that works out and other times not so much. For the creative soul, often times, store bought gifts just don't give the gratitude you want to express. But, when pressed for time, they serve their purpose. If you don't want to settle for store-bought gifts this year, try some of these one-of-a-kind DIY presents. No matter the occasion, giving someone a gift you made yourself makes it much more meaningful. Show how special the receiver is to you by putting in some time, effort, and love on something handmade. I have included links to more than 100 different types of DIY gifts for every person in your life!
Below are links to different categories of hand made DIY gifts. Within each category, you will find many different types of gifts. You are sure to find something that will become the perfect gift!
So, here we are, deep into the end of the year. We have gotten past Halloween, Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Now on to Christmas and New Years Eve....... I don't know about you, but right about now is when my Q4 weight gain starts moving in. First, everywhere I turn there is SUGAR! Stores, Office, Home, I cannot seem to escape it. Once I get past Halloween, and I have regained self control, Thanksgiving settles in. Who can say no to wine with Pumpkin and Pecan pies?? Obviously, I can't............. Upon recovery from Thanksgiving, gifts upon gifts of sugar flood my life and BOOM, its Christmas and New Year's Eve all in one ball of fury. And that friends, is end of year weight gain in a pretty package with a sparkly bow!
Ok, so now that we have acknowledged it, how do we cope and do our best to avoid it? Below are great tips to help you and me avoid the dreadful end of year weight gain, winter fat, holiday muffin top or whatever you want to call it. Seriously, its tough to avoid!
1. Be Realistic
Don't try to lose weight between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Studies have shown that people who tried to lose weight between Thanksgiving and New Year's ened up gaining the same amount of weight as others who were not trying to slim down. A better plan is to aim put off weigh-loss efforts until after Jan. 1. 2. Hydrate Stay hydrated! It's easy to forget to drink water when your rushing around in the hustle and bustle. Your body easily confuses being hungry and being thirsty, so drinking water regularly will keep you from eating when what you really need is to drink.
3. Limit Alcohol
Alcohol calories add up fast. A 12-ounce beer has 140 calories and a 5-ounce glass of wine has 100. Plus, having too many drinks lowers your inhibitions, so when you indulge you’re likely to eat more. So stick to just a drink or two, or be the designated driver and avoid alcohol altogether. 4. Eat Slowly Some research shows that slow eaters tend to eat less food. Try this: Chew, chew and chew your food some more. You want mush before you swallow. Swallow each mouthful before taking the next bite. And, chat while eating to keep from making your food disappear so fast.
5. Beware the Buffet
A bountiful buffet can be a challenge for many. I mean, everything looks so delicious and it is right in front of you inviting you to take a bite! You wouldn't go to a restaurant and order everything on the menu, would you? Scan the choices before you pick up a plate. Or take smaller portions of a variety of dishes. 6. Outsmarting Food Pushers I am so grateful for any host who prepares a meal for me and others to enjoy. But, the host also has the expectation that their guests will consume the majority or all of the food. And rightfully so, because the host doesn't want to be stuck with a ton of left overs! Pressure from hosts to eat beyond your fill is a common challenge. One way to keep from over stuffing yourself is to take small portions and ask for seconds. This way, you are enjoying without over eating and your host is pleased you are eating!
I hope you found these tips helpful. Between now and the end of December, most of us will be challenged in many of the area's mentioned above. Stay strong and remember, the goal is to maintain your weight instead of trying to lose. Save the weight loss efforts for Jan!
When you think about what you are blasted with on a daily basis, is it positive or negative? Media, people, work, kids, the dog and cat? It can seem like all we are ever faced with are the bad things destroying our world, co-workers or boss who are impossible to deal with, kids that are ungrateful, and pets are destroying the house! STOP! Take a deep breath! Yes, we are faced with a shit ton of negativity on a daily basis, no doubt. But how we absorb and interpret that makes all the difference in our own lives. There is a tremendous amount of power in Mindset. You DO create your own destiny. If you feel you are destined to fail, don't expect to succeed. If you feel you are destined to win, don't get upset if you fail; it could take a few fails to win. Overcoming negativity is no easy feat. First, you have to be aware of your negativity. I know some folks who are such downers and they have no self awareness about it. Below are some things you can do to start practicing a more positive mindset. Everyone can use some positive vibes; nobody is perfect:) After incorporating these tactics for a while, it will no longer be practice, but instead, it will be habit. 1. Meditate or do yoga. Meditation is simply sitting still and focusing internally on one thing. Your breathing, a positive thought, something you desire, anything. Meditation forces you to quiet your mind from all the chaos going on in there. Yoga is also very relaxing; it's like meditation with a twist. You use your muscles while focusing on your breathing. BOTH relieve stress and are a great segway to more positive thinking. 2. Smile. I tend to be stingy with my smile. It's not because I don't want to smile, but I am just uncomfortable walking around with a smile permanently planted on my face. HOWEVER, this is something I am working on changing. The more you smile, the happier you feel. And yes, that leads to positive thinking. 3. Surround yourself with positive people. We all know someone who has nothing to talk about except complaints: work, people, family, the dog..... I physically cannot handle it. I shut down, stop listening to you, and won't even respond to you. Your lucky if I remain in your company. Negative people - stay away from them. Negatively is more contagious than a virus. 4. Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive. This is a tough one. Negative thoughts tend to be futuristic thoughts. For example, you have a great idea for something today, but you play out some kind of failure in your mind. Instantly, you begin to feel the negativity, which will affect what you do with that thought today. One way to combat this is to live in the present and stop living in the future. We don't know how things will play out; there too many variables beyond our control. Instead of telling your self "I shouldn't" or "I can't", try "I want", "I will", "I'll try. 5. Don’t play the victim.
You create your life—take responsibility. You are never really stuck, even though it can feel like it. You have the power to make a change. If you really want it, the abilities will present themselves. 6. Help someone. Take the focus away from you and do something nice for another person. Donate your time, money and/or talents. 7. Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward. It is so easy to dwell on our mistakes, take pity on ourselves or relish in the "what if's" and "I should haves". Instead, acknowledge your thought(s), make peace with yourself and move on. It's OK to mess up, OK to make mistakes, OK to be wrong. So, move on. 8. Sing. I love to sing, but I am positive nobody loves to hear me sing! It is a great feeling to connect to music and just belt it out at the top of your lungs! 9. List five things that you are grateful for right now. Being grateful helps you appreciate what you already have. If you cannot truly and genuinely appreciate what you have today, how will you be able to appreciate what you may have tomorrow? For example, that job you cannot stand to walk into everyday - appreciate that you have an income and a way to provide. That very same job may be providing you a critical skill for the better job tomorrow. 10. Read positive quotes. Find some positive quotes that really speak to you and put them in places where you will see them daily: desk, computer, mirror, fridge. Here is a great quote I recently read: "Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
What are you resting your precious head on at night? If you are like many, it is probably cotton. Cotton is soft and snuggly, but will also suck the life right out of your hair and face! If you have woken up from your cotton pillowcase with dry hair, not just dry because it isn't wet, but dry as in brittle, or dry skin on your face, then maybe it is time to consider cotton's competition - satin.
My daughter and I both have a hair texture that tend to be on the drier side. I would constantly have breakage and dry facial skin in the morning. My daughter would also have extra dry hair in the mornings. Then we tried satin - LIFE CHANGER! Not only did our hair have better texture in the morning, it would actually still be damp from going to sleep! My skin has also retained moisture as well. It is amazing how moisture resistant the satin is!
Satin pillowcases help to prevent frizzing and roughing of the cuticle on any hair texture and can help to prolong styles, whether your hair is kinky, curly, wavy or straight. Sadly, standard 100-percent cotton pillowcases are moisture-sucking and cause a lot of friction, which can cause significant hair breakage. Not only does cotton wreak havoc on our hair, but our skin is also affected. Resting on a smoother surface will help reduce the appearance of sleep lines and the formation of wrinkles on your face.
Are you experiencing any dry hair or skin in the mornings? If so, trying satin is really an inexpensive way to find a solution! Bodynista As we graduate to becoming adults, we also graduate to becoming more stressed. Work is demanding, people are demanding, kids are demanding, rush hour traffic can tip you over the edge. We are faced with STRESS constantly. While we are massively accumulating this added stress, what are we doing to alleviate it? Some of us simply choose to escape life through vices, such as alcohol. Some of workout to help deal with stress. And there are other, more dangerous ways of coping as well. If you are feeling stressed, anxious, or otherwise not relaxed, try some Yoga. Yoga is a great way to redirect you thoughts and mind to a place of inner focus instead of on budgets, plans, after school games, and what you are going to prepare for dinner. Yoga can definitely compliment other activities you employ to reduce stress. For example, I choose to workout to help with stress, but doing Yoga on non-workout days is a better benefit. Below are 10 Yoga moves that are simple enough for beginners but effective enough for anyone in coping with stress. Face it, life will only get more stressful in the days to come. Learning how to alleviate it could be a life saving tactic! For each pose below, hold the yoga position for 5 deep breaths. Have you ever wondered how to be happy? You meet someone who seems to have it all together and they are bursting with life. Then you wonder "is it fake, who is really THAT happy"? If you are like me, you have often thought long and hard about life: where you were, where you're at now, and where you want to be. And often, you feel "stuck" and you just don't know how to move. Sometimes we think more money, a promotion, or toxic relationships are the key to happiness. We have all experienced some part of that - did it make you happy? For me: NOOOOOO! In fact, my current state of happiness is a real work in progress. Activities which are pleasurable, engaging and meaningful are scientifically proven to make us happy. Pleasure + Engagement + Meaning = Recipe for Happiness! 1. Pleasure: An activity that fills your soul with positive emotions: playing football with friends, going to a concert with your family, or even being intimate with loved ones. 2. Engagement: ‘Zoning Out’ – Everything around you comes to a standstill because you are so immersed and focused on a specific activity. 3. Meaning: Using your energy to create a service of value which is greater than yourself. You feel that you are a part of something grand. Something so valuable, that will continue to grow and prosper after you die. The recipe for happiness is simple. It’s about realizing what matters in your own life, identifying the values you hold dear to yourself while focusing on something that could create love and harmony to the world.
- Bodynista If losing weight was easy, w e would all be slim and trim. Our bodies are all different, and this holds true when it comes to embarking on a weight-loss journey as well. There is no one-size-fits-all routine when it comes to eating and working out to lose weight, but there are some general rules that you should know before starting a regimen. Here are some do’s and don’ts you should consider before starting any form of dieting to reach your goals. 1. Don’t: Starve yourself When you starve yourself, your body literally goes into survival mode. This means that it thinks it won’t be fed with energy for a while, so it holds on extra tight to sugars, fat, and all the stuff we want to lose. In addition, a slow metabolism causes the calories to digest differently in our bodies. Not good. 2. Do: Regularly eat clean, healthy foods Eating regularly throughout the day will help stabilize your blood pressure and rev up your metabolism. It’s pretty much confirmed, but often misunderstood, that you need to eat in order to lose weight/fat. Even on a diet, we still need to curb our hunger. Instead of filling this hunger with pasta, we can fill it with lean protein, healthy grains, and vegetables. If we starve ourselves, we’ll be more inclined to break under pressure and eat a whole lot of junk food at once. Keep your diet consistent. 3. Don’t: Drink a ton of alcohol Alcohol is a staple in most of our lives, whether it’s that Friday/Saturday night binge with our friends or a few glasses of wine at dinner each night. Although alcohol in moderation is OK, it can severely ruin a diet. First, alcohol is high in calories and really has no nutritional value. Alcohol actually impairs our ability to absorb vitamins and nutrients from the foods we eat. It slows down the metabolism because it restricts the body’s ability to create glucose and therefore maintain a healthy blood sugar. Blood sugar is what keeps the metabolism working efficiently. Plus, alcohol contains hundreds of calories. One shot of vodka is 100 calories or more. Multiply that by a few drinks, and you could very easily consume way too much. 4. Do: Drink a ton water Research has shown that water consumption increases the rate at which people burn calories. We obviously need water to survive, but drinking the recommended amount, which many fail to do each day, is imperative if you want to lose weight. 5. Don’t: Think short-term A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule allows you to indulge once in a while, while still focusing on a healthy lifestyle 80% of the time. For example, if you eat three meals a day, four meals a week can be cheat meals. The 80/20 plan doesn’t call for following strict rules or totally depriving yourself when you need to indulge. It’s a lifestyle hack for healthy eating. By approaching losing weight in a non-threatening way, we will feel better mentally and emotionally in terms of our health. 6. Do: Create a meal plan for each week Like anything, losing weight takes hard work to achieve results. When we lose weight, it cannot be just an afterthought. Losing weight means consciously understanding what your body needs and responding to it. When we don’t plan our meals, bagels on a Monday morning in the office turn into a full cheat day. By planning ahead, you make a vow to yourself to stick to your goals and not let anything get in the way. Prep your meals or simply write out what you are going to eat that week for each meal. And only buy food for those meals at the grocery store so you won’t be tempted by less-healthy foods. 7. Don’t: Deprive yourself of indulgences By depriving yourself of indulgences, you are only sabotaging your weight loss. Restrictions can lead to cravings, binging, and overeating. If you constantly dread eating unhealthy foods because you always wish you were eating something else, you’ll never get in the habit of a clean lifestyle. 8. Do: Have willpower
When you finally convince yourself that, yes, it is OK to eat a slice of cake at a family gathering, don’t let your brain fool you into thinking, “I had one, I may as well have two.” There is this thing called willpower. Without willpower you cannot successfully achieve your goals. Of course we all want to eat 10 donuts in one sitting, but stick to one. There’s a fine line between treating yourself and going crazy on unhealthy foods. Most of us have heard of the 80/20 in some capacity, but you may wonder how exactly does it relate to weight loss. It's a seemingly arbitrary formula for dropping pounds: 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. But where did that 80/20 ratio come from? And what does it really mean? It's a no brainier that the key to weight loss is taking in less calories than you burn. And, believe it or not, it is much easier to cut calories out of your diet than it is to try burning them through working out. Do you or does someone you care about need to lose weight? Bodynista offers a fantastic line of weight loss, health and nutrition products from Total Life Changes to get you into the body you deserve and help you take your life back. Shop for your new body by visiting our Total Life Changes Store Page. The reason dieting is so much more effective than exercise is because it takes a ton of activity to create a 500 to 700 calorie deficit through working out (ideally the number of calories to cut daily to begin seeing a change). Essentially, you’d need to run seven to 10 miles a day to lose one pound a week and the average person can’t keep this up, especially without increasing their caloric intake. You don't need to hit an exact 80/20 ratio to shed pounds, but it is important to focus primarily on diet when you are trying to lose weight. You can lose weight without exercise, but you cannot lose weight if your nutrition counteracts your energy expenditure through exercise. Do you or does someone you care about need to lose weight? Bodynista offers a fantastic line of weight loss, health and nutrition products from Total Life Changes to get you into the body you deserve and help you take your life back. Shop for your new body by visiting our Total Life Changes Store Page. This doesn't necessarily mean you should trade your 60-minute boot camp class for one hour of meal prepping instead. As you cut your calorie intake, your body naturally resist weight loss - going into starvation mode. This is common for anyone who has shed the pounds and combining less calories with exercise, especially strength training, will boost your metabolism. Sure, it’s much easier to create a 500-calorie deficit through diet alone than it is to burn 500 calories through exercise, but when you combine exercise and a healthy diet, you don't have to make many dramatic changes at all. For example, instead of eliminating 500 calories by striking something from your diet, you could burn 250 calories at the gym and then cut another 250 calories just by skipping your nightly bowl of ice cream. Need help trying to cut the calories without feeling hungry? Try our Resolution Drops from Total Life Changes. These drops are specifically formulated to work with a low calorie diet to keep you from feeling hungry and craving the foods that cause weight gain. These drops provide supplemental nutrients to your body, so exercise is encouraged while using the Resolution Drops. Find out more about them here. Do you or does someone you care about need to lose weight? Bodynista offers a fantastic line of weight loss, health and nutrition products from Total Life Changes to get you into the body you deserve and help you take your life back. Shop for your new body by visiting our Total Life Changes Store Page. The bottom line: What you eat matters more than how you work it off, but fitness will push you past plateaus and help you achieve your ultimate goals!
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BodynistaKhyrunnessa Rabbani - I am perfectly imperfect! Passionate believer if you love your body and yourself and the rest will fall into place. Categories
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