Originally posted by Brianna from the Live Naturally Healthy blog

First, avoid the alcohol. Cocktails and beer are usually served at holiday parties, but they can be full of calories. When you drink, you also have a decreased will power when it comes to saying no to other holiday foods and your appetite will be stimulate, so you’ll eat even more than you normally would eat at a party. Having one drink on a special occasion may be fine, but don’t overdo it every time you head out to celebrate the season.

Another great tip to stick to your plan during the holiday season is to show up fashionably late after you’ve already eaten a meal. If you do this, you won’t feel pressured to eat an entire meal of junk foods or snack on cookie or hot chocolate. Of course, showing up late may be insulting at smaller parties, so make sure you are not rude to the party host.

Use the holidays to get outside as well. You can play in the snow if the weather allows, which actually burns tons of calories. Walking up the hill to sled and having a snowball fight are great ways to get your heart pumping as well as work off those candy canes.

If the weather isn’t cold or snowy, use your time to head to the mall. When gift shopping, make a number of laps around the mall and take the stairs instead of the escalator. Keep this in mind at parties as well—get up and move around as much as possible. Christmas caroling is also a great way to stay off of your rear. This will allow you to do some walking while spreading the holiday cheer.

Lastly, avoid gifts of food. Of course, you can’t tell people what to buy for you, but if you find yourself with a bunch of brownies or boxes or chocolates, why not share the love? You can take these products into work or even donate unopened items to your local food bank. These tips keep you staying slim, as you’re surrounded by goodies.

She explains that we can overcome the natural cycle that controls the storing and burning of calories by boosting your metabolism. This can be done by alternating what she calls carb-up, carb-down, and baseline days. She prescribes 5 to 6 meals per day and claims your body’s thermostat will shut off if you don’t eat 5 or 6 times throughout the day. She believes that without frequent eating, your metabolic rate and thyroid function will slow down. This frequent eating prevents your body from going into a survival mode and will “send a red alert to your hormones to store more fat as a preventive measure”. The book controls the balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake in a way that “tricks” your body into thinking it is not on a diet.

She doesn’t call it a diet at all; she calls it a change of lifestyle. This new way of eating works but does take planning and commitment. The foods you love are allowed on specified days. She gives you two days per week to eat the foods you enjoy.

If you’ve ever done the Atkins Diet, it starts out similar but gradually changes and allows carbs after the first week. It’s not as drastic and Atkins, some carbs are allowed, even during the first week.

Wendy provides you a lifestyle eating plan, and she doesn’t ‘dump’ you once the weight is gone. It’s an 8-week program broken into smaller cycles, and after the program ends, you can either repeat (if you have more weight to lose), or stay on the maintenance plan and live your life healthy.

You won’t starve. You won’t go hungry. You’ll just eat healthy! So, buy the book, “Crack the Fat-Loss Code” and it won’t get any better than that!

For you drinkers, casual or regulars.  Alcohol from beer and liquor will raise a hormone called Cortisol which tends to pack on the fat to your gut. I haven’t seen any studies about Cortisol and alcohol from wine, but I’m sure it’s probably the same regardless of the health benefits it has.

The best hydrator is iced cold water. It contains zero calories and acts as a filler for your stomach. It actually tricks your stomach to thinking  it is full so you won’t overeat. The iced water will cause your body to work harder while heating the water to your body temperature. This in turn burns additional calories.

The foods you eat. Obviously a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Anything you eat in excess will pack on the pounds around your waist. And for you ladies out there, expect it to go around your hips. Men tend to add fat in the midsection while women develop the “saddle bags” around the hips.

The best foods to lose weight. I’m sorry, McD’s, BK’s and White Castle’s have to go. Beans and berries are the clear winners. Actually, any fruit or vegetable with high fiber, such as squash, are the clear winners.

If you don’t normally eat high fiber foods, don’t overdo it because it will cause your stomach to feel bloated and uncomfortable. Increase your fiber gradually until you reach 20-40 grams per day.

Final Tips:

Drink some coffee. It “peps” you up and also aids in you going to the bathroom.

Don’t chew gum (although, I’m guilty of that). It causes your stomach to bloat due to the excess air you swallow.

Leave the salty snacks at the grocery store. They cause you to retain water, especially for you women before your period.

And finally, if you want to lose that stubborn weight, drink plenty of water. Don’t drink soda or seltzer water. Even any kind of sugary drink will cause your gut to bloat. You’ll need to drink 64-96 ounces of water daily to maintain your hydrated state. The more water you drink, the less your body retains.

· The reverse curl. This action works the lower portion of your abs, the section just below your belly button.
-To Perform: Lie flat on your back with your hands at your sides, palms on the floor. Bend your knees and hips to form a 90 degree angle. Your lower legs should be horizontal and your thighs should be vertical. You should now contract your abs muscles while, slowly, lifting your hips about 3 inches off the floor. Push your palms into the floor to balance your body as you lift your legs and hips. Slowly lift your hips, hold for 1-2 seconds, and then slowly lower back down.

· The Decline Bench. The bench with the comfy padding makes your abs workout much more challenging. Your body has to fight the force of gravity to perform this exercise.
-To Perform: Start with a bench angle of about 30 degree decline. Lock your legs to prevent yourself from falling over. At this point, your head and shoulders will be at a 30 degree below horizontal. Your goal will be to lift your upper body 30 degrees above horizontal. Your torso should curl during any abs exercises rather that use your hip muscles to lift your upper body.

· The Crossover Crunch. This routine will work your side muscles known as your obliques. These are the muscles that give you that slim “V” look which tighten up that “muffin top” look.
-To Perform: Again, you would need to lie on your back with your hands at the sides of your head (near your ears). Your right leg should be bent with your foot flat to the floor and your left ankle should rest on your right knee. As you slowly raise and twist your torso, touch your right elbow to your left knee. Make sure you keep your elbows out to your sides and not in the front. Repeat this step 8-12 times and switch your right ankle to your left knee with opposite elbows.

· Basketball, racquetball, swimming, kickboxing and tennis. These exercises will give you that aerobic workout that can burn the fat off your midsection. They work the waist muscles like no other exercises do by turning, twisting and pulling, which can burn about 500 calories per hour.
-To Perform: Get out and play!

Check back for a few more bonuses

Check out a great book on abs training.
This book will give you the leanest midsection
you’ve ever had when doing the routines.
Not only does it provide great exercise routines,
but it also helps with nutrition, motivation and much encouragement.

_________________________________
Loukas
“No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” – Abraham Lincoln

http://www.fitnesspaige.com/forum

· Straight leg lifts for your lower abs. This also increases your chances of back injury. Your lower back and legs are doing most of the work and has little effect on your midsection.

· Crunches with your knees dropped to one side. This places a lot of stress on your vertebrae when you twist your spine and lift up. Back pain will surely be felt when continuing these exercises.

· Using the twist action with a broomstick across your shoulders. There is absolutely no resistance to make your midsection any stronger.

· Bicycling. Although bicycling IS a great aerobic exercise and burns plenty of calories, the stomach muscles are hardly used. Your legs and glutes are the predominate muscles here.

Check back to read about some of the best exercises to firm and flatten your midsection.
Please also leave your comments to let me know what you think and how you feel.
_________________________________
Loukas
“No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child.” – Abraham Lincoln

http://www.fitnesspaige.com/forum