Movie stars, fashion models and most celebrities… how do they stay in shape, all the time!?Eh, it’s probably because they’ve got all this money to manage the miscellaneous things in life that I, on the other hand, have to do myself.That, my dearies, is something most of us have think whenever we see a celeb flaunting her chiseled bod’ on the red carpet.However, guess what?It’s not true!The real reason the stars and celebs look so fit and lean is usually because they don’t make excuses!That’s right, they don’t make excuses when it comes to their fitness and health.Secondly, they don’t fall for silly products we tend to run after. (Even if they advertise them, yep, total hypocrisy, but that’s a topic for another day!)Yes, I am talking about all those body wrap things, diet pills (that almost never work), or even those ketones‘… trust me, none of those will really work long-term for any of us.And of course, the second important factor that differentiates the super fit celebrities and us is… WE MAKE EXCUSES!When I look at my friends (most are mommies by now), I can say without a doubt that most of us can stand to lose a few pounds, yet we categorically deny or make excuses.From the classic I don’t have time, to I don’t have the energy, to I don’t like eating in the morning … excuses are aplenty!And that’s why I decided to write about it today.So in today’s post, we’ll have a look at the top three excuses almost all women make when it comes down to losing that flabby gut… AND what you can actually do to overcome them!
Excuses #1 I Don’t Do BreakfastMaybe you might have heard it, but this is the biggest thing when it comes to losing weight. A healthy breakfast keeps our cravings at bay, helps us focus, and invariably helps us avoid junk foods.However, most of us have trouble having a breakfast every day. To resolve that, here’s a remedy.First, identify what are the real reasons preventing you from having it.
- Do you not like having breakfast in the first place?
- Do you not have time to prepare it?
- Are you just not hungry in the morning?
From there, you can check out what your healthiest options are. If you do not like typical breakfast food, you do not have to eat it! But, realize that you can and should eat something healthy. If you hate the idea of eggs and whole grain toast or a healthy breakfast cereal then make yourself a ham and cheese whole grain wrap, a fruit smoothie, or even have a turkey sandwich. It does not have to be breakfast food to deliver nutrients to your body. If time is your issue, then you can make preparations so that eating breakfast is convenient throughout your work week. For example, you can cook a large batch of whole grain pancakes and keep them in a sealable plastic container or a bag in the refrigerator. Then, make enough fruit salad to last all week. Now, for breakfast each morning you can have a serving of pancakes with fruit. You can do this with any healthy foods that you like. Take one day a week to make preparations for breakfast to be super easy for the rest of the week. Finally, if you are not hungry first thing in the morning it is alright to wait a bit. If you get up around 6:00A.M., try to work in a small snack around 9:00A.M.A morning routine can even consist of a decent yoga program, which can be a great start to your day; especially when performed on an empty stomach. Yoga not only focuses you, but also rejuvenates the energy in your body.Basically, the point over here is not to eat when you are not hungry, but to have fuel in your system before lunch. 
Excuses #2 It is Too Expensive to Eat Healthy!In a society with 99 cent value menus that are so convenient, and cheap foods in grocery stores like hot dogs, processed meats, and frozen pizzas it may not seem economical to eat healthy. Truth be told, healthy foods can be really expensive, but they do not have to be. You do have to do some thinking and planning in order to bring the cost down.The theme of this tip is always be prepared. You can save money and still get healthy meals by being willing to prepare them yourself. Skip a lot of prepackaged foods like bagged salads (unless they are on sale of course), individual wrapped cheese sticks, and boxes of snack-sized trail mixes. You are paying more for the convenience factor of being able to grab your serving and go. You can still have that convenience, but you will need to spend the time upfront to prepare and package up your servings. Buy the lettuce and vegetables, prepare a large salad and bag it up yourself.Buy the block of cheese, and cut your serving slices off when you are ready for them. Make a healthy mix of nuts and dried fruit and portion it off into small plastic bags. Dedicate some time on the weekend or whatever day you may have off to get these things knocked out so that when your week gets busy it is already taken care of. Buy your meats when they are on sale and freeze them. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season, as they will be cheaper. If the vegetable you were planning to cook is not in season, opt for frozen. The idea is to stock up on healthy items when they are at their cheapest. You can buy in bulk and store extra items, or pay attention to the weekly sales at your local grocery store. 
Excuses #3 I Hate Drinking Plain WaterMaking sure your body is adequately hydrated can be quite a challenge if you do not like plain water. There are a few things you can do, but you absolutely must be careful to read labels and really know what you are getting when you buy substitutes for plain water. Just like the light’ labeled foods, some flavored waters look like they are a healthy way to hydrate, but may have much more sugar than you would think. If you like carbonated beverages, try seltzer water with frozen or fresh berries or fruit added. You will get the fizzy mouth feel without all of the sugar and calories. Use this type of drink to eliminate your daily soda consumption. With seltzer or sparkling waters make sure you are reading labels for sodium content, as well as, other sugars or artificial sweeteners. Know what your diet allows, and read labels on these types of waters. Powdered or liquid water enhancers are other options for the I hate water crowd. MiO is a popular product in this market. It comes in a variety of fruit flavors and has zero calories. It is sweetened with sucralose so if that is an approved sweetener on your diet then this may be a great way for you to meet your daily water needs. One more trick that is really inexpensive, and might prove to be a good fit for those who cannot tolerate or do not want to use artificial sweeteners, is to use powdered Gatorade and really dilute it so that it barely flavors the water. You get just enough flavor that it does not taste like icky plain water, but you skip most of the sugars and calories contained in the regular amount recommended for a serving. For example, Fruit Punch powdered Gatorade has 80 calories if you use the full 4 teaspoons per 12 ounces of water. So, you can cut that in half and use only 2 teaspoons for 40 calories, or even just use one and you are down to 20. Get creative here. You do not have to force yourself to down plain water all day if you hate it, but you can absolutely stop using that excuse to allow you to keep drinking your high-calorie, high-sugar sodas or coffee drinks. There are options. Explore them!ConclusionSo that’s that! Simply by focusing on these three simple things, you can start making a very real change in your body.It takes time, sure, but it’s only when you decide to make some real changes that you see those results most of us have been always secretly cravings for!Of course, this is not a be all and end all when it comes to losing weight, but hey, at least it’s a beginning.So start overcoming the three excuses mentioned above – eat a nutritious breakfast, plan your meals, and drink a LOT of water throughout the day… and I guarantee you’ll see a major change in your body within a few weeks, if not months.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
Speak Your Mind