Let’s face it – as women, we want to look good!
Whether it’s pressure from the media or pressure from ourselves, we feel a desire to look our best. Although a majority of us don’t have the “ideal” body shape our society promotes (and probably never will), we can still flaunt our God-given figure by maintaining a healthy weight. The basics of weight management include diet, exercise, and supplementation.
No surprises there, right?
Losing and maintaining weight is not a mysterious process. We simply focus on the key pillars and apply basic principles. Let’s go ahead and take a look at the four pillars of weight-loss and a healthy weight management plan: defining a healthy weight, maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, and taking superior-quality supplements.
Defining A Healthy Weight
Before you even begin to venture toward a healthy weight goal, you first need to assess where you are weight-wise. While you already know how to assess your weight, you will also find it helpful to use a BMI calculator. BMI stands for Body Mass Index. Weight, in and of itself, doesn’t say much about a person’s health, but the BMI calculator is a simple tool will help you assess your weight category: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese.
Of course, at the end of the day, what matters most is: how do you feel? If your BMI result suggests that you are over- or underweight but you are full of strength, energy, and vitality, and are otherwise healthy, you may already be at your ideal weight. Remember: your body’s purpose is to serve YOU, not to suit someone else’s ideals.
Conversely, your BMI result may suggest that you are a healthy weight, but that is not the same thing as being healthy. Weight is not a deciding factor of health. Someone can be skinny but not possess healthy habits. Use the BMI calculator along with recommended weight guides as general tools in your goal of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.
Your results will let you know whether you are in a healthy weight range or not. Guidelines recommend that all adults maintain a BMI between 18 and 24.9; a BMI of 25 and over indicates overweight, while one over 30 indicates obesity. However, please keep in mind that BMI is not reflective of muscle mass. Two people could weigh the same and look entirely different. Body type and fat amount have a direct impact on how we look as well as how healthy we are.
Maintaining a Healthy Diet
With a healthy weight goal in mind, you are ready to make some changes to your diet. I am not a fan of fad diets. Neither am I a fan of programs that focus on calories and then sell over-processed, nutrient-deficient, inflammation-provoking packaged meals that simply fit within the caloric intake limit. While no one has control over their genes, everyone has control over their choices. Eating for weight loss is mostly the same as eating for general good health. It all comes down to eating nutrient-dense foods and consuming reasonable-sized portions.
While I have never struggled with weight and was born with a smaller frame, I cannot tell you how many people have come to me saying “I used to be your size …”. They then continue with an explanation of why they are no longer my size: pregnancies, sitting a lot at work, not playing on their baseball league anymore, etc. Over the years I have come to realize that I am my weight, size, and shape partly because of my genes and, now, mostly because of my choices!
Overeating is not good for anyone and can be harmful to your organs. So eat moderate portions. Enlisting the help of foods that have fat burning properties can also aid you! Here are 10 of them:
Sticking to regular mealtimes and eating 2-3 meals a day is ideal. Snacking too often disrupts blood sugar levels causing greater insulin response. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes over a long period of time. When your body is constantly producing insulin, you are not burning fat. During the space between meals, you can drink tea or have water. My favourite thing to do between meals is to put a drop of Slim and Sassy oil in my water.
Slim and Sassy is an essential oil blend made with grapefruit, lemon, ginger and cinnamon oils to name a few. It boosts your metabolism and acts as an appetite suppressant. I recommend using 4-6 drops in every glass of water you drink. For an added boost, taking 1-3 Slim and Sassy softgels* daily is extremely supportive of your healthy weight goals. My good friend lost 12 pounds in 3 weeks just by adding the Slim and Sassy oil to her water and taking the softgels daily. There is also a gum version of Slim and Sassy which is useful to beat cravings and to help you make healthy food choices.
Engaging in Regular Exercise
The truth is that it will be difficult for you to feel like exercising if you are eating poorly and lacking energy. So, get your nutrition right, and you are halfway there! Nonetheless, our next pillar, exercise, is essential for your healthy weight goals and for your physical, emotional and mental health in general.
Contrary to what you might think – exercise is NOT for weight loss. Exercise is to keep your body functioning properly and to help you feel good. It is a way to strengthen and preserve your muscles and to help you feel happy – it can be a powerful way to boost your serotonin. Exercise is truly a gift. The more you workout, the more your body will produce energy and endorphins to help you feel great!
A lot of people take caffeine for energy. Caffeine is a stimulant that drains your adrenals. This is not a good way to get energy! I take a supplement called Mito2Max to give me full-on energy and strength for the whole day. dōTERRA’s Mito2Max is a proprietary formula that boosts “clean” cellular energy. It supports aerobic capacity and mental and physical stamina naturally without the use of harmful stimulants, making it a great companion for working out or just for an everyday energy boost. I recommend and use Mito2Max as a daily supplement. It is a healthy, long-term alternative to caffeinated drinks and supplements.
When you have more energy, you burn more calories, feel more positive, and are less likely to turn to snacking as a way of coping. Engaging in regular exercise doing something you love, and taking Mito2Max are simple ways to get that energy.
Taking Superior-Quality Supplements
The final pillar is taking superior-quality supplements. There are a plethora of amazing supplements out there to help you reach your health goals. I personally take Lifelong Vitality (LLV) supplements daily because I notice a huge shift in my well being when I take them.
Before LLV, I used to feel constant pain and could barely take 20 steps without a limp, but after taking them consistently for 3 months, that pain vanished and hasn’t come back! I also noticed a big increase in energy.
Since our soil is constantly being depleted of nutrients, our food is depleted. A carrot today is not the same quality as a carrot from 25 years ago. For that reason, it is important that we supplement with top quality vitamins and minerals to give our bodies everything they need. Supplements do not eliminate the need for good nutrition: that is still essential. However, they help fill the gaps caused by not eating enough of certain foods or eating nutrient-deficient foods.
The Lifelong Vitality Pack is one of the single most important and most cost-effective ways to add vitality to your life and to help you in your healthy weight goals.
Another supplement I recommend for weight-loss is Yarrow Pom. Yarrow-Pom acts like a mild diuretic, enabling the body to better manage fluid retention. It also helps the body metabolize fats properly. For these reasons Yarrow Pom is fast becoming part of everyone’s daily regimen in the dōTERRA world. It is featured as part of our Skinny-Jeans challenge.
Yarrow-Pom is a combination of yarrow essential oil and pomegranate seed oil. Pomegranate seed oils is a non-volatile oil comprised mainly of punicic acid and conjugated linoleic acid (omega 5 fatty acids). Studies show that the properties in this duo help restore the way fat cells store and release energy so that the body is not hanging onto excess fat as a result of metabolic dysfunction. Not to mention, it helps your skin stay incredibly soft! But that is for another article/blog.
In Conclusion
It’s not rocket science, but it is hugely important: the four pillars of 1) defining a healthy weight, 2) eating a healthy diet, 3) exercising regularly, and 4) taking quality supplements are what will help you achieve a healthy weight. Not only will you look good, but you will feel great! Having the balance of both is what makes you feel like you are your best self.
No matter where you are starting from, good health is always within reach. It is never too late to pick yourself up and start over. You can do something about your weight. You can be your best, most vibrant self again!
Cheers to a long, healthy, happy and abundant life!
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