Tips for Healthier Mom and Dad

1. Reduce alcohol!
It is fat free but loaded with calories. Alcohol raises levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that promotes fat storage. I suggest Monday-Thursday you treat them like school days, so no alcohol. Reward yourself on the weekend with 1-2 drinks. I also suggest on the weekend for every alcoholic beverage also drink one glass of water.

2. Don’t skip meals!
Whatever you feel ‘starved,’ you trigger hormones that slow your metabolism. Skipping meals can also be lead to overeating to satisfy your appetite. Instead, eat 4-6 small meals throughout the day. Keep the metabolism burning and keep your portions small for a more constant energy without extra calories.

Dieters often decrease the number of daily meals to reduce calories – a big no-no. “If you eat six meals a day versus three with the same total calories, you can lose more fat because more meals burn more calories (by increasing thermo genesis, the production of heat, in the body).” Calculate how many calories you want to consume per day and spread them evenly across 5-6 meals.

3. Consume fewer calories than you burn!

To figure out how many calories you burn a day, calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) – the number of calories you burn daily doing routine activities, not including formal exercise to figure out how many calories you burn a day, calculate your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) using this formula: RMS = bodyweight (in pounds) x 13. Next, determine how many calories you burn through exercise – a half – hour of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise burn around 350 calories in the average man, and a half-hour of lifting burns around 200. Add your RMR to the calories you burn in the gym, and keep your daily calorie consumption below that total.

4. Aim for 1 pound of fat loss per week!
Not only is your body weaker after losing muscle, but your metabolism is also slowed. This is why most dieters gain much of their weight right back after a fad diet. Unfortunately, lost muscle is hard to replace.

5. Pump Some Iron!
By building muscle with resistance exercises (weight training), not only will you burn calories exercising, but you will continue to burn more calories while you sleep! By increasing your lean body (muscle), you will directly increase your basal metabolic rate. Lifting will also shape and tighten your body, giving you a firmer, more defined look. Your best bet is to start with full-body workouts twice a week.

6. Crank it up!
Another way to boost calories burned – and your metabolism – is with interval training. Instead of grinding along at the same slow-to-moderate pace, speed up for a couple of minutes at a time. Your exercise sessions can be more challenging and satisfying both physically and psychologically. You can do this with equipment (such as tread-mills, stair-masters, and elliptical machines, with plain old walking, running and stair-climbing, and with most any other activity you enjoy.

To get the most from interval training, warm up, do a few minutes at your usual moderate pace, and then two minutes at high intensity followed by two minutes lower recovery intensity, then repeat the pattern. You could up your calories expenditure b10-20% plus increase your metabolism and fitness levels because you’re challenging yourself. And you’re more likely to stick with this interesting regiment too. To work those glutes, spend more time in climbing mode-with more incline on the treadmill.

7. Throw out your scale!
Losing fat is the goal. Rapid weight loss is an indication of muscle and water loss, not fat burning. If you need to check your progress to keep motivated, you can use a tape measure to measure inches lost or a body fat composition test is a great indicator.

8. Start your day with a balances breakfast!
Your body has been starving all night long, and it needs it’s nutrients to jump start that metabolism. It’s like shoveling coals in the furnace. If you don’t have time for a full breakfast, at least drink a protein drink to start your day.

9. Increase vegetable consumption!
Vegetables are nutrient-dense, meaning they pack maximum nutrition value with minimal calories, leaving you more full on fewer calories. Consume five servings a day of veggies, whether as a snack, on a sandwich, or on the side of a chicken breast. Order your next burger with fresh vegetables instead of French fries.

Juice Plus is a nice alternative to make sure you are getting the daily servings of vegetable nutrients.
10. Eliminate junk food!
Junk food is food that offers almost nothing but calories – like French fries, potato chips and sweets. Cheat foods, on the other hand, like pizza and hamburgers, have some nutritional benefit, and eating the once in a while can really help when you are on a diet. Know the difference.

11. Limit sugar consumption!
Taking in simple carbs (sugars) right after weight training replenishes muscle and liver glycogen stores, but excess sugar consumed at other times will store as fat. Satisfy your sweet tooth occasionally, but try limiting your intake of sugar to fresh fruit. Replace sugary beverages like soft drinks and juice with water, coffee or tea.

12. Always take your vitamins!
With our over-processed Western diet, you simply can’t get all the vitamins and minerals you need everyday. A high potency supplement will make sure you are not missing any of these vital elements of your diet.

13. Stay hydrated!
Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water daily. Water not only fills you up and lessens your appetite; it helps prevent those “hunger horrors.” We all encounter when our blood sugar drops and we reach for cookies, candy, French friends, or other high-calorie treats. Water also flushes out the system of bad toxins and keeps the body from retaining water (bloating). Water is also in charge when it comes to keeping things moving freely because it is a big part of the fluid that lubricates the body joints.