3 places you can lose weight (that aren’t the gym or kitchen)

May 2, 2017 Ashley 0 Comments

“Hot bodies are built in the KITCHEN!”

I remember hearing this from a trainer, wailing over some gawd-awful club music dubbed into a home workout video. It was funny, at the time. Seriously. The last thing out-of-shape me could conceive of, was eating. Not after that workout we’d just had. Yet, the affable gentleman was spending our last minute of planking, explaining why a healthy meal should follow this self-induced abuse I’d Youtubed masochistically half an hour before, for Krishna knows what reason. However, later along my weight loss path, I’d come to see he was correct. Diet makes up over half of weight loss – compared to exercise. The latter can’t save you from your horrible culinary proclivities. That said… he was definitely missing a few things. While food quality, amount, and macro balance are all crucial when it comes to proper food choosing, there’re a handful of other lifestyle habits (like sleep, de-stressing, and hydration) that can make or break whether any of that happens. They can determine whether we even decide to exercise – or even just exercise good munching judgment.

In that way, weight loss is won in lots’ve other places too. For example, your mattress may not seem like a place where weight loss seeds are planted. But it totally is. And, while you’re probably expecting a caloric count to follow regarding your more amorous activities, today that’s not what we’re covering. (Sorry ’bout it.) Rather, we’re covering what happens when you’re under the covers, and under the sandman’s spell. Sleep; that thing your bed was actually made for. That’s right. Between your 13 Reasons Why binges and having your smartphone occasionally smack you in the face, you actually sleep in your bed. Not doing that enough? Then that’s a bummer for your bum size – ’cause studies show that cumulative sleep deprivation leads to overeating (and overeating the kind’ve food that make you gain weight, no less).

(“Is a wad of coffee grounds a carb? How about the block of pasta swathed in cream sauce that’s gonna follow?”)

So, get in your seven (or eight, if you can). And if you can’t? Use your insomnia minutes to accrue a few tips on how to zonk out. And, if you still can’t fall asleep? Well, then you might just be battling the anxiety dragon. (Especially if you were stressed out all day. Tough to come back from that.) Ah, anxiety… With raised cortisol levels that cause the collection extra flesh ‘round your midsection, this stuff’s the enemy of weight loss. What’s worse, when stressed, we tend to mindlessly munch on stuff that’s either bad for us, we don’t need, or both. It’s the whole “rest and digest” versus “fight or flight” feeling. When we’re eating, our bodies believe there’s nada to fear. So, eating seems like a decent self-calming mechanism. (That is, until the mechanism on our bathroom floor issues a pound readout higher than we’d like to see.) The fix? Find ways to beat stress to the paunch punch. Start your day with a meditation practice. Getting full body calm (starting with your breathing), can set the tone for the whole day. Get a healthy breakfast that won’t send your blood sugar askew. Do some yoga. Go for a run. Prime your self at the day’s initiation, and as issues come your way, you’re likely to handle them with a calm mind. You’ll see them as solutions waiting to happen, rather than stressors to commit dietary suicide over. That’s what keeps the chubbifying anxiety levels low.

Then, again, sometimes when I feel either tired or anxious, it’s ‘cause of another reason: my somatic tank is low on dihydrogen monoxide fuel. Yes, we’re talking about water. And, aside from requiring it to survive, water’s actually another fantastic weight loss tool. Don’t believe me? Try trading in your sugary fruit juices for it, upping your intake to the recommended amount, and see if you don’t see a change. It’s worked for many others (along with other lovely side effects, like appearing decades younger). Heighten your hydration levels, and before you know it, the weight loss fairy’ll come in the night (in between all those times you get up to pee) to pinch an inch or two off you.

(“Hashtag: worth it! Hashtag: no regrets!”)

So, in the end, fitness is a bit more holistic than an epic diet and exercise plan.

‘cause hot bodies aren’t just built in the gym or the kitchen.

They’re built in the bed, on the yoga mat, and at the water fountain, too.