It’s possible to look better and feel better and reverse your Type 2 Diabetes!
Is unsightly belly fat causing you frustration? Perhaps your energy and motivation have diminished as your waist has increased. Are you concerned that this is just your lot in life? Does it seem like nothing you are doing is helping? Perhaps you have tried exercising, limiting calories to no avail. Many people limit their outside activities because of lack of confidence in the way they look.
Once you learn the correct foods to eat and those to eliminate, find out the right exercises, learn how to get adequate sleep, and learn how to lower your stress level, it will surprise you how fast your waist circumference will diminish! Confidence in your looks will return. You find energy increasing each and every day as you incorporate the following lifestyle habits into your life.
- Diet
Start eating a whole food real food diet. In most cases, shop the perimeter of the stores–especially the produce and the meat departments. Most people need to greatly reduce their dairy intake. If you handle dairy, eat whole milk products. Eat fruit sparingly, berries are okay.
Avoid anything with added sugar and all refined carbohydrates. Breads, pasta, and pastries will go straight to your waist since they severely raise insulin levels. Anything that raises insulin adds to your waist circumference.
Add healthy fats–avocados, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter or ghee.
2. Exercise
The best exercise is the one you will do! Walking is something most everyone can do and needs no special equipment. The most important part of your exercise habit is planning it into your schedule. Set an appointment with yourself just like you would do with someone else.
Plan to exercise for 30 minutes each day and promise yourself you will not miss two days in a row! If you don’t have a safe place to walk, other ideas are: gym membership which usually includes classes, machines, walking tracks, free weights, etc. It is also very possible to exercise at home even in a small living room. YouTube has many free options for exercises. There are videos for yoga, exercises for different age groups, zumba classes, weight lifting, crossfit workouts and likely anything else you look for! There are no good excuses.
3. Sleep and Stress Reduction
So many people spend their whole lives in fight or flight mode! Cortisol is the stress hormone designed to help run from the tiger. Historically, once the danger was over–either we were eaten, or we got away to safety. Then the cortisol went back to normal and we could relax and get out of fight or flight mode. In today’s hectic world, it is more difficult to relax and lower the cortisol. Extra cortisol leads to extra abdominal fat.
Sleep is often interrupted because of the extra cortisol. It’s hard to sleep when the body thinks it’s being chased by a tiger! Research has shown that a minimum of seven hours of sleep daily is imperative.
A few tips to help with sleep starting 1 hour before bedtime include: dim the lights, put away the screens, read a book, do a few yoga poses, take an epsom salts bath, do relaxation breathing, record three things you’re thankful for.
Once these habits are in place, you will be thrilled as you watch the belly fat melt away!
