In ten days, I take my “after” photos for the 17th Turbulence Training Transformation Contest. I’m not eligible for a prize, but several Gordon Studio students are in it to win, so I want to share my best fat loss tips with them, and all of the Beauty Building readers.
This morning, I started the day with a big glass of water before feeding the cat, the dog, and the fish: in that order. I guess that tells you who rules the animal roost around here? Yep, Princess Muffins. Then I made a cup of coffee, and sat down for my inspirational reading.
When I was done I asked myself, “What could I write that would be most helpful to anyone in the contest?” This fits in with the motto, “The more you help others, the faster you will see results.” So here are ten fat loss ideas for the next ten days.
1. Follow your eating strategy faithfully. This is not the time to suddenly go nuts by drastically reducing calories, or jumping to a brand new diet. This is the time to keep your body nourished and satisfied, and for most of us that means colorful vegetables will be on the menu. I have found that things fall apart for me and some of my students when we don’t keep up with our salads and other vegetables, both raw and cooked. I believe that nutrient density is a key to satiety, and no matter what your nutrition strategy is, it’s hard to beat spinach, kale, cauliflower, etc. for that quality.
2. Follow your training strategy faithfully. Get your three training sessions in, but don’t suddenly ramp up the weights or intensity. By now you’ve been using the principle of progression whenever you’ve trained, so stick with it. In my case, when I’ve tried to add extra cardio to burn more calories, I’ve just ended up tired, cranky, achy and hungry. (That sounds like the four dwarves of weight gain.)
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| “She Who Must Be Fed First.” Please note the royal wave. |
3. Drink water. Eight glasses a day makes good sense. By making sure you’re hydrated it’s a good bet that you won’t reach for high calorie beverages.
4. Limit or eliminate alcohol. Although I have lost fat and transformed while drinking, I do believe that alcohol impairs the judgement and resolve we need to bring our transformation ship in to a great landing.
5. Meditate, or at least spend quiet time each day. You need this time to reduce stress, and feel grateful for the changes you’re making in your body and life. During meditation we connect with the subconscious mind, which has a vast impact on our success. Spend time reassuring your body that it can trust you, and it will release fat.
6. Think kind and loving thoughts about your body, and the world around you too! You can help the process by wearing your favorite colors, listening to your favorite music, and taking part in your favorite non-food pastimes. Don’t wait for the end of the challenge to start enjoying your stronger fitter physique.
7. Establish non-food rewards. Even after five years of transformation experience I still get cravings, and I experience frustrations that make me want to reach for the brief oblivion of junk food consumption. If you get a craving, breathe, feel it, let it pass through you, and then reward yourself for your maturity and fortitude! I have white board where draw a dot for every craving that I breathe through. The more dots, the better the reward on picture day. By the way, we’re going on a short vacation right after my contest deadline- and yes reward shopping is involved. Shoes anyone?
8. Reach out for support. I’ve already told a few friends that I may be calling or texting them if I get a craving. If you’re in the contest, your best source of support is often the other participants. Plus, if you’re like me, you may find it easier to honor the commitments you’ve made to other people, than it is to stick to the promises you’ve made to yourself.
9. Print a copy of a calendar for the next ten days and post it where you can see it. Write in your training sessions and photo time at the very least, and it helps to schedule shopping and food preparation as well. Are you having your hair done, or getting a spray tan? Write in the tasks that pertain to the challenge- especially the fun ones!
10. Take care of your skin. Don’t go out and get lotions or tanners that you don’t have any experience with. If you want to use a tanner test it a week before to make sure you don’t react to it. Personally, I tried some new face creams a few days ago. I think I layered on too many at once, because my face suddenly turned red and hot. The reaction only lasted 30 minutes, but you don’t want that to happen on picture day!
It’s funny, when I sat down to write this post I thought, “Ten tips? Have I got that many?” I guess I do, and more. I’ll leave you with this, if your TT Strategy is working, just trust it, and stick with it for ten more days. Then take you pictures and enjoy the results. If they turn out the way I think they will, I have confidence that you’ll be Turbulence Training for good!
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