While this may not be such an “unexpected” tip – based on the foods I see Fit Yummy Mummy’s posting in their progress journals in the Club Forums….I still see a surprising amount of “Diet” based foods.
From Special K cereals to fat free muffins. Stop falling for the promises made on the packaging! If a product has to Convince you that it’s Healthy – skip it!
Watch out for packaged foods that have added sugars, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Highly processed foods have been shown to cause an accumulation of toxins in the body, which can lead to increased fat storage. Avoid foods with ingredients that you don’t recognize. Look at nutrition labels closely…you should be able to identify each ingredient as a “real food.”
Remember, your goal in the Mommy Belly Makeover is to consume whole, natural, fresh foods. Here’s a list of the >> Top 10 Mommy Belly Melting foods to get you started or if you want step by step meal plans and fat burning recipes for busy moms – be sure to grab your copy of the Fit Yummy Mummy Cookbook!
Tummy Trimming Tip #2: Cut Your CardioNo, traditional, long duration cardio is NOT the best way to burn more belly fat. In fact, the more cardio you do – the harder it becomes to lose that last bit of Flab. So what DOES work?
Intervals of Course!
Study after study proves that Interval training is the SMART Way to Blast Belly fat.
Here’s one for you…An Australian study compared a 20-minute interval training workout (done 3x’s per week) against a 40-minute slow cardio workout (also done 3x’s per week). Women did the workout for 15 weeks, and only the interval group lost belly fat. The cardio group got practically no results at all. Interval training burns fat from the stomach 1st!
Plus – who has the TIME to devote to doing MORE and MORE cardio with Less and Less results? Not me – not any of my Fit Yummy Mummy’s ….that’s why we’ve all switched over to Interval Training.
Just three quick, 15 minute sessions a week, alternating periods of HIGH intensity with active recovery periods. Keeps your body challenged and the time you spend working out SHORT and to the Point.
While Fit Yummy Mummy’s love their FYM Interval Training Soundtracks – follow along cardio workouts are also a blast.
So…..COMING this JUNE
Fit Yummy Mummy follow along Interval Training DVD with 6 HOT new interval circuits and music to super charge your cardio sessions making it FUN to burn belly fat! Be on the Look OUT!
Busy Moms are notorious for NOT getting enough sleep – myself included.
Moms with newborns aside….Studies have shown that those who get less than four hours of sleep per night are 73% more likely to be obese along with an increase in visceral fat (belly fat) than those who get at least seven hours a night.
Why?
- Lack of sleep lowers Leptin
a protein that suppresses appetite and tells the brain when the stomach is full. This not only increases your appetite the following day making it even harder to say no to snacking and staying on track
- Lack of sleep inhibits the production of Insulin
a storage hormone which regulates blood sugar. If you are in a regular state of sleep deprivation, you are not only preventing your body from burning more fat – but teaching it to become very good at STORING it – - – especially in the belly!
- Lack of Sleep = Increased Cortisol!
Now throughout the day, your body naturally produces the stress hormone cortisol. Our body actually converts stored cortisol into a healing nutrient during deep sleep. The problem arises when we don’t get that deep sleep and instead of creating energy, cortisol actually starts to create belly fat.
Get More Sleep and you avoid this triple whammy PLUS Sleep is when your body replenishes and REPAIRS.
Sleep is when your body has opportunity to repair and rebuild muscles. These “rebuilt” muscles are part of the increased lean muscle mass in your body and the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your body burns fat and calories!
Get To Sleep Tips:
Here’s what works for me…
- Go to Bed an Hour earlier – yes, you can do this.
- Get rid of the stimulants – turn off the computer/TV at least an hour before bed time.
- Sip on Chamomile or Sleepy Time tea
- Dim the lights and listen to relaxing music – I enjoy Enya!
You can go here to lose your pounds after pregnancy!
