By Kate Horney
Want results that last? LEARN how to balance your metabolic hormones for optimal fat loss.
Understanding the hormones behind fat burning and fat storing is key to living the fat loss lifestyle…
Calories in vs. calories out is NOT the whole picture of fat loss. The key to sustainable fat loss comes in both a caloric deficit (that is, burning more calories than you consume) AND balanced metabolic hormones.
Here are 3 (simple) ways to balance your metabolic hormones:
Balance your estrogen to progesterone ratio with veggies. Storing fat in the lower body and/or breasts often indicate elevated estrogen (compared to progesterone) and can effect your ability to burn fat. Lower estrogen relative to progesterone by increasing foods that help detox estrogen like cruciferous veggies and green tea.
Balance your cortisol levels with leisurely walks. I know it’s easier said than done, but you really need to stress less! Why? Because high cortisol levels from stress impact your ability to burn fat. When possible, try to lower cortisol by doing restorative activities like leisurely walking and having quiet time to distress (even if it’s just 5 minutes!).
Increase fat burning hormones with the right type of workout. Implementing high intensity exercise like weight-training and HIIT can help lower cortisol over time, as well as increase testosterone, a fat-burning/muscle-building hormone that new moms need to help burn fat. Beyond helping you burn the fat, exercise provides additional hormonal benefits to moms. In addition to lowering stress hormones and stimulating fat burning hormones like HGH, exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood! (YAY!) Even if you don’t have the time or energy to get back into a full training schedule, you can take advantage of those feel good hormones by squeezing in short, intense workouts when possible. (Check out our BeyondFit Life club for monthly, downloadable workouts that you can do AT HOME!)
P.S. Looking for fitness and nutrition so simple it works….for LIFE? BeyondFit Life is the secret fat loss club that you’re going to want to be part of!
By Contributing Author: Kate Horney, BeyondFitPhysiques