Have a Flat Belly!

The information in this post is taken from the article, "Blast away belly fat now and forever" by Alyssa Shaffer in the June 21, 2013 issue of all*you magazine.

Do you wish you had a smaller belly?  I do.  I take Zumba classes, but I still have a hard time trying to get rid of the "baby belly".  My daughters are 12 and 8, so I really wish I could have a flatter belly again.

In her article, Alyssa Shaffer suggests three ways to "whittle your waistline--no crunches required."

1. Banish Bloat.  Use these fast-acting solutions to start shrinking your middle.
1. Skip the soda.  Carbonated drinks release carbon dioxide gas into your digestive tract, causing your stomach to expand.  Choose plain water which spurs the digestive system.
2. Give up gum.  Chewing gum can cause you to swallow air that becomes trapped in your gastrointestinal tract, leading to bloating..
3. Slow down.  When you eat, you take in gulps of air that--yep, you guessed it--get trapped and lead to bloating.
4. Avoid sodium.  Salt promotes water retention.  Fill up on unprocessed foods; skip high-sodium fare such as lunch meats and frozen dinnters.
5. Go easy on artificial sweeteners.  Sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol, found in sugar-free and low-carb sweets, are digested slowly or not at all, so eating large amounts of such foods can cause gas and bloating.  Artificial sweeteners that lack those alcohols don't cause the problem.
6. Take a breather.  Stress hormones speed digestion, leading to gas and diarrhea.  Tense?  Go for a stroll to ease anxiety and aid in improving digestive function.
7. Get tested.  Chronic bloating and gas can be symptoms of lactose intolerance (sensitivity to the sugar found in milk) or fructose malabsorption (sensitiviy to a sugar found in fruit juice, table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup).  Your doctor can diagnose either with a simple breath test.
2. Fuel Up with Flat-Belly Foods.  Getting rid of bloat feels great but it's only the beginning.  To keep slimming down over a longer term, fill your plate with fat-busting eats.
1. Dairy - Opt for 2% Greek Yogurt (20 grams of protein; 150 calories)
2. "Good" fats - Opt for olive or canola oil, walnuts, flaxseed and avocado
3. Tea - Opt for unsweetened green tea, either hot or iced
4. Fiber - Opt for whole fruits (with the peel), vegetables, beans, nuts, oatmeal, popcorn, brown rice, whole-wheat bread and pasts
5. Keep track of portions.  The American Heart Association recommends getting no more than 35% of your daily calories from mostly healthy fats.  If you consume 1800 calories per day (the recommendation for a moderately active 40-year-old woman hoping to lose weight), 35% translates to 630 calories.
3. Move to Lose.  Yes, you do have to exercise--but it doesn't have to be a chore.  Burn off those love handles with these easy strategies.
1. Walk It Off.  The real key to burning belly fat is to pick up your pace.
2. Get Stronger.  People who lift weights three times a week lose about an inch more off their waist.
3. Keep It Up.  People who stay active instead of sitting a lot can burn up to 350 extra calories per day.
4. Did You Know?  What you eat is important, but exercise might be the real key to gut-busting success.  In a study at St. Louis University, subjects who followed a yearlong weight-loss plan including exercise lost an amount similar to those who shrunk their portions--but the exercise group lost nearly twice as much belly fat.  Researchers noted that when you exercise, your body draws energy from the body's deep fat stores first. 

There are two main kinds of abdominal fat.  Neither is desirable, but one is more dangerous than the other.

1. Subcutaneous Fat.  This type is just under the skin, where you can see and feel it.  Most of us carry some in our bellies as well as our thighs, hips, arms and backs.  It's unwelcome but poses only moderate health risks.
2. Visceral Fat.  Found deeper in the body, around the abdominal organs, visceral fat is more worrisome, as it can lead to heart disease and diabetes--the latter because, among other things, it interferes with the body's ability to use insulin.  The upside:  Deep belly fat is often the first to go when you ramp up your weight loss efforts.  So how do you know which type you have?  In general, women with waistlines bigger than 35" are carrying some visceral fat along with any subcutaneous fat.

If you are trying to lose belly fat, I hope the information in this post will give you something to think about.  Please feel free to share this information with others.  Have a great day!

Wellness Tips #3 & #4

Relax your skin by working out.
Exercise has long been known to help reduce stress and anxiety.  It also help decrease acne, as one of its causes can often be heightened stress.

If you, or someone you love, have acne, I would like to recommend the Clarity Clear Skin Essentials 4-step acne prevention system that costs only $1.88 per ounce. (Melaleuca Preferred Customer price)

Step 1 - Foaming Cleanser.  Gently washes away pore-clogging debris and oil buildup to help prevent the start of acne.  Includes the active ingredient salicylic acid, as well as aloe vera to protect from drying, cooling cucumber, and soothing Melaleuca Oil.

Step 2 - Deep-cleaning astringent.  Cleanses deep down into pores with the active ingredient salicylic acid, plus chamomile.  Leaves skin feeling refreshed and toned.  Includes zinc PCA to help control skil oil levels and green tea for antioxidant protection.

Step 3 - Oil-free moisturizer.  Protects skin from drying and flaking without clogging pores.  Powered by ultra-moisturizing glycerin and sweet almond, with aloe vera to protect from drying.

Step 4 - Breakout treatment.  Helps loosen dead skin cell buildup and clear away excess oil--letting pores start fresh.  Includes salicylic acid and the soothing benefits of Melaleuca Oil.

To compare Clarity to other popular acne treatments:
Proactiv does not include a moisturizer and costs $3.99 per ounce.
Clean & Clear does not include an astringent and costs $2.92 per ounce.
Neutrogena does not include an astringent and costs $3.04 per ounce.

Competitor product prices from Proactiv.com, Drugstore.com, and Neutrogena,com on November 7, 2012.  Prices may vary.

Eat to your skin's content.
Include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in your diet.  They contain antioxidants, which help protect the skin from cell damage and help support skin structure so it functions efficiently.

Deep, long-lasting moisturization.  It's what helps even the driest skin become softer and healthier.  And it's what you'll find inside every bottle of Renew Lotion.  Discover for yourself why Renew Lotion has changed the lives of so many people suffering from dry skin.  It has the right levels of glycerin to draw moisture deep into your skin, petrolatum to guard against moisture loss, and allantoin to help your skin heal.  Renew Lotion is the clinically proven solution for softer, smoother, healthier skin.  Even if you suffer from severely dry skin, Renew is the only dry skin therapy you'll ever need.

I would love to help you shop for these and many other safe, natural, health-promoting products.  Let me know if you would like more information.  You can also click on the Finding Freedom Team logo to the right of this blog for more information.

Information for this blog taken from the Winter/Spring 2013 Melaleuca Country:  The Exclusive Wellness Catalog.

Wellness Tip #1

Would you like to experience a HEALTHIER, more fulfilling life?  I would like to share some wellness tips with you that can help you do just that.

Wellness Tip #1

Keep healthy foods at your fingertips.
Hungry?  Keep healthy, fiber-rich, and high protein foods like raspberries, almonds, and Greek yogurt close at hand in the eating area--and chances are they'll find their way into more snacks and meals.  Stow the sugar-and fat-filled potato chips, cookies, and white bread well out of easy reach.

There is a hidden epidemic.  More than 90 million adults in North America alone have it, and they might not even know it.  It's called metabolic syndrome, a condition where your body becomes increasingly insulin-resistant--and less able to properly metabolize blood sugar.  1 in 3 adults meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome/pre-diabetes.

Answer these questions:

• Do you have a hard time focusing and thinking clearly?
• Do you feel sleepy or fatigued, especially after a meal:
• Do you get cravings for sugar and high-carb foods?

These feelings can indicate metabolic syndrome.  Visit Melaleuca.com/gccontrol today to check if you have any of the 5 risk factors.

Information from the Winter/Spring 2013 Melaleuca Country Wellness Catalog.

If you would like more information, please click on the Finding Freedom Team icon to the right of this post.  I'd love to talk with you! 

Wellness

I have not done a very good job of maintaining this blog.  My goal is to try to blog at least one time each week.

I have been re-evaluating what I would like to do with this blog.  For several years I have had wellness on my mind.  A few years ago, I led a women's devotional and exercise group at church two nights a week.  The goal was to improve both our physical wellness and spiritual wellness.  That group has since stopped meeting, but my interest in wellness has not gone away.

Last spring, I asked my husband to train with me to run a 5K in the summer.  We trained for a couple of months, but my husband began having pains in his side when we ran, so we stopped running, too.

Summer in Northwest Ohio was very hot and dry.  I am a teacher, so I spent most of the summer in the comfort of my central air-conditioning.  Russ, on the other hand, works in a cabinet shop that has no air conditioning.  When he got home, he was ready to soak in the cool air.  We didn't do much to continue our path to wellness.

That changed for me, though, when I coached 8th grade volleyball at school this year.  This was a learning experience for the team AND the coach.  I played volleyball from 7th grade through my junior year of high school.  I have also played church league volleyball but not in recent years.

After volleyball, I enjoyed being at home in the evenings for several weeks.  Toward the end of November, I asked Russ if he would mind if I tried one Zumba class that was being offered at our park in town.  He said that it was okay with him.  When I got home, I asked him if I could show him my favorite move.  He asked if it meant I was going to go back.  I said that I would like to try one more class.

That did it.  I was hooked!  I have been attending Zumba class 3 nights a week most of the time since November.  I really enjoy it.  The instructor also works at the school where I teach, so we talk Zumba at school, too.  I like that I can be active and get a great workout while dancing.  It doesn't feel like exercise to me.  I was a cheerleader in high school and in college.  We often did routines to music, so it feels similar to that.

This long introduction brings me to the new focus of my blog:  WELLNESS.  Russ & I have been members of The Wellness Company, Melaleuca, for nearly 3 years.  They focus on Total Wellness:  Physical, Environmental, Personal, and Financial.  I would like to add a fifth category, Spiritual.

I would like to invite you to join me on my journey to total wellness:  physical, environmental, personal, financial and spiritual.

Have a great day!