The economy sucks. You can?t escape the constant, bombarding nightly news reminders as the stock market plunges and interest rates dwindle. Some of your friends have been unemployed for years, and others are living paycheck to paycheck.
And things don?t seem to be getting better.
The one certainty during an economic downfall is chronic, higher levels of stress and a loss-of-control feeling. You find yourself gravitating to comfort food and make daily stops for Starbucks Chocolate Cr?me Whoopie Pie to console yourself. You lie awake at night tallying how you could save money. You?re rarely in the mood for sex or anything resembling joy. And you feel simultaneously tired and wired as you?re too fatigued to hit the gym but also have a nervous energy to burn.
Here?s another news flash. Stress makes you fat, older, and kills your sex drive. For one, constant stress raises cortisol, which increases blood sugar, breaks down muscle, prevents fast fat loss, and makes you crave stale Entenmann?s Crumb Coffee Cake. Long-term stress exhausts your adrenal glands, plunging your cortisol levels and crashing your metabolic rate. Either way ? high or low cortisol levels ? makes burning fat nearly impossible.
Take control and dig yourself out of this metabolic hole:
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Sleep. ?You don?t need 643 channels to flip through every night. Pare down to the basics and repair your adrenals with seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. ?Shut off the laptop and use the hour before bed to power down with a hot Epsom-salt bath and a trashy novel from your library. For some fabulous tips about how sleep can interfere with fast fat loss, check out my article about?How Losing Sleep Can Pack on Pounds.
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Eat Real Food. ?Lean Cuisine and McBurgers are no bargain in the long run for your pocketbook or your health. Dump the dollar menu for fresh, whole foods. You?ll find in-season specials at your farmer?s market. Likewise, check your Whole Foods or organic market for weekly specials on lean protein and fresh vegetables. Recycle leftovers for soups and stews.
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Toss the Water Bottles. ?Reduce your carbon footprint and toxic burden by tossing ? okay, recycling ? that pricy bottled water. Invest in a good water filter and a stainless steel Sigg bottle. You?ll spend less money on drinks and stay hydrated, which means you?ll eat less. A study in the journal Obesity showed people who drank two cups of water before each meal ate less and burned 44% more calories than non-water drinkers.
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Incorporate fitness. You don?t need an expensive gym membership to get lean and build muscle. Incorporate some au natural burst training: climb up the hill at your park or run the stairs. If inclement weather prevents your outdoors venture, use my 4 x 4 workout and get full-body fit in just 15 minutes. You can get a free?4 x 4 Workout.
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Lose the Latte and Go Green. ?Tally up your monthly Starbucks bill? Wait, don?t. If you?re like me, it will just add to your stress levels! If the Starbucks experience remains an important part of your day, at least swap the grande latte for green tea, which will boost your health and your wallet. If you?re really frugal, ask the barista to refill your cup with hot water and you?ll get a ?free? cup of green tea.
Sources:
Dennis EA, et al. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Feb;18(2):300-7.
? 2012 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food allergies. ?She is the bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout & co-star of TLC?s Freaky Eaters. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to take the quiz & find out if Your ?Healthy? Habits are Making You Tired, Bloated & Age Faster?
Source: http://jjvirgin.com/2973/recession-making-fat/
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