Those Last 5 Pounds…or more

Remember when you were a kid and no matter what you ate, your body stayed lithe and lean?

Then you got a little older and discovered that ice cream cones and Big Macs suddenly became a verifiable enemy?

Good intentions came for a visit (often not long enough). So you started eating better (hopefully) and began parking the car at the end of the lot. You bought a fitbit and started counting steps.

But what if

• your work demands you sit on your duff all day and
• you have that daily 2 hour commute and
• when you’re home the LAST thing you want to do is get back in the car and go to the gym
• …and you’re starving?

Life style and Nature Conspire

Metabolism slows down—about 1-2% per decade after 20. That small percentage translates to about 150 fewer calories burned every day. Added to the sit fest at work, in the car and at home and it’s a small wonder everyone over 25 isn’t overweight. Fat cells expand – a “fat” fat cells tends to stay that way. Call it inertia of the worst kind.

Am I Lazy? Or Tired? Or Stressed?

You can beat yourself up saying “I’m lazy” and that probably won’t get you anywhere. It’s negative incentive. Tired begets tired – as does lazy. Make any changes doable – as in one sensible step at a time. Buy more apples; don’t buy bread. Take a walk on weekends, then start walking 10 minutes before dinner. Keep parking far away from the door *unless it’s super hot – who wants to walk in to work soaked in sweat?

• Bad weather? Walk the mall.
• Too sunny? Find some shade-covered streets, put on a hat and carry a spray bottle.
• Too unmotivated? Strip down in front of a full length mirror. Play some Michael Jackson music (I like Billie Jean)

Stressed? Stress raises cortisol which in turn eventually ends up helping you accumulate belly fat. Take deep breaths, turn on calm music, be thankful for the good things in your life. Get some great smelling aromatherapy oils and sniff when you need to take things down a level or two. Aromatherapy can help with food cravings.

Catalytic Incentive

Settle for less fat cells. Less of them means less of “you”. Try CoolSculpting – it’s still the #1 nonsurgical fat reduction treatment of all time. It works. It’s not painful and you’ll get results with a single treatment (though you may decide to have more for increased size reduction).

Once you’ve got some visible results, it’s amazing how much incentive you discover. You’ll dig out the fitbit, put more rockin’ music on your ipod and smirk at the scale.