Disclaimer: This information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem. It is essential to consult with a healthcare professional before making any changes to your diet or exercise routine!
I was so happy to finally fit into a small! The TikToks are right: you take every chance to feel how little your waist has become. Sliding through tight spaces, fitting between people in crowds? Anything that I would have avoided four years ago, I have fun doing now.
Getting my body to the size and strength I wanted turned out to be a trial and error over the years, but I’ve finally cracked the code on becoming a lean machine!
If you’re committing to your weight loss journey or just want to tone up, read on! Below are the steps I followed to get a healthy body in a simple way!
My Story
Years ago I heard a girl say that “Weight loss is a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle, not the other way around,” and it really stuck with me. This was just after the pandemic and graduating from college (raise your hand if the COVID 25 got you). My goal was to get drop 45 pounds and get slender, which seemed like a mammoth task.
We often list wanting a healthy lifestyle as our reason to lose weight. But we don’t think of it as just being a simple part of existence. When I started seeing it that way, my mind did a 180. Instead of figuring out how to lose weight, I started asking what a healthy me would do.
Looking back my old exercise plan, it makes sense that slimming down was hard. My routine was to wake up between the hours of 4 and 5am, do a high intensity cardio workout, run 2 to 3 miles, and cool down with active stretching. (Don’t worry! I’m not recommending this to anyone – I just had to do it because I was in the military).
It puts you in great shape for sure, but if you combine it with snacks and eating three meals a day, you just end up getting bulky. I would try to eat less, but my exercise demanded that I ate or passed out. So I ate.
My weight would fluctuate all the time and I hated how it felt. I needed a plan that made me feel fit, pass my fitness exams, and was gentle on my body.
And I found it!
Here’s How to Get Your Healthy Body!
Step 1: Listen to your body!
You’ve got to get to know your stomach! Try practicing meditations that help you feel into your gut. You’ll find out that you’re not hungry as often as you think you are. Sometimes we just want to eat!
Step 2: Eat less!
This is usually the root of the problem: more energy is going into you than out, so your body stores it up.
Try using smaller plates and putting your snacks in a bowl!
I had my greatest breakthrough when I stopped taking whole bags of chips to my room. When the bag is in front of you it’s easy to keep eating, but the end of the bowl means the end of the bowl!
Step 3: Find easy exercises that you enjoy!
One of the best things I did was trade HIIT and 2 mile runs for morning yoga, evening walks and learning TikTok dances when I was bored.
The hidden enemy in weight loss is the idea that if you don’t go to the gym, you won’t make your goal weight.
I encourage people to see it another way: Natural remedies are the best remedies! Think about what life might have been like 200 years ago. Everyone walked everywhere and gatherings meant dancing through the night!
Weight loss is a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle, so find some healthy, easy, fun activities and add them to your day!
Step 4: Fast!
Fasting has so many benefits that it’s amazing more people don’t do it!
Fasting involves choosing times of the day to eat and to not eat. Some of the most recommended plans include:
The 16/8 plan, where you only eat for 8 hours a day and fast for the other 16.
The 5:2 plan, where you eat regularly for 5 days, then for 2 days only eat one meal of 500 – 600 calories.
The 12 hour plan, where you choose a 12 hour period to fast (7pm to 7am, 8pm to 8am).
Fasting helps you lose weight, but on top of that it helps cleanse your emotions, which is usually the thing that keeps us stuck in overeating cycles.
You experience a release of endorphins (the same hormones that are released during a good exercise), calming you and helping you see outside of survival mode. When you’re relaxed, you’re less prone to snacking and spend more time doing things that make you happy!
Thanks for reading!
My seesaw of weight loss and gain, frustration and disappointment ended when I implemented these four steps.
Simplicity works! It doesn’t have to be hard. Take it easy, be nice to your body and it will naturally take its form!
I love you!
Tell me which steps you’re focusing on in the comments!
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