Love Notes by Jari Love

Belly Bloat Solutions

by Jari Love

Looking to trim down to get fit and have that flat belly? Sometimes it’s “easier said than done.” It may not be the extra weight around the midsection that is preventing you from enjoying a trim and toned tummy!

There are foods, eating habits, and other issues that can lead to a bit of bloat, and all of the crunches and abdominal exercises in the world won't overcome them. So, if you want to get that flat stomach for the upcoming beach weather or just so you can feel more comfortable in your everyday clothing, follow our belly bloat solutions:

• Too much fiber too fast - If you have just started a diet in order to shed some weight, you may have added too much fiber, too quickly. As an example, if you switched from white to whole grain bread and rice, added a few cups of fresh raw vegetables, and a serving of lentils or beans to each day's food - well, you are definitely going to be bloated until your digestive tract adjusts. Slow it down on the fiber, add it slowly, drink lots of water, and get plenty of exercise. In as little as two or three weeks you should be able to go "full fiber" without any troubles.

• Swallowing air – Have you been using a straw to drink water or beverages, talking while eating, chewing gum, or consuming soda and carbonated beverages? Any of these behaviors can allow you to swallow gas and trap air in your belly! This has to make its way through the entire system, and along the trip, it is going to cause belly bloat.

• Forbidden foods - Do you have lactose intolerance? Perhaps you get a bit of bloat when you eat foods containing gluten? Many people with unexplained bloating are witnessing the results of intolerance. Issues like celiac disease cause irritation and an inability for the intestines to absorb nutrients, and this leads to bloating.

There are other issues that might give you an undesirable "pooch" in the upper or lower abdominal area. Fortunately, you can often begin to address this by making changes such as those above, drinking plenty of water, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. These behaviors ensure that your digestive system is functioning properly and that your entire abdominal area remains as flat as possible.

Big Muscles Burn Big Calories

by Jari Love

Why do muscle builders eat so many calories? Some people believe that a person who wants to build up a lot of muscle has to maintain a much higher body weight. To a degree that is true, but there is also something about being very muscular that you may not know. What is it? The more well-developed muscle your body has, the more calories you burn every day! A body builder workouts ends up burning through a lot more calories because of the muscles and the exercise.

If you’re looking to boost the way your body burns up calories, it is best to consider building up your muscles too. One of the simplest ways to do this is through "interval" and "cross" training. However, you can take things one step farther and target the largest muscle groups in order to get maximum results and calorie burning.

This should be great news to those who are looking to develop a very attractive bottom or butt because the gluteus maximus, and surrounding muscles of the legs are considered the "biggest" muscles of the body. Doing exercises and training that target these areas is a surefire way of toning and lifting even a saggy bottom, but also a way of gaining maximum calorie burn throughout every day.

The exercises that will generate the best results will include lunges, squats, deadlifts, kneeling kickbacks, bridges and of course some cardio workouts each day. Around thirty minutes of brisk cardio is great for the entire body!

Developing a circuit of exercises targeting the glutes will definitely yield results; however, they will not be "overnight" and require about four weeks for true definition to be developed. Adhering to proper form is key in any exercise routine, and particularly with something like squats and lunges. This is because you are aiming to develop the right muscles but also trying to protect joints during each routine. Choose your favorite type of squat and lunge - or blend a few such as plie squats and side lunges or split squats and weight lunges - and do that half of an hour of cardio and you will soon burn up major calories and get the best bottom of your life.

Five Things Slowing Your Weight Loss

by Jari Love

Some of the most common experiences to those looking to lose weight are exercising, dieting and resisting temptation to eat whatever you want. And then there is this less than pleasant moment: You step on the scale and see that your weight has not changed, or (gasp!) has gone up since the week before.

However, before you throw in the towel and insist that you just won't ever lose that weight, stop and consider ways you may be sabotaging your diet:

• Exercising, but NOT really exercising - Some people try to chalk up those two daily walks with the dog as exercise. Some think that household chores are a good stand in for the four-mile walk, and some just don't exercise on a consistent basis. Any of these mistakes can slow your weight loss efforts. Instead, make a point of doing at least 30 minutes of rigorous cardio exercise (brisk walking, jogging, cycling, etc.) every single day.

• Not sleeping enough - No matter what people say or think, you really do need eight hours of sleep at night. When you do not get enough sleep, it boosts the stress and strain on the body (since sleep is the body's chance to refresh and restore). This creates cortisol, which is a hormone that is associated with weight gain, and which is often a byproduct of inadequate sleep.

• Not enough water - Your body has a long list of reasons that it might retain water. One way to overcome most of these reasons (apart from exercising each day) is to drink a lot of water. The old adage is that the "more you put in, the more you release" and someone who attentively consumes eight glasses of water each day is going to shed just as much fluid - if not more.

• Those healthy snacks are not so great - That handful (or two or three) of trail mix each day could be a real saboteur. Dried fruit is good, nuts are great, but combined into a tempting treat they pack serious calories. A single cup of typical trail mix can have 500 calories and more than 15 grams of fat. Granola bars, whole grain muffins, smoothies...these can all be part of your weight problems.

Do any of these sound familiar? If so, you may be struggling to lose weight because of them. Making small changes of this kind can instantly boost your weight loss results and help get you back on track!

Foods to Avoid When Bloating is a Concern

by Jari Love

There are foods that can cause gas and bloating. For example, dried beans are notorious for this because they break down so slowly and can interact with the natural bacteria in our intestines to create tremendous amounts of gas and bloating. This is too bad because they are so incredibly healthy for us to consume on a regular basis. The same can be said of lentils and the cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, and cabbage.

Then there are foods that cause us to “bloat” for other reasons. For some of them, it is actually due to a very harmful bodily reaction or response. Though we may want to avoid bloat in order to keep our stomachs lean and trim, it is also good to know how to avoid bloating in order to remain optimally healthy too.

Consider these foods and how they lead to bloating:

• Dairy and gluten - Undiagnosed food allergies, intolerance, and diseases are a common cause for bloating. Someone with lactose intolerance is going to experience bloating as a common problem whenever they eat dairy products of almost any kind. The good news is that lactose free versions of many foods are available. The same can be said of gluten, and anyone with a diagnosis of gluten intolerance or celiac disease must not consume foods with this protein.

• Sugar substitutes - Whether it is "fake" sugar in your morning coffee, sugarless gum, or diet soda, the use of any artificial sweetener can easily be the biggest cause of your bloating issues. This is due to the sugar alcohols used, but many people are just sensitive to the chemical concoctions known as "artificial sweeteners" and may experience rather extreme reactions that can range from cramps and bloating to diarrhea and worse.

• Fiber - We all need and benefit from fiber. It helps us to feel fuller longer, which is good for weight loss or maintenance, and it keeps the digestive system running optimally because it absorbs water and creates bulk that is extremely healthy. However, it can also take a very long time to digest, interacting with healthy bacteria and creating a lot of gas. This leads to bloat as well as other issues.

Naturally there are other foods that can cause bloating (think beer, soda, high carbohydrate foods), but the three groups above are the guiltiest of them all. Reducing or eliminating them from your diet is often the best solution.

Gluten Free...Good or Not?

by Jari Love

There is a lot of discussion regarding "gluten free". It is important to understand it clearly in order to make the right decisions about "going gluten free". If you are someone with intolerance to the protein known as gluten, there are far more "pros" than "cons" in pursuing a truly gluten free diet.

Does this mean that those without any sort of gluten-related issues should not go gluten free? Let's answer that by looking at the reasons that gluten is such a commonly discussed topic.

One in Every One Hundred and Thirty-Three

It is estimated that 1 in every 133 people are intolerant to gluten. What this means is that they are not technically "allergic" to it, but that their bodies are not recognizing it once they ingest it. For some, it causes digestive upset in the same way that lactose might disrupt the digestion of someone who has lactose intolerance. There is bloating, gassiness, and even extreme problems like diarrhea. For others, there are no signs at all, but damage is done all the same.

Gluten intolerance can manifest in the form of a chronic disease known as celiac disease or celiac sprue. There are millions of people with this autoimmune disorder, and many may not even realize they have it. The symptoms can remain "hidden" because they could be limited strictly to scarring or irritation in the small intestine. This leads to mal-absorption and that can lead to a lot of trouble. It can also lead to a long list of associated symptoms such as IBS, chronic digestive problems, weight gain or loss, and so on. Over the long term, untreated gluten intolerance and celiac disease can lead to many health issues.

So, when diagnosed with any type of gluten related digestive concern, the only way to maintain health is to eliminate it from the diet altogether. This will result in immediate improvements in overall health, and many people are more energized, clearer in their thinking, and even gain or lose weight because their body is finally getting nutrients delivered properly.

However, there is a "downside" to gluten free living, and it has to do with the elimination of the most common grains and all of the nutrients and dietary fiber they deliver. The truly gluten free lifestyle contains no wheat, rye, barley or other grains. This can make it challenging to get adequate fiber, and eating "substitutes" such as pre-made gluten free breads or baked goods can be even worse than a steady diet of junk food. This is because they are often loaded with sugar, fat, and "fillers".

To go gluten free because you have to is good, but it is not a smart way of losing weight or dieting if you do not need to remove gluten simply because nutrients and fiber may be difficult to replace.

How NOT to Lose Weight

by Jari Love

So much of what we do (or do not do) is "in the mind". It is entirely possible to sabotage our best efforts right from the start. Take dieting...we might schedule ourselves to begin a diet on Monday morning and by Monday afternoon we truly believe that if we cannot have that cake/cookie/candy/pizza/etc. we are going to lose our minds.

It is a trick of the mind that makes the "forbidden" things the most desirable things.

This tells us that our minds can be one of the biggest hurtles that we have when weight loss is concerned. Just consider these things that we can "convince ourselves" of:

I just ate, so I can't exercise

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home

Yes, these things, and many more like them, race through the minds of millions of dieters every single day. They are just a few of the reasons or ways that people don't lose weight and yet they are all "of the mind".

Emotional eating, procrastination, and lack of concern about consequences are all saboteurs to our diets. However, simply knowing that you might be your own worst enemy is a very good tactic for success.

When you decide that you are truly going to commit to a diet it is helpful to know in advance that you may find yourself struggling with many of the challenges we listed above. If you accept these things as fact, it then becomes possible to develop methods for overcoming them.

Let's review those thoughts, and consider how to handle them if they arise:

I just ate, so I can't exercise - Call a friend or choose an exercise buddy who won't let you get away with this.

I am too tired now, I'll get up and exercise in the morning - You will feel worse for not going, so give yourself a moment and then head out the door.

I have to lose all of this weight within the next few weeks - This is unrealistic and not a feasible way to set goals - calculate one to three pounds per week and then choose your "deadline".

I ate one cookie I might as well forget about it and eat the whole bag - One cookie is easy to recover from, a train wreck is not. It was a mistake, move on!

I am so upset about work today that I am going to eat my body weight in ice cream when I get home - Emotional eating leads to worse emotional stress. Take a hot bath, a long walk, or keep a single "emergency" chocolate on hand for such moments.

There will be many reasons NOT to lose weight, don't allow yourself to be one of them!

Safe and Effective Cleanse Exists

by Jari Love

More often than not, we know that there are many people who do a cleanse using things like laxatives. But laxatives deprive the body of nutrients and calories that are needed in order to enjoy the results. So can the words “safe” and “effective” really be partnered up with “cleanse”?

Yes! Fortunately, there are good and healthy cleansing options. It’s important to remember that a good cleanse keeps the body hydrated, functional, and tries to cue it to tap into any stored fat for energy. It may sound complicated, but it’s not!

It will require five days with the first day as the only "extreme". Even then, it is not extreme at all because you get to enjoy three delicious smoothies that will serve as your three daily meals. You will also need to remember to drive a lot of fresh water. As a result of this day, your body will shed stored water, reduce bloating, and let the metabolism know to switch gears. Once the metabolism understands that caloric intake will be low, it will burn up calories as consumed and stop storing food as fat. This will also let the body know that any shortages in calories will be met by fat burning rather than by dipping into muscle for energy.

THE CLEANSE

The first day you will drink smoothies made from one cup of fat free yogurt (Greek is a delicious treat), the zest of an orange, the flesh of that orange, one half of a banana (without the peel), one whole fresh plum (pitted), the juice of a large lemon, and two cups of kale leaves. Puree these ingredients and drink right away.

You will find that this is filling, and you won't feel deprived. The next day you enjoy three meals and two snacks. Each meal has to include one serving of lean protein, one serving of healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, nut butter), half of whole grain (we suggest brown rice or oatmeal), and you may have two small servings of fat free dairy. Your snacks should be fruits, vegetables, nuts, or one of your two servings of dairy.

Continue to drink a lot of water and do gentle exercises like walking, swimming, or yoga. This cleanse is done on the fifth day and you will see that you have shed all of your "water weight", detoxified your body, and feel better than ever!

How to Get a Model Body

by Jari Love

World famous fashion model Claudia Schiffer once admitted that her body was in terrible condition. She admitted to a steady diet of junk food, a lack of exercise, and generally depriving her body of what it needed in order to keep her super lean, model perfect body. Later, she began working with trainers and eating a healthy diet and said that she could not believe how weak she had once been and how much better she felt following this new routine.

We can all take a page from Ms. Schiffer and implement healthy lifestyle choices while working towards a truly "model perfect" figure. When we say we want the body of a model, it would be wiser to go for a fitness model's look rather than a fashion model's appearance simply because so many fashion models are the result of bad behaviors and even somewhat dangerous ones.

For example, for muscles to really "pop" and stand out, the body has to have a minimal amount of fat covering this underlying musculature. That might be possible by depriving the body of calories - but it is not all that realistic. When the body is starved of all its needs, it taps first into muscle and not into stored fat. When the body is also chronically deprived, it harms the natural metabolic process. Instead of behaving in a predictable way, the starved metabolism slows, and continues slowing. This impairs calorie burning and makes it very easy to gain and retain weight.

If you want a model body you have to eat a good diet, do a lot of exercise, drink lots of water, and be sure you are getting the nutrients you need. It is fairly simple to accomplish, but you may want some "insider's secrets" used by fitness models around the world.

These are very basic tips, but will give you an idea of how they get their optimally trim and fit appearance:

• Low calorie, high protein diets

• No sugar at all - this means no fruit either

• Healthy fats each day - several servings of olive or flax oil, avocado, plain nut butters, coconut, or another healthy fat is essential

• Minimal carbohydrate intake - usually in the form of whole grains or moderately starchy vegetables

• No dairy (except eggs)

• Steady food intake all day to keep the metabolism burning - three to five small meals, with snacks and lots of fresh water

• At least 30 minutes of cardio and another 30 of resistance training, or more

Doing this "routine" is often the most direct way to slowly develop a model's body while remaining healthy too.

Healthy Foods that Can Make You Fat

by Jari Love

How many times have we heard this story, or could relate to it ourselves? A woman was trying to lose weight. She had been living for many years on a steady diet of less than ideal foods. She cut out the soda, chips, cookies, cakes, pizza, and other take away meals and replaced them with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and lots of water.

She didn't begin with any calorie counting or other "technicalities" of dieting because she had read that all of her healthy food choices were going to help her shed weight very quickly. However, although she began to feel better and her mind was clearer than ever, she didn't see much of a difference in the scale. After three weeks, she had lost a bit of weight, but nothing like she had hoped.

She spoke to friends about the issue and they too said she should have definitely dropped a lot more than the few scant pounds she had seen on the scale.

What was going on? Was it because she wasn’t exercising? Yes, she was exercising. The woman in the story had started with thirty minutes of comfortable walking and over three weeks had built up to 40 minutes of very brisk walking. Yet she wasn't losing weight.

Naturally, the solution was to be found in the healthy diet. Was she making all of the right choices? It was only when she sat down with a friend knowledgeable about food and fitness that she discovered her mistakes.

Consider: The woman in question was eating a product described as granola for breakfast each day. She had it with yogurt and a glass of orange juice. Her midday snack was a store bought fruit smoothie. Her lunch was a tin of soup, a whole grain roll, a piece of fruit, and some bottled green tea. Her afternoon snack was a fiber muffin with a low fat bottled coffee treat. Her evening meal was a small green salad, a baked sweet potato and a piece of chicken.

Can you see the flaws? If you said too much sugar, you are right. If you said too little fiber, again you would be correct. If you also added that many of the healthy foods she chose were not healthy at all, you would be correct again. Too often we hear that granola, fruit smoothie, low fat foods, green tea, and other "healthy" foods are great for us to eat every day. However, many of these foods are full of fat, calories, additives, sugar, and more.

The key to losing weight is to eat foods that won't lead to weight gain. The ideal way of doing this is to eat whole foods, not pre-packaged, and to read labels rigorously to understand the fat, sugar, and calorie counts of all that we consume. Doing this would have helped the woman in the story to lose weight quickly and see dramatic results sooner.

Break the Bad Habits

by Jari Love

Bloating up like a balloon? Just like a balloon you could be swallowing and trapping air in your body. Doing simple things like drinking out of a straw, talking while you eat, chewing on gum, sucking on candy and consuming carbonated drinks. These are all things that can lead to air being trapped in your belly.

Also get more sleep! No matter what people say or think, you really do need eight hours of sleep at night. When you do not get enough sleep, it boosts the stress and strain on the body (since sleep is the body's chance to refresh and restore). This creates cortisol, which is a hormone that is associated with weight gain, and is often a by-product of inadequate sleep.

Unfortunately if you are woman and happen to be menstruating, that could be another cause of the overnight weight gain. The menstrual cycle has several points that can cause this. But don’t fret; your weight is just a number and this won’t last. Put out the worrying by engaging yourself in exercising!