Whatever you want to call it, excess weight around your middle can be the most difficult weight on your body to lose.

It is also more dangerous to your health than those extra pounds that accumulate on your hips or thighs.

The fat around your belly is an outward sign of deep, internal fat surrounding your organs. Fat in this area causes an increase of hormones that raise blood pressure and increase bad cholesterol, putting you at risk for heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

Belly fat has also been associated with an increased risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and metabolic syndrome.

What’s to blame for belly fat? Stress, age, poor lifestyle choices, and genetics play a role—but so does your diet.

Here’s what not to eat and what to eat if you want to banish belly fat.

Recipe for a Fat Belly
It is fair to say that weight gain around your waistline and anywhere else on your body is caused by consumption of too many calories. That being said, there do seem to be certain foods and drinks especially associated with an increase of fat cells in the abdominal area.

While you may use it playfully, the phrase “beer belly” is an accurate description of what goes on when you down too much alcohol. Drinking too much may make it difficult to fasten your jeans. Why does this happen? When you drink alcohol, your liver goes into overdrive to burn it off instead of working to burn off the high fat content. Alcohol can also make you hungrier, causing you to consume more calories than normal.

Foods containing trans fat are another contributing factor for a large waist. Trans fat is a manmade fat created with partially hydrogenated oil. This unnatural fat leads to belly fat and moves fat from other parts of the body to the abdominal area. Where can you find trans fat in your diet? Cookies, crackers, pastries, potato chips, margarine, fried foods, and packaged foods all have this unwanted intruder.

Sugar-sweetened beverages and sodas are another possible culprit for belly fat. The empty calories and high amount of high-fructose corn syrup (a manmade sweetener) cause abnormal weight gain in the midsection. High-fructose corn syrup is also found in foods such as ketchup, mayonnaise, jam, canned fruits, yogurt, bread, and even fruit juice.

Finally, refined, low-fiber grains are also responsible for belly fat. To avoid these, skip foods such as white rice, white bread, and sugary cereals.

Recipe for a Flat Belly
Whittling your waistline starts with a low-calorie, well-balanced diet and regular exercise. A recipe for a flat belly starts with a diet rich in fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy, whole grains, and lean meat. Moving toward a slimmer waistline also requires you to move away from the fatty foods and drinks listed above.

A truly flat belly comes from a combination of a consistent, challenging exercise routine coupled with clean eating.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will have your belly flatter than ever.

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This healthy salad that starts with dark flavorful greens, then adds cooked veggies, creamy goat cheese, some tender quinoa. No dressing required, since all the ingredients pack so much flavor. Next time that you are wondering what to make for dinner, try this Arugula, Quinoa and Warm Vegetable Salad. Feel free to add a side of grilled or baked chicken breast. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
• 4 cups organic, baby arugula
• 2 oz crumbled goat cheese

1. Place the quinoa and chicken broth in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff.
2. In a large skillet, place the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until lightly golden. Add the asparagus and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, until the asparagus is bright green and the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add sun dried tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
3. In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, quinoa, warm veggies and sprinkle with the goat cheese.
4. Serve with a side of grilled or baked chicken breast, or other lean protein.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 137 calories, 6g fat, 323mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 7g protein

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1. You have no time: Do you have time to sit and watch your favorite shows? Take a long hard look at your schedule and find the time. It’s there if you just look for it.
2. You have no energy: This excuse will be a non-issue once you’ve been exercising regularly for a couple of weeks. Your energy will build as you become more fit and active.
3. You have no motivation: Read the below 15 reasons to exercise and find which one motivates you. Do you want to look better? Do you need to fight disease or aches and pains? Find your motivation and run with it.
4. You’ve failed in the past: I get it; past failures are painful to face. But you haven’t really failed until you give up. Don’t give up on yourself! Go out there a do it.
5. You don’t know where to begin: No problem. I do know where you should begin. Call or email me today and together we will get your workouts back on track.

Slowly put your excuses down and walk away from them.

Embrace your motivation, and get started.

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It’s normal to have days where you just don’t feel like exercising.

You feel too busy, too stressed and quite simply too tired.

And you forget about all the amazing benefits that a consistent and challenging exercise routine gives you. I’m here to remind you.

Here’s a list of 15 of the top reasons to exercise. Pull out this list and read it when you’re having one of those days.

1. To Be Happier
Exercise has been shown to stimulate brain chemicals that induce relaxation and happiness. When you’re having a bad day, lace up your shoes for an invigorating workout and feel happier.

2. To Reduce Disease
Exercise has been proven to reduce the risk of pretty much every single health problem known to man, from stroke to heart disease to cancer and osteoporosis. Exercise is also a great defense against type 2 diabetes, one of the most widely growing diseases of our time.

3. To Look Amazing
Exercise firms your muscles, improves your posture and even makes your skin glow. Looking amazing is a wonderful result of regular exercise. It’s very rewarding when the people in your life start to notice your transformation.

4. To Reach Your Goal Weight
Exercise burns fat and helps you keep it off. If you want to have a leaner, healthier body, exercise is your answer.

5. To Be Energized
Remember that feeling you experience after a great workout? You’re body is buzzing with energy, you’re less easily irritated and feel more peaceful.

6. To Get Better Sleep
Exercise boosts energy levels during the day, but also wears you out. Recovering from a challenging workout will help you relax and reach a deeper level of sleep.

7. To Slow Aging
Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to slow aging. When you age your body loses muscle and bone, and the loss of both are drastically reduced with regular exercise. You’ll also enjoy a reduction in inflammation.

8. To Lessen Back Pain
In most cases, the most effective thing that you can do for back pain is to move and strengthen those muscles. Always consult your physician, registered massage therapist, or certified sports injury therapist for guidance if you have an injury.

9. To Reduce Depression
Studies have shown that exercise is able to reduce depression – sometimes even as effectively as medication. Even if you don’t feel like getting up off the couch to sweat through a workout, remember that you’ll feel happier and more alive once you’ve done it.

10. To Feel Fewer Aches and Pains
When you strengthen the muscles around your damaged joints you’re able to reduce joint pain and overall aches. Remember to always consult your physician before starting an exercise program, especially if you have chronic joint pain.

11. To Improve Memory
Exercise has been proven to improve memory and other cognitive functions, and seems to have a protective effect against dementia. A Harvard University researcher was quoted calling exercise “Miracle-Gro for the brain.”

12. To Enjoy Your Life
Whatever it is that you love in life – your kids, travel, sports, fashion – it is all more enjoyable when you experience it in a fit and healthy body. Find the motivation to exercise so that you’re able to enjoy all the great things in your life.

13. To Have Fewer Sick Days
Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly are 50% less likely to call in sick to work. With a regular exercise program you’ll experience a reduced number of colds and upper respiratory infections.

14. To Burn Calories at Rest
Building your muscles through exercise means that you’ll be burning extra calories even while at rest. You’ll be able to eat more and maintain your ideal weight with ease.

15. To Be Confident
When you are fit, feel healthy and have energy, the natural result is great confidence. There’s no better confidence booster than sticking with a regular exercise program. The results are more than worth your efforts.

Regular exercise gives you so many amazing benefits, as you’ve been reminded from the above list.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will have you seeing results before this year’s end.

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