I'm done talking about weight loss.
I've thought about losing some weight myself this year but I'm tired of how that goal makes me feel. What about you? Do you get excited about the thought of having to lose weight or does it make you feel frustrated, overwhelmed or uncomfortable?
The topic of “losing weight” seems to be rampant
What I'm tired of is focusing on the wrong thing.
I want to start talking about body composition - it's the real issue, and I believe we can tackle it with a whole new way of thinking.
Our body composition consists of 2 things:
1. Lean Mass - that's our muscle tissue, bones, and water
2. Fat Mass - that's the fat cells stored in our body
Don't get me wrong, it's not about pulling the covers over my head and ignoring the fact...
that 2 out of every 3 adults do not have a healthy body weight (JAMA 2018) and obesity is associated with a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a variety of cancers. We all know that to be true.
We focused on increasing our lean muscle and decreasing our fat mass?
What if you focused on finding a healthy body composition for you so that you are happy because you have more energy and feel stronger, not because of the number on the scale?
If that sounds good to you, then stay tuned this year for emails from me that will help you focus on feeling your best this year, while working on your body composition.
To start, I want to share 4 proven methods to help you burn fat and detox - all of which support a healthy body composition.
What if this year
Who doesn’t love a good sauna! While the heat may make you feel good it’s also a way for your body to get rid of toxins through your sweat.
Research has found that sweating can remove lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury, especially in people with high heavy metal toxicity (Journal of Environmental and Public Health 2012).
Research on the benefits of regularly using a Sauna is “hot” right now, especially Infrared Saunas. Apparently the heat from an Infrared Sauna raises body temperature deep to the core which results in a deeper level of detoxification helping to rid the body of excess toxins like heavy metals, chemicals, and radioactive particles! That’s cool, but kind of crazy at the same time, don’t you think!
SAUNA
You’re about to love or hate what I’m going to say next.
Regular exercise is a great way to not only target fat loss, but it’s also great at releasing toxins.
When you exercise, you break down fat tissue, this releases toxins into your blood stream. So, if you love to exercise regularly and you’re breaking down fat, you may have more circulating toxins which isn’t necessarily a good thing - unless you make sure you are getting rid of those now circulating toxins.
The good news is exercise does improve circulation, which moves more oxygen to your detox organs (liver and kidneys) so they can start filtering toxins.
However, if you want to do a “biohack stack” (when you use 2 health hacks together to improve your health), I’m going to suggest you combine exercise with either #1 (have a sauna after) or with #3, the next method…Nutritionally supported intermittent fasting.
Excercise
Intermittent fasting is another buzz word I'm sure you’ve heard of around the water cooler or in your IG Feed. It’s basically time restricted eating with nutritional support. You have a period of time when you eat during the day and a period of time when you don’t, and you stick to it. It’s an effective way to reduce the amount of calories you eat and if you give your liver the support it needs, it can do the heavy lifting of detoxing your cells.
That’s why I recommend Isagenix intermittent fasting days (or cleanse days)! Unlike trendy protocols, Isagenix designed a phytonutrient-rich botanical beverage called “Cleanse for Life” to support and reinforce your body’s natural detoxification systems while providing targeted amounts of nourishment to help you feel energized. Isagenix was ahead of it's time, pioneering nutritionally supporting fasting before it was trendy!
Isagenix has many independent clinical studies showing the results of using cleanse days ~ in-fact subjects saw twice as much fat loss than the control group. Ah-MAZING!!
Nutritionally Supported Intermittent Fasting
You may have heard the buzz about Cryotherapy as more athletes and celebrity podcasters like Joe Rogan are talking about it’s wonders. It turns out cold can help you burn fat and detox your fat cells as well!
Most people don’t have access to a cryochamber, so they turn to cold thermogenesis to get the job done.
There’s lots of research to support cold baths and exposing yourself to cold temperatures (a bonus if you live in Canada). A study in the Journal of Clinical Investigations in 2012 found that exposure to cold can increase energy expenditure and may assist in fat loss. Another study from NEJM in 2009 found that adult humans have more brown adipose tissue than originally thought, which can significantly increase the energy you expend when exposed to the cold. More energy expended, means more fat loss.
Do some research and find the method that works best for you - basically short bursts of cold temperatures can increase your metabolism for hours after (i.e. cold baths, cold showers, ice soaks, going outside on a cold day, keeping the house cold).