That’s a great question! Next to improving our nutrition, beginning an exercise program is one of the most effective ways to heal our bodies and achieve better health outcomes. 

The latest evidence-based recommendations from the National Physical Guidelines for Americans are to get at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week and strength training at least 2 days a week. 

Regular exercise not only enhances physical fitness but also improves mental well-being. It helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, strengthens muscles and bones, and boosts overall energy levels. Moreover, exercise can enhance mood, reduce stress, and promote better sleep. In essence, it’s a prescription for a healthier, happier life!

However, according to a 2020 study from the National Center for Health Statistics, over 75% of us aren’t even meeting the minimum recommendations. This information can all feel a bit overwhelming, especially for folks who aren’t close to the recommendations or have never participated in a workout routine before. 

But there’s no need to be overwhelmed! You don’t need to be an athlete, you don’t even need money or special equipment. For most of us, honestly, it’s pretty simple! In this post I’ll talk about five steps to start a simple exercise routine that will yield big results in the way you think and feel about exercise.

Wait, do I need to see a doctor before I start exercising?

The recommendation used to be to see a doctor before starting an exercise program, but that has changed. Doctors have realized that requiring people to make an appointment before starting to exercise was causing an unnecessary obstacle for most people. Even The American Academy of Sports Medicine has revised its guidelines to explicitly state that most people can exercise without visiting a doctor first.

• If you don’t currently exercise but don’t have cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease go ahead and get started in a light to moderate exercise. Work up to more vigorous activity over time.

• If you do currently have cardiovascular, metabolic or renal disease and are already exercising, great! Keep it up!

• If you don’t currently exercise and have cardiovascular, metabolic or renal disease, or are experiencing signs or symptoms of these diseases, go ahead and make an appointment with your physician before getting started.

• If you are unsteady on your feet or experience dizzy spells from medication, are recovering from an injury or another diagnosis such as Parkinson’s Disease, it’s best to get clearance and direction from your physician who may direct you to a qualified physical therapist before getting started.

5 simple steps for starting an exercise program

1. Start small 

2. Be consistent

3. Master your mindset 

4. Know your “WHY”

5. Take action!

Let’s take a look at how to put each of these steps into practice…

1. Start small

When you’re new to exercise, engaging in 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two days of strength training may seem like a goal that’s just too big to tackle. That thought may be what’s keeping many of us from getting started. So let’s break it down.

What is moderate intensity aerobic activity?

Don’t let this phrase intimidate you. Moderate intensity aerobic activity just means to get your heart rate up! Some examples include walking at a brisk pace or dancing in the kitchen. Start with an activity that you have easy access to and that will bring you enjoyment. You may wish to search “beginner workouts” on Google or whatever streaming service you use. Expert physical trainers put out tons of free content all the time! 

Other forms of moderate intensity aerobic activity include:

• • Bike riding
• • Swimming
• • Jumping rope
• • Hiking
• • Stair climbing
• • Gardening
• • Playing sports

What is strength training?

Strength training is a form of physical exercise that involves lifting weights or using resistance to build and strengthen muscles. Strength training can sound intimidating for many of us, but it’s not just for bodybuilders! And we don’t even need weights to get started. We can use body weight and resistance moves like pushups, squats, lunges or holding a plank position. There is no set time for strength training, just repeat the movement until it feels like it’s difficult to do another. You can work up to 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions as a general rule. Again, there is a ton of free content available online or on your streaming services. 

Why start small?

Behavior change science tells us that starting with small attainable goals leads to the greatest success. Think about it. Failing at something we set out to do just doesn’t feel good. But achieving a goal feels great. That great feeling provides the motivation we need to fuel our drive. 

How small can I start?

150 minutes of exercise is just a little over 20 minutes a day. 300 minutes a week is about 40 minutes a day. If that seems too much to start with, start with the smallest increment you think you can realistically achieve. Even if it’s just 5 minutes of walking around the block at a brisk pace, or 1-2 pushups (on your knees or against a wall if you’re a beginner) is a good place to start. 

You don’t have to do all the minutes at one time. A brisk 10 minute walk in the morning, and another in the afternoon will get you similar benefits as walking for 20 minutes in one session. 

Each week you can add a little more until you get where you want to be. Research tells us that even a single bout of exercise lowers our blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity, reduces anxiety and improves cognition and sleep on that same day. That should be some strong motivation to get moving!

Pro Tip: Whatever time you decide on to exercise, go ahead and put it on your calendar as an appointment with yourself. Setting an alarm or calendar reminder will encourage you to keep your commitment to yourself. 

2. Be consistent

Research tells us that when starting new habits, consistency is key. Scheduling workouts at the same time each day gets your brain and body to start to expect the workout and you’ll soon find you’re resisting it less.  

Plus, we get the best benefits of exercise when we spread out movement throughout the week. Spreading our activity out also reduces the risk of injury and muscle fatigue. 

Here are some tips to help you get and stay consistent.

Know your obstacles. 

Identify ahead of time what might get in the way of your success. Go ahead and make a list of all the things that might come up to derail your plan. 

• My alarm doesn’t go off
• I oversleep
• It’s raining 
• I get a cold 
• One of the kids gets sick 
• I don’t feel like it
• Something unexpected comes up at my scheduled workout time 

One by one, decide how you will handle each of these obstacles if they arise. For example,

• If I oversleep, I will reschedule my workout during my lunch break or after work
• If I get a cold, if it’s just a head cold I’ll walk at a low intensity. If I’m really sick, I’ll listen to my body and rest, getting back to my workout as soon as I’m recovered.
• If it’s raining and I don’t want to walk, I’ll do a video instead.
• If I don’t feel like it, I’ll remind myself of the benefits of exercise and do it anyway. 

Plan for failure. 

Know that you probably will miss a day, or even a few days. We have a tendency to overgeneralize and think to ourselves, “Oh well, I blew it. I can never stick to a routine.” This thinking leads to feeling defeated, which leads to us quitting our plan. 

Instead, replace that thought with, “Well, I missed a day today, but I will get back to it tomorrow.” Success doesn’t need to mean that we carry out our plan 100% of the time. Success can mean, “I worked out more this week than I did before I started this journey.” 

Engineer your environment. 

If you plan to walk in the morning after you drink a cup of coffee, put your walking shoes right by the coffee maker to remind you to lace up and get going. Lay out your clothes the night before and put them where you brush your teeth so you get dressed in the gear that reminds you it’s time to work out. Charge your phone. I even know one woman who sleeps in her workout gear so she can roll out of bed and get to it before she talks herself out of it! 

Within a few days or weeks benefits such as increased cardiorespiratory fitness, increased muscular strength, decrease in depressive symptoms, sustained reduction in blood pressure can be measured. Consistent physical activity can also slow, delay or even reverse the progression of chronic diseases including hypertension and type 2 diabetes. 

3. Master Your Mindset

Knowing what to do is only the first step. Putting your knowledge into action is the challenge. Experts call this disconnect between knowledge and action the “knowing-doing” gap. You can begin to close this gap by uncovering the thought patterns that have kept you from being able to make consistent changes in the past. 

Capture your thoughts. 

Take a few minutes to write down what you think about yourself and exercise. What do you notice? Some common thoughts of people just getting started include

• I’m out of shape
• Exercise is hard
• I’m too old for this
• I have an injury that’s preventing me from being active
• Other people at the gym or on the video are in way better shape than I am
• I am embarrassed about the way I look compared to others

Behavior change science tells us that thoughts lead to action. The kinds of thoughts like the ones listed above tend to keep us stuck where we are. If we want to make some changes in our behaviors, we can start with making some changes in our thoughts. 

Do you see any of your current thinking patterns in the left hand column? If so, what thoughts from the right hand column can you replace them with? Replacing thoughts that hold us back from your goals with thoughts that drive you towards your goals can be the game changer you’ve been missing. 

4. Know Your “WHY”

What’s the reason you want to start exercising? Is it because someone is nagging you to do so? Is it because you want to hit a number on the scale? Or look a certain way in the mirror? These are extrinsic motivators, meaning they are reasons that come from outside of us. 

Extrinsic motivators provide us with some encouragement, but intrinsic motivators, motivators that come from within ourselves, are even more powerful. 

I bet you can find some even more powerful reasons, some intrinsic motivators, hiding within if you dig a little deeper. Start by asking yourself these questions.

• How will consistently exercising positively influence other areas of my life?
• What will I gain from improving my fitness?
• How will I feel when I am consistently exercising?
• Why is exercising regularly really important to me?
• What will exercising regularly allow me to do or experience that I am not currently able to do or experience? 

As you answer these questions, maybe by writing them down, be sure to consider all areas of your life from your family and friends, to the work you do and your future goals.

What patterns do you notice in your responses? These will serve as your “WHY”, the intrinsic motivation that will drive you to keep going when things get hard.

5. Take Action

Goals are great, but setting goals alone won’t get us across the finish line. To do so we need to go beyond thinking in terms of goals to think in terms of action. For each goal, think of some actions that are:

• SPECIFIC  What will you do?
• MEASURABLE  When and for how long will you do it?
• ACHIEVABLE  Remember, we want wins, so only set goals that you know you can likely achieve!
• RELEVANT  Pick an action that will move you towards your goal.
• and TIME BOUND  Set an end date. Start short term, like daily or weekly.

Post your action steps somewhere visible as a reminder. Let your friends and family know what you’re doing. You may even find an accountability partner to make these changes with you or at least to offer you support and help hold you accountable for your actions. 

Embark on Your Fitness Journey Today!

Are you eager to start your journey toward a healthier, more active life? Fantastic! Taking the first steps into an exercise routine is one of the best decisions you can make for your well-being. 

Remember, The National Physical Guidelines for Americans recommend at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week and strength training on at least two days. This isn’t just about physical fitness; it’s a path to mental well-being, weight management, and reduced risks of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the numbers; it’s simpler than you think! Follow these five steps to begin your exercise routine effectively:

1. Start Small: Begin with achievable goals. Even a short 5-minute walk or a couple of beginner-level pushups can kick-start your journey. Remember, consistency is key!

2. Be Consistent: Schedule workouts at the same time each day to build a routine. Expect challenges, but plan ahead to overcome them.

3. Master Your Mindset: Recognize and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Cultivate intrinsic motivation to fuel your progress.

4. Know Your “WHY”: Dig deep to discover your personal, intrinsic reasons for exercising. Your “WHY” will be your driving force.

5. Take Action: Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) actions to reach your goals. Share your journey with others for support and accountability.

You don’t have to go it alone. A qualified personal trainer can help make sure you’re doing exercises properly as you are starting out. This expertise can be especially welcome to someone as they are just starting out with strength training, as well as to folks who want some further motivation and encouragement to take their training to the next level. Many trainers specialize in working with different populations such as older adults, teens or athletes.

To look for a qualified professional, look for a trainer who is certified with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) or the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) also offer reputable certifying programs of study for personal trainers. 

Now that you have a roadmap, take action and embark on this empowering journey to a healthier, happier you! Your future self will thank you for it.

SOURCES

Elgaddal N, Kramarow EA, Reuben C. Physical activity among adults aged 18 and over: United States, 2020. NCHS Data Brief, no 443. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2022. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:120213

van der Weiden A, Benjamins J, Gillebaart M, Ybema JF, de Ridder D. How to Form Good Habits? A Longitudinal Field Study on the Role of Self-Control in Habit Formation. Front Psychol. 2020 Mar 27;11:560. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00560. PMID: 32292376; PMCID: PMC7135855.

The post I want to start exercising! How do I begin? appeared first on Women's Health Network.

As a woman over 40, what do you have to do to lose weight? It helps if you know the answer to this question: how did you gain the weight in the first place?  But many women can’t pinpoint why they’re putting on extra weight.

Weight gain for women after 40 may seem mysterious but there are good reasons it happens. Your body has changed over the years and it’s still transforming. But believe it or not, that’s a good and very natural thing. Working with these changes can make active weight loss possible.

What’s the real reason you’re gaining weight now?

Any weight issues during your 20s and 30s are different than those you’re dealing with today. Tracking down the true source of your weight gain now can help you shed excess weight to feel happier and healthier.

Weight loss for women over 40 is not a simple formula because our bodies’ internal functions are so deeply intertwined and influenced by each other. When one set of controls changes — like hormone status — it alters other functions connected to that system down the line. Even small shifts can have big after effects.

Specific changes to your body — and lifestyle patterns — after 40 will act as a double whammy when it comes to weight. You can become more predisposed to gain weight and also won’t be able to easily let go of excess weight.

The weight loss process will be altered by changes in any of these 4 areas:

1. Activity level
The amount you move around and how often you do it will change during your life, but you may not notice it happening. Did you used to play sports, dance a lot, take long walks with your dog, or run around every day after your kids? If you’re not doing any of those things now, or exercising at all, your body won’t burn calories or use energy in the same way and your weight will change.

2. Eating patterns
Even tiny changes in how and when you eat can add extra pounds or shut down the weight loss process. Did you start skipping breakfast or other meals? Did you try to lose weight by cutting out all sugar but now you’re bingeing on sweets ? Are you eating too many dairy foods to get extra calcium for bone health? If you’ve eliminated meals or changed your diet for what you thought were health reasons, your weight can go up.

3. Endocrine function
At age 40, most women may not want to think about menopause, but your endocrine system is always on the move. As a result, your interconnected hormone systems are continually rebalancing in response to physical and emotional events in your life. After age 40, women see lots of up-and-down action in hormones related to:

• reproduction (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)
• adrenal function (cortisol, adrenaline)
• thyroid status (TSH, T3, T4)

Since these three hormonal networks intersect, the way you gain and lose weight can be affected, often in extreme ways. Stay aware of unusual symptoms or sensations as these are often signs of a hormonal imbalance. Keep an eye on your thyroid function — it controls your metabolism and the way you burn calories.

4. How your body stores fat
First, as women near midlife, their ratio of fat to body weight increases rapidly. Second, many women see that new fat mostly around their bellies. This is “visceral fat” and it can change the entire shape of your midsection. Visceral fat cells are like miniature endocrine organs that are especially active, setting off inflammation and increasing insulin resistance. Third, visceral fat gets a huge boost from lifestyle issues like depression and stress, poor sleep, smoking (proven to increase belly fat ), irritability, and drinking fructose-sweetened beverages (leads to more visceral fat and decreases insulin sensitivity).

For women over 40 who want to lose weight: your next steps

Before you go back to trying the same old thing or just give up completely, consider these action steps:

Find real stress relief even if it’s weird or goofy

Stress kills your health and is your biggest enemy when you’re trying to lose weight. Proven stress relievers are exercise (do it regularly — every day in some form), meditation (start with 5 slow, steady breaths through your nose and repeat), journaling, and happy hobbies (gardening, making art). You may need to invent your own brand of stress relief to find what works for you.

Discover fresh stress relievers like getting a pet — especially a dog, being outside a lot, performing random acts of kindness, taking photos, watching funny TV shows and videos, reading and housework. Sex is one of the best ways to blow off steam, alone or with a partner.

Focus on getting good sleep

Science has repeatedly shown us the links between lack of sleep and being overweight. Skimpy sleep screws up levels of two different hormones — the one that rules your appetite (ghrelin) and the one that triggers the “I’m full” sensation (leptin). Insomnia may even influence you to make worse food choices.

Change one sleep habit to lengthen the time you sleep, and experiment till you find it.

Some options:

• Create a firm sleep schedule and stick to it. Get in bed every night at 10:00PM and get up every morning at 6:00AM (adjust as necessary).
• Move your last meal or snack back an hour so you don’t go to bed stuffed, but make sure you eat late enough so you’re not hungry either.
• Get a fan or white noise machine, especially if you wake up easily.

Think about your thyroid function

Even tiny changes in thyroid function can meddle with the way your body processes food for fuel because thyroid hormones affect metabolism and how your body deals with weight. When thyroid hormone levels drop too low, you can start gaining weight. You may also have other symptoms that don’t seem connected — low energy, feeling cold a lot, skin issues or hair loss.

Actively support your thyroid with food, vitamins and minerals. This small change can make a huge difference to your weight in a fairly short time. It’s smart to have your thyroid checked though many conventional tests come back “normal” even when you may have low thyroid. But you can still add daily thyroid support safely to see if it helps. If you suspect you have a low-thyroid issue, you can get a handle on your weight issues by making small diet changes and supplementing with the right herbs and minerals.

The post Weight loss for women after 40 — is it even possible? appeared first on Women's Health Network.

World health officials have declared the Covid-19 pandemic to be officially over. However, most of us still carry a very unwelcome memento from this difficult time in the form of excess weight.

Nearly 60% of women in the US have reported gaining excess weight since Covid came on the scene in 2020, packing on an average of 12.5 unwanted pounds. Some women said they gained more than twice that amount, or more. Women who were already overweight were more susceptible to further weight gain during the pandemic.

Looking back at all that time spend inside with gyms closed and access to grocery stores limited, it’s easy to understand why we gained weight. But if you’ve been trying to lose your “pandemic pounds,” you’ve probably already discovered how challenging this can be — despite all of your old diet tricks.

How can these pandemic pounds possibly be more stubborn than regular weight gain? There’s actually a very simple explanation.

It’s stress.

When you’re under chronic stress — and who hasn’t been over the past few years? — your body’s “fight or flight” response is triggered constantly, which causes hormonal changes that disrupt the way your body uses calories and stores fat. When you’re under constant stress, your body starts hanging onto every single calorie you consume — just in case you need that fuel to flee danger.

On top of this, your adrenal glands produce excess stress hormones, creating another hormonal imbalance. If your weight gain during the pandemic showed up as added belly fat, it’s an almost sure sign that cortisol (the primary stress hormone) is being produced at higher than normal levels. Cortisol affects fat distribution by causing fat to be stored centrally around the organs in your midsection. This type of fat cell then emits signals that further impair your hormonal balance — a cascade of problems!

Now for the good news: losing “stress weight” is possible. Here are 5 simple steps you can take to balance your stress response, recalibrate your hormones, and lose those stubborn pandemic pounds.

5 tips for shedding pandemic “stress weight”

Feed your body stress-fighting foods

Certain foods are excellent sources for nutrients that help to calm your body’s stress response and rebalance cortisol levels, removing these blocks to weight loss. Stress-fighting foods are also perfect for sustainable weight loss because they can form the basis of a low glycemic, whole foods-based diet — aka, a “no gimmick” diet that works! As you plan healthy meals and snacks, try to include these stress-fighting favorites:

• Wild caught salmon provides protein to stabilize blood sugars and curb excess production of cortisol. Salmon also contains beneficial amounts of Omega-3s to help boost mood and emotional well-being, two key ingredients to keep you motivated on your weight loss journey.
• Dark leafy greens provide magnesium, a vital mineral to support the adrenal glands in regulating cortisol and balancing other stress hormones. Try organic kale, spinach and mustard greens.
• Vitamins C, E and B5 each play a starring role in supporting your body’s healthy stress response. For Vitamin C, try oranges, apples, carrots, and red and orange peppers. Foods rich in Vitamin E include avocados, almonds and asparagus. For Vitamin B5, stock up on eggs, lentils and split peas.

Eat larger meals earlier in the day

Cortisol follows a natural cycle that corresponds to your circadian (sleep/wake) rhythm. Normally, cortisol is highest in the early morning and declines gradually throughout the day to help you get ready for sleep. Because eating always increases cortisol, it’s ideal to eat larger meals earlier in the day as a way to help cortisol fall back into its regular pattern. Intermittent fasting may be helpful for rebalancing cortisol. You can also try a high quality natural stress support supplement to help you relax into “rest and digest” mode later in the day, and bring cortisol back into balance.

Ditch the sugar and refined carbs

When your blood sugar spikes, so does cortisol production. To lose weight, you want to provide your body with foods that maintain healthy blood sugar balance — and that means getting rid of refined carbohydrates and all the foods that send your blood sugar on a roller coaster. When you’re stressed, it’s easy to turn to sugary foods and drinks, but these just add to the vicious cycle of stress weight gain.  Make note of foods that you might not normally consider “sweet,” including wine, sourdough bread, sauces, and smoothies with added sugars.

Try exercises that help you de-stress

Vigorous exercise can trip the body’s fight or flight response, creating a surge in stress hormone production. This is why engaging in high intensity exercise often doesn’t do much for weight loss when you’re under chronic stress; strenuous exercise can actually amplify a stress hormone imbalance and keep stress weight stuck in place.

Listen to your body. Do you feel better or worse after your daily workout? If exercise is leaving you wiped out instead of rejuvenated, start engaging in exercise that actively supports your stress response. Yoga is one of the most effective tools at our disposal because it’s a gentle, relaxing practice that helps to re-regulate out of control stress hormones — plus, it’s a good workout! Studies support yoga’s effectiveness for weight loss, so why not give it a try?

Find social connection

In case there was any doubt about the mind-body connection: research shows that feelings of loneliness are powerful enough to trigger increased cortisol production. Given this, it’s no wonder weight gain was so common during the pandemic. It was a lonely time.

If you still haven’t rejoined the gym or shown up for that outdoor summer yoga class you used to love pre-Covid, it’s time to put the pandemic behind you and start new social habits. Reach out to friends and family and see what fun social events you can do together. Concerts, festivals, community dance classes…get out there and have fun. 

Your stress weight has been around for a few years now, so give yourself time to help your body release it. Forget about crash dieting and quick weight loss. Unrealistic goals just put your body under more stress — and they rarely lead to lasting results.

The ultimate tip for losing stress weight? Feel gratitude for the body that has supported you throughout a difficult time. You can’t heal a body you hate, so focus on nourishing yourself with supportive body-positive affirmations, nutrient-dense food, gentle exercise, natural stress support, and mood-boosting social connections. It all helps! 

You may be happily surprised by how quickly those stubborn pounds fall away when you simply start supporting your body’s natural balance.

Need help for weight gain related to perimenopause? Find new solutions in our article Demystifying perimenopausal weight gain.

The post 5 tips for losing “stress weight” appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Mary James, ND

We hear from so many women who say that they’re gaining weight in perimenopause. And that’s why today, we’re curious about the answer to this question: Does metabolism slow down as we get older?

The simplest answer to this question is a qualified yes: your metabolism will evolve as you move through life, mostly due to other shifts in your body that change how you burn calories.

In its simplest definition, metabolism turns the food you eat into energy your cells use to do their jobs. Muscle burns more calories than fat so if you’re overweight with more fat than muscle, you’ll burn fewer calories. Same deal if you’re not active: you’ll have a slower metabolism too. In both cases, your metabolism is just responding to the conditions you’re creating.

But something does make metabolism change as you get older: your hormones. And yes, estrogen is one of those hormones. For women, the decline in estrogen that starts during their late 30s may also lower their metabolic rate. 

If you’re in perimenopause and gaining weight, your body is ramping up fat storage. That’s because when estrogen drops, it changes the levels of other sex hormones and tells your body to store more fat in your abdomen (aka belly fat). Your body is fine with this because those belly fat cells produce estrogen, which is still needed for other jobs. 

Other hormone changes affect metabolism too, especially human growth hormone, or HGH. As you age, HGH decreases — again, naturally — which leads to two issues: one, you can’t make calorie-burning muscle tissue as well as before, and two, you start to pack on more fat.

But even though these changes are normal and natural, they’re no fun if you’re gaining weight and unhappy about it. What can you do to rev up your metabolism? 

Three things — and they are surprisingly simple!

1. Stay physically active, which means get some kind of exercise just about every day.
2. Figure out something that helps you maintain muscle mass — lift weights, use resistance bands or try other weight-bearing activities.
3. Do your very best to eat a diet that is filled with vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. Avoid processed foods with a lot of added sugar. Consider a supplement to give your metabolism more natural nutrient support.

The post Does metabolism slow as you get older? appeared first on Women's Health Network.

It’s no secret that it can be tough for women in perimenopause to maintain a healthy body weight. Hormonal imbalance and related changes in the body can slow down metabolism. When that happens, it suddenly becomes easier to gain weight and much more difficult to lose it.

This is the main reason why conventional weight loss plans don’t really help as you get older. The problem isn’t how many calories you’re eating, so restricting calories won’t lead to weight loss.

But here’s something that can — breathing! That may seem too simple to be believed — but a new study proves it works, and explains how.

Diaphragmatic breathing helps boost metabolism

A recent study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science shows that practicing a special technique called diaphragmatic breathing can boost metabolism in adults, helping to switch on fat burning. It has lots of other health benefits too.

In the study of 38 participants, half practiced diaphragmatic breathing, a method many of us know as “belly breathing,” where you draw your breath in deeply enough to stretch your diaphragm. (Your diaphragm is the dome-shaped muscle that sits just below your lungs and just above your belly.) The other half performed different breathing exercises that involved using a feedback breathing device. In the diaphragmatic breathing group, researchers found a significant difference in total oxygen intake and resting metabolic rate. The other group using the breathing device did not experience these improvements.

How can a breathing technique have all these health benefits?

There are at least two ways this special breathing method gives you health benefits. First is a simple measure of oxygen intake. When you inhale deeply with the “belly breath,” your diaphragm relaxes and moves downward. This creates space in your chest, allowing the lungs to expand. Greater oxygen flow in the body boosts the ability of individual cells to burn calories, increasing energy levels and making weight loss easier.

The problem is most of us practice shallow breathing, where the breath stays mainly in the upper area of the lungs and the diaphragm doesn’t get much of a workout. When this happens, we don’t receive the metabolic boost that increased oxygen delivers. And guess what? Shallow breathing is associated with stress. So when you need deep breathing the most, you naturally do it the least.

The second mechanism of action is the effect deep breathing has on heart rate variability. This is a ratio of the balance between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Roughly speaking, the sympathetic is your “fight or flight” response, and the parasympathetic is your relaxation and healing response. Diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the parasympathetic system, which lowers our stress response, and so lowers blood pressure, supports immune function and other healthy effects.

The good news? It’s easy to learn diaphragmatic breathing and to make it a regular habit.

How to practice diaphragmatic breathing

1. Lie on your back on a yoga mat or in bed, with your knees bent and your head supported with a low pillow. If needed, place a pillow under your knees for added support.

2. Place one hand on your upper chest and the other on your belly, just below your rib cage.

3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, drawing the air in deeply towards your lower belly. The hand on your chest should remain still at first, while the one on your belly should rise.

4. Tighten your abdominal muscles and let them fall inward towards your spine as you exhale slowly through pursed lips. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position.

Practice this breathing pattern for at least 10 minutes a day and enjoy the benefits of more energy, a faster metabolism, lower blood pressure — and easier weight loss.

Tip: You may notice an increased effort will be needed at first to use the diaphragm correctly — but practice makes perfect. Once you are comfortable with the technique, try it while sitting in a chair, with your knees bent and your shoulders, head and neck relaxed. To incorporate into a yoga or other exercise practice, simply sit cross-legged on your floor mat.

Even more benefits of deep breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is a powerful tool for helping you relax, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure and reducing the harmful effects of the stress your body. This is why diaphragmatic breathing is often used in meditation and other mind-body practices. But regular deep breathing also improves many other functions, from hormonal balance to core muscle strength, from immune power to your ability to tolerate intense exercise. Research even shows that diaphragmatic breathing can help with insomnia and restful sleep, heart rate irregularities and PTSD.

All this from just changing how you breathe? Take a deep (diaphragmatic) breath and watch what happens.

Rev up your metabolism and start burning more fat with M-Boost, our exclusive metabolism supplement for women!

The post Easy breathing technique that burns fat appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Mary James, ND

If your latest diet only focuses on what and how much you eat, you’re missing out on another important weight loss strategy — when you eat.

We’ve known for a long time that our bodily functions change during the course of the day and overnight. Which is why it makes so much sense to change your eating habits to suit your body’s needs for weight loss. And just as we have differences in our genetic makeup, gut flora, metabolic rate and more, there’s no one time to eat that is best for everyone.

What I recommend is that you try a given eating pattern for awhile — follow one pattern for maybe four to six weeks — and if the scale doesn’t budge or you feel worse in some way, it’s probably not right for you. The tips below will give you some good options to try.

Should you eat breakfast?

Several studies have shown that the effect of short-changing breakfast reverberates throughout the day for almost everyone. What that means for most breakfast-skippers or coffee-for-breakfast caffeine addicts is that you have to eat actual food.

When you skip breakfast, your mind generally doesn’t work as well. You’re also more likely to have greater swings of both mood and blood sugar if you start the day by fasting.

If your breakfast is composed entirely of coffee, it also makes you more stressed. Caffeine consumed during morning hours increases your body’s normal morning output of cortisol, your stress hormone. Cortisol normally peaks in the morning hours and is key to waking up and getting out of bed, but too much of the hormone increases your stress level and is hard on your body.

What this means for weight loss is that without a well-balanced breakfast, neither your blood sugar nor your cognitive function are primed to make good food choices. If your rapidly dipping blood sugar cries out for cookies mid-morning, your fasting-fogged and stressed-out mind is going to go for the cookies.

To some degree, when you eat and what you eat are inextricably intertwined. For example, while it’s generally advisable to eat breakfast, eating the standard American breakfast high in carbs can result in brain fog, energy crashes and weight gain rather than loss.

What time should you stop eating?

If skipping breakfast is bad for almost everyone, having a late dinner (especially a large one, which is all too common) is probably worse. Research shows that eating more than 10 hours after you start your day can throw off your circadian rhythms. Because your body is fooled into thinking it should still be awake, your sleep cycle is disrupted (which in itself can promote weight gain).

Studies have found that eating a late dinner or snacking at night is associated with higher body fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, eating later in the evening or at night may be sabotaging your best efforts. On the other hand, if you’re prone to hypoglycemia (drops in blood sugar), you might achieve a higher-quality sleep by eating a very small protein snack close to bedtime. Experiment, since everyone is unique!

When is the best time to eat?

Again, although breakfast and the 10-hour window benefit most people, there is no one-size-fits-all eating pattern that works for everyone. Plenty of research has been done that shows different eating patterns “work” for weight loss for different people:

• “Breakfast king, lunch queen, dinner peasants:” In other words, eat your heaviest meal early, moderate your food intake at midday, and eat a light supper to keep blood sugar and energy levels stable. Where many people run into trouble with this is if they exercise after work — they may find themselves running short on energy if they haven’t had enough lunch, or unable to limit their dinner after a strenuous workout. Exercising hard can deplete your liver glycogen stores enough that a small meal isn’t going to be satisfying, which encourages late-night snacking. So this method may only work well for you if you can exercise earlier in the day.
• Intermittent fasting: This involves taking a break from eating. The break can be a long one (24 or 36 hours) several times a month, or a shorter one (16 hours) most days a week. Studies have found it’s effective for producing short-term weight loss, even in people who are obese. Better still, it can also positively affect glucose tolerance, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood pressure. I’ve written about shorter ways to add intermittent fasting for weight loss into your routine. This may sound confusing — recommending breakfast and then suggesting intermittent fasting as an option. Although intermittent fasting can provide a host of health benefits including weight loss, not everyone can tolerate it. But it’s also possible for many people to adapt to some form of intermittent fasting, especially if they ease into it gradually.
• Multiple small meals at more frequent intervals throughout the day: This helps you not to get too hungry and can help you limit the overall amount of food you take in. But it also starts a habit of “grazing” that can have the opposite effect — since you’re never hungry, the hormones affecting metabolism and weight loss can be thrown off balance. Multiple meals may work best if you can organize yourself to stop for a snack or “mini-meal” at regular intervals — keeping the food away from your workspace so you’re not tempted to eat continually or when under stress. This also encourages you to take routine breaks, which is good for stress management too.

If none of these pattern-shifts seems to work, your body may actually be blocking weight loss due to a hormonal imbalance. If that’s true, give your body the support it needs to restore hormonal balance. You’ll be surprised at how your body becomes ready to lose weight.

Is a hormonal, thyroid or adrenal imbalance causing your weight gain? Find out now with our simple Hormonal imbalance quiz.

The post Trying to lose weight? When you eat matters. appeared first on Women's Health Network.

Are you ready for a surprise? There’s a certain type of body fat that burns calories instead of storing them!

It’s called brown fat, and if you are trying to lose excess weight, taking steps to activate your brown fat may be exactly what you need to speed up weight loss and keep the weight off.

Never heard of it? Here’s what you need to know.

How brown fat is different than other fat in your body

Brown fat differs from other fat in your body (called “white fat”) in a number of key ways — many which help when you’re trying to lose weight:

Yes, it’s brown: Brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), gets its brownish appearance from iron. A large number of iron-containing mitochondria are contained in each brown fat cell — specifically, mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). White body fat — the fat you see on your thighs, arms and belly — does not contain these same levels of mitochondria.

It’s thermogenic: The job of these mitochondria is to burn calories in order to generate heat (thermogenesis). This is why babies are born with a lot of brown fat — it helps them stay warm. Hibernating animals also have higher levels of brown fat.

It’s found in strange places: A little goes a long way with brown fat. It’s often found near the collarbone, shoulders and neck. Often the only way to verify it’s there is through an MRI.

Researchers once thought adults lacked brown fat: As we get older, our bodies are able to shiver as a way to trigger heat production. (Babies can’t do this.) For this reason, researchers once thought brown fat disappeared in adulthood. But more recently, science made an important discovery…

We always have brown fat — and it can be activated to help us lose weight: It’s only been in the past decade that researchers have found that we keep brown fat as adults. And that’s led to the connection between brown fat and weight loss!

4 ways to activate brown fat

It turns out that brown fat can do the same thing for us that it does for kids — burn fat to keep us warm. We’re talking about a lot of calories too — as many as 250 extra calories a day! At that rate you would lose an extra two pounds a month, or about 25 pounds a year! Here’s how to do it:

1. Keep it cool — but not too cold

One of the biggest tricks to turning on your brown fat’s mitochondrial furnace is to keep your surroundings cool. Just not so cold that your body skips the brown fat and goes straight to shivering.

In a 2012 Japanese study, six men wore a “cold suit” that circulated 64-degree F water over their skin — a temperature cold enough to lower body temperature without causing too much shivering. After wearing the suits for 3 hours without engaging in any activity, the men had burned an extra 250 calories.

You can mimic this effect with such simple measures as:

• Taking cooler showers
• Swimming in cool water — a pool or the ocean
• In warm months, turning up the air conditioning at night
• In cool months, turning down the heat at night

What’s more, scientists have found that being cold can increase the number of brown fat cells in the body, amplifying its positive effects.

2. Exercise (especially when it is cooler)

Muscle cells release a hormone after exercise — called irisin — that “coaxes” white fat into behaving like brown fat. When white fat cells act like brown fat cells, they enhance the body’s ability to burn calories and also aid in blood sugar balance.

The nickname for this hybrid white-brown fat is “beige fat.” To multiply the effectiveness of exercise and brown fat, go for a brisk walk either early in the morning or in the evening when the temperatures are naturally cooler.

3. Help your body produce melatonin

Higher levels of the sleep hormone melatonin appear to activate brown fat and produce higher levels of beige fat. In babies, it is at night that added heat is most needed, so it makes intuitive sense that melatonin — the body’s sleep hormone — would be related to increased brown fat activity.

You can stimulate your body’s own natural production of melatonin by avoiding nighttime exposure to blue light from smartphone and laptop screens. You can also load up on melatonin-rich foods such as cherries, bananas and almonds.

4. Eat enough to feel satisfied — then stop

When we eat just enough, neurons send us the message that we’re satisfied. These same neurons then send our white fat cells a message: start turning brown. As researchers at Yale University found, eating to satiety — and no further — encourages the “browning” of white fat and increases the activation of brown fat cells you already have. Eating too little — or too much — appears to hinder brown fat activity.

One more diet trick? Eat more apples — unpeeled! A University of Iowa study found that ursolic acid in apple peels boosted brown fat in mice — even when mice ate a high-fat diet.

More exciting news coming

There are even more exciting new discoveries about what brown fat can do for our health — from lowering triglycerides in the blood, thus decreasing risk for heart disease, to drawing sugar molecules from the blood and reducing risk for type 2 diabetes. It’s worth trying the tips above to lose weight and improve your overall health in these substantial ways.

Is a hormonal imbalance causing your weight gain? Find out now with our quick Hormonal imbalance quiz.

The post Burn brown adipose tissue for lasting weight loss appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Mary James, ND

What’s the best way to get rid of that belly fat? A lot of well-meaning practitioners still advise following low-fat diets in a misguided attempt to help you reduce overall body fat.

But science shows this is wrong. We know now that low-fat diets don’t work for weight loss. And worse, they also leave your body starving for the kind of fat it needs to achieve your best weight.

Once you understand why low-fat diets don’t work, you’ll know what to eat instead.

Low fat often means high sugar

Many low-fat or no-fat eating plans hide the fact that they’re higher in sugars than regular weight loss options. This extra sugar only makes your belly fat problem worse. Excess sugar contributes to insulin resistance, which triggers increased fat production, especially around the belly area.

It’s important to keep in mind that “sugar” represents much more than those white crystals in the sugar bowl. Any carbohydrate, but especially “simple” carbs made from white flour, produces sugar in the body. Alcohol also turns into sugar.

An eye-opening 2016 study revealed that the low-fat and no-fat versions of certain foods — low-fat dairy, low-fat baked goods, and low-fat oils and salad dressings — were higher in sugar than the regular versions.

Adding sugar or simple carbs to your diet? Not a great way to lose belly fat. Let’s dig deeper.

Here’s how extra sugar makes us even fatter

Each time you eat foods high in sugar or simple carbohydrates, your body naturally releases insulin. This hormone is the key to getting that sugar (now glucose) inside the cell, where it’s used as fuel to help the cell function. This is a normal and even vital process.

But when you eat too much sugar and/or simple carbs at a time, especially on a regular basis, too much insulin is released than your body can handle. Eventually your cells stop accepting the glucose. At this point, they become “insulin resistant.” Because the glucose now can’t get in, more of it circulates in your bloodstream.

And guess what? The body can’t tolerate high blood sugar levels. So it moves it into storage by converting all that sugar into — you guessed it — more fat.

That’s why low-fat diets don’t work. Because they are higher in carbohydrates and sugar, you actually end up with more fat deposits on your body. You’ve also increased your risk of diabetes.

Fat isn’t your real enemy when you want to lose weight

If you want to get rid of belly fat, don’t deprive yourself of healthy fats. Even though fats are concentrated in calories (the reason that low-fat diets were invented in the first place), quality fats provide you with essential building blocks for a strong, lean body. They also help you feel full so you don’t eat as much!

Some of the best sources of healthy fats are:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Oily fish (salmon is a great choice)
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil

Instead of measuring grams of fat and filling up on extra sugar contained in those low-fat/no-fat “foods,” focus on replacing simple carbohydrates, sugar and alcohol with healthy fats, lean protein, vegetables and plenty of water.

Simple substitutions can help your body regulate glucose and insulin better. Try swapping out bread, pasta or rice for sautéed greens or roasted cauliflower. Make your own salad dressings so you can control the ingredients. And get in the habit of using a generous amount of olive oil in these dressings, or grapeseed oil for cooking. (Olive oil isn’t meant for high heat — it breaks down into trans fats. Grapeseed oil is stable even in high heat.)

You feel fuller — and more satisfied — when you eat fat

Healthy fat in your diet also helps reduce hunger. Fat slows the release of food from the stomach. When you eat fat, your fat cells also release leptin, a hormone that triggers the sensation of fullness. One study showed that people ate less overall if they had a little fat at the beginning of a meal.

So instead of no fat, try to eat some healthy, natural fat with every meal.

What to do about stubborn belly fat

If your belly fat just won’t budge no matter what you do, you might have a hormonal imbalance related to:

• Perimenopause/menopause
• Adrenal dysfunction
• Thyroid issues

Take our easy Hormonal imbalance quiz to see if you could be suffering from one of these kinds of hormonal imbalance.

Try trading low-fat for healthy fat options and take steps to resolve any possible hormonal imbalance your body might be dealing with. Then you just might feel ready to try on that cute new swimsuit or pair of pants!

For more tips on finally getting rid of your belly fat, see our article Lose belly fat in 5 steps.

The post Why your doctor is wrong about low-fat diets appeared first on Women's Health Network.

By Dr. Mary James, ND

After everything you’ve tried to lose weight, could the secret to success be hiding in your gut?

Recent science suggests the answer is yes! Having the right digestive microbiome, or bacterial environment, has been proven to positively affect — even radically boost — how your body burns calories, stores fat and manages insulin metabolism. These are key factors in achieving lasting, healthy weight loss.

In a recent study, women lost twice as much weight by adding probiotics to their traditional weight loss plans. How can that be? And how can you make probiotics work to help you lose weight?

These little bacteria have surprising power

When it comes to weight loss, your gut flora literally tell your body what to do with the calories you consume. The question is, what messages are they sending?

The trillions of bacteria in your body include bad guys and good guys. (Okay, it’s true that some of them may simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or exist in concentrations that are too high.) Research shows that having the incorrect mix of microbes can set you up for obesity and diabetes.

Diversity also counts when it comes to gut bacteria. Science shows that obese people tend to have far fewer types of bacteria than thinner people, who usually have a bigger variety. That’s why you want to have a wide array of different strains. It’s also a good reason to try not to overdo antibiotics, if possible.

From the moment we’re born, our individual bacterial landscapes are already different from one another, and our personal microbiome continues to evolve as we move through life. Lifestyle has an effect, but what you put into your belly has the biggest impact on your digestive bacterial balance.

People who eat lots of processed foods, for example, usually have less gut bacterial diversity. Regularly overeating can upset your microbiome and make it harder to absorb nutrients. Even when you need antibiotics to treat an illness, those medications eradicate a large assortment of bacteria in your gut, including the ones that can help with weight loss.

How gut bacteria affect fat storage and insulin

People who don’t have enough gut bacterial diversity often have more unhealthy visceral fat, which builds up in the worst spot: the belly. Visceral fat is linked to heart disease and metabolic issues. And once it’s made its way into your body, it’s very hard to get rid of.

Belly fat causes the dreaded “muffin top,” but it also leads to much deeper issues and raises your risk of significant health problems. Higher levels of toxin-producing gut bacteria can contribute to insulin resistance. When your body has to produce extra amounts of insulin to deal with an overload of carbs, you can become resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance often leads to a build-up of fat in — you guessed it — the belly.

The bacteria in your gut also influence how food is processed by your body. When you eat, the digestive enzymes that break down food get a big assist from your intestinal bacteria. Some people have gut bacteria that digest fats and carbs better. While that seems like a win, it isn’t if it also makes them soak up even more calories from fats and carbs.

After all, extra, unburned calories end up being packed away on your body as fat.

The bottom line: probiotics can help women lose more weight

Probiotics may be what’s missing from weight loss plans that focus only on counting calories and food pyramids. Research now shows that when women on traditional weight loss plans take probiotics, they can lose almost twice as much as women who don’t take them. On top of that, the bigger losers have measurable reductions in “bad” bacteria, which make it easier to maintain the new, lower weight.

Changing your microbiome for better weight loss should start with probiotics to help add back the bacteria that you might be missing. This can also help crowd out the bad bacteria that sometimes take over your gut. Like any ecology of living organisms, your gut bacteria need proper care and feeding. You want to create an environment where the good bacteria can thrive but the bad bacteria are kept under control.

The food you eat is most important to long-term bacterial balance, though a great probiotic supplement can provide a needed boost. You can harness the power of probiotics for weight loss by cutting back on the foods that feed the bad guys, and getting more of the foods that increase beneficial bacteria:

Don’t eat and drink these

• Breads, sweets, sodas and fruit juice, because they’re low in fiber and high in sugar, and can encourage yeast growth, gas and bloating.
• Processed foods, because they lack fiber and nutrients and contain lots of unhealthy additives.
• Red meat, because, in excessive amounts, it feeds bad bacteria and contains lots of saturated fat.
• Dairy, because it can upset gut flora and cause inflammation and tummy troubles.
• Alcohol, especially in excess, because it irritates the gut lining and can contribute to bacterial imbalances.

Do eat more of these

• Fiber, like vegetables, fruit (especially with skin), beans and lentils, nuts, and whole grains. High-quality fiber is the favorite food of the good bugs, supports the health of the intestinal lining and helps clear your body of unwanted bacteria.
• Prebiotic foods, like onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, chicory and whole grains. These contain soluble fiber that fuels probiotics and is converted into desirable short-chain fatty acids.
• Fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, raw sauerkraut (not pasteurized), kimchi and kombucha. These cultured foods already contain beneficial bacteria so they’re perfect for supporting your body’s friendly bacteria.

Don’t forget — diet and exercise are still important to losing weight. When you add in probiotic foods and supplements, there’s a much better chance you can increase your weight loss and maintain it. And don’t rush yourself — slow and steady is always best for healthy weight loss.

Find out how to make your weight loss efforts more successful with a doctor’s view on the best diets for women.

The post Probiotics for successful weight loss — the connection is real appeared first on Women's Health Network.

When you first hear about it, intermittent fasting might sound like an impossible feat or a miserable experience. But once you learn the secrets, you’ll be surprised at how easily you can do it.

The truth is intermittent fasting can be done in several different ways, yet each can result in weight loss – along with other benefits. It’s all about finding the right approach for you.

You can lose belly fat with intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting works to shed belly fat by training your body to burn fat (as ketones) for energy more than glucose. This swap happens naturally when you take longer breaks from eating – anywhere from 12 hours to an entire day.

Once your body adjusts to this schedule, you’ll start to see your belly fat and overall weight go down. Plus, you’ll likely see a real improvement in every measure of your metabolism. That means intermittent fasting can help whether you have high glucose, high insulin, pre-diabetes or type II diabetes, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, or similar issues.

Intermittent fasting improves digestion

Another big advantage of intermittent fasting is how it heals and resets your digestive process. In researching my own digestive issues, I’ve learned that a really important part of digestion can only occur when you’re in a fasting state.

During this time, the migrating motor complex in the smooth muscle of the small intestine acts like a sweeper to clear food out of it and into the large intestine. If you’re eating too frequently (more often than every 4 hours), this process stalls. And that contributes to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, where very few bugs should normally reside. Bacterial overgrowth leads to inflammation that damages the microvilli (little cellular protrusions) responsible for absorbing important nutrients from your food. This is a big factor in the development of “leaky gut syndrome,” and intermittent fasting helps that heal.

Fasting can even slow down the aging process

I’m seeing more and more science showing major benefits of intermittent fasting, so this way of eating is definitely more than a trend. It’s also fascinating that so many animal studies have consistently shown that caloric restriction, which includes fasting, slows aging and extends life span.

No wonder scientists became so curious about the effects of fasting in humans!

Fasting isn’t one size fits all

There are several ways to do intermittent fasting, and they all yield similar benefits. So choose the one that seems easiest for you:

• Alternate-day fasting: You move back and forth between one complete fasting day (no eating or drinking of energy-containing foods; water and tea are allowed) and one day eating and drinking as you normally would. For example, if you eat on Monday, you fast on Tuesday and eat again Wednesday and continue this way through the week.
• Modified fasting: You severely restrict how many calories you eat and drink for two days a week (not in a row). On the other days of the week, you eat and drink normally. You may have heard of the popular “5:2 diet,” which follows this format. For example, on Monday and Thursday you would only eat 500 calories (including foods with healthy fats), while on the rest of the days of the week you would eat normally.
• Time-restricted eating: Each day you only eat and drink within a specific timeframe; the rest of the time you’re fasting. If you usually eat a late breakfast and early dinner, you are already close to this schedule. Try to restrict all of your calorie intake to an eight-hour period. For example, you might eat only between the hours of 12 noon and 8 p.m. every day.

If you’re just starting out

I suggest trying the time-restricted approach first, and going at a slow pace to let your body adjust.

One simple way to keep track of when to eat and when not to eat is to plan on eating your meals only during the daylight hours. When it’s light out, eat as you need to in order to not feel hungry. But once the sun sets, don’t eat. Your body will immediately experience the benefits, and over time you’ll likely start noticing them.

Lots of people find it helpful to start with a cup of “bulletproof coffee” in the morning, and then refrain from eating till afternoon. Of course, the fat in the coffee contains some calories. But it’s a helpful way to start, and many people still lose weight with this approach. Just don’t add milk or sugar!

How much should you eat during non-fasting hours?

When you do eat during IF, you don’t have to worry about being super restrictive. Of course, eating like every day is Thanksgiving doesn’t make a lot of sense if you are trying to lose weight, whether you’re fasting intermittently or not. Instead, focus on eating enough that you don’t feel physically hungry between meals.

Some researchers note that people generally don’t overeat during the non-fasting hours, especially once it becomes part of a routine. You should always make sure you continue to drink plenty of water, which not only keeps your system hydrated but also helps you feel less hungry.

Before you get started, check with your healthcare practitioner to see if intermittent fasting is a good idea for you. This is especially important if you’re severely underweight, taking blood sugar-lowering drugs, or are experiencing adrenal insufficiency. Right now, I know my adrenal health is not where it should be. If I go a long time without eating, my blood sugar drops too low and I can get spacey, shaky and irritable. That’s why, for now, I’m holding off on more rigorous fasting than time-restricted eating.

Part-time intermittent fasting?

I’ve been asked by a coworker somewhat jokingly about “part-time” intermittent fasting. I think my answer surprised her. I said that if you can fast like this only once in a while, then once in a while is still better than never!

Remember, there’s no single way to incorporate intermittent fasting into your life – the way that works best for you is the one to choose.

Frustrated by unexpected weight gain that won’t go away? Find new ideas for solutions with our article Demystifying perimenopausal weight gain.

The post How intermittent fasting can help you lose weight (and even live longer!) appeared first on Women's Health Network.