Dear Readers,

I will periodically post links to exercises and exercise tips on my fitness page, so be sure to check them out. The first addresses a familiar issue. “Where did my waist go?” If you once had a nice waistline (you may have to think back to your late teens early twenties), you may be asking this question too. So far, I have gone through a couple of pregnancies, a bear of a schedule where I traveled 3 weeks out of a month for several years in a row, nasty Midwest and New England winters, hormonal changes and a number of life-changing events. Through all of this, I have maintained my waistline.

I truly believe that what I choose to eat, the importance I place on getting enough sleep and the types of exercise I do has really slowed down mother nature, gravity and all other shifts that happen as we go through various life stages that lead to thickening around the mid-section.

Diet ( No, I am not referring to the four-letter word most people associate with some form of deprivation to lose weight)

  • I lean toward protein including non-fat and low-fat dairy.
  • Eat lots of fruits and veggies.
  • When I eat carbs, I choose the healthier whole grain options like steel-cut or rolled oats, brown rice, stoned ground  and whole grains.
  • What I don’t eat often is:
  1. fast food.
  2. highly processed foods that contain ingredients that make a bee-line to your waistline including: High Fructose Corn Syrup, sugar, corn syrup, and Trans-fat.
  3. high fat foods in general with the exception of nuts, avocado and olives as they contain healthy fats.
  4. refined starches  including pasta, bagels, white rice, and products that are mainly white flour other highly processed grains.

Exercise: I do strength training 2-4 times per week, I teach a bootcamp that combines strength training and cardio, walk, spinning class or bike riding, Zumba and other dance, and seasonal activities like ice skating, X country skiing, swimming and hiking when I can fit them in. The most important in all this is the core work that I include in the classes I teach and my work-outs at the gym. So click here for some ideas for effective core exercises or order my book Fitting in Getting Fit .

Sleep and Stress Management: I am adamant about getting 7-8 hours of sleep and have been able to put things in perspective and not get riled up necessarily. Exercise, adequate rest, knowing your priorities  and being able to say no really help keep you in a calmer state. What does this have to do with your waistline? As I explained in chapter 6 of my new weight loss book, Below the Surface…Weight Loss Transformation by kj, stress and lack of sleep negatively effect hormones resulting in fat being stored in your mid-section.

If you want to maintain your waistline or find it once again, think about your current diet and see if you can make a few changes, same with your fitness plan, get moving and add some strength training and core work, don’t sweat the small stuff and go to bed earlier!