10 Simple, Effective Weight Loss Habits to Start TODAY

If 2020 has not been so kind to your waistline, you’re certainly not alone! From stay-at-home mandates and job layoffs to sleepless nights, stress eating and lack of physical activity, COVID-19 has been a pandemic of epic proportions that’s affected us mentally, physically and emotionally (and rightfully so!).

If you’re feeling sluggish, bloated and down, why wait until the new year to “get back on track”?! Here are 10 things that you can start doing TODAY to improve your health and happiness (while getting a handle on that nasty sweet tooth):

1. Drink 20 oz. water upon rising - after (presumably) going 8 hours without food or drink during your night of sleep, you naturally wake dehydrated. Jumpstart your metabolism, energize and support bowel regularity by drinking a large glass of filtered water first thing in the morning. Even better: add a squeeze of lemon for extra liver support and detoxification.

2. Oil pull in the morning - health really does starts in your mouth! Oil pulling helps eliminate bacteria from between your teeth and gums before it enters the rest of the body. This powerful detox technique can be incorporated on a daily basis to improve energy, brain power, oral hygiene and SO much more. CLICK HERE for a how-to!

3. Dry brush 2-3 times per week - dry brushing promotes weight loss in a myriad of ways. First of all, it sloughs off the top layer of (dead) skin cells and opens the pores - a primary channel for toxin elimination. Secondly, it assists in blood flow throughout the body. It also fights inflammation, boosts energy and stimulates lymph movement which boosts immunity and detoxification while minimizing the appearance of cellulite. CLICK HERE for a tutorial!

Note: the skin needs to maintain its naturally acidic pH to protect the body from bacteria and other potentially harmful pathogens. Dry brushing too often can compromise the protective barrier - I recommend limiting this practice to no more than 2-3 days per week.

4. Finish your shower with a COLD blast - although hard to fathom, especially in the colder winter months, ending your warm shower with a 20-30 second blast of as cold of water as you can tolerate is a power habit to incorporate on a daily basis.

Anti-inflammatory and energizing, this quick ‘n easy tip also helps boost brain power, blood flow and it even actives brown fat cells for a metabolic boost!

5. Eat a protein-packed breakfast within 1 hour of rising - blood sugar balance is the #1 KEY (in my opinion) to hunger and craving control. Prevent your body from going into starvation (hoard calories as fat) mode by eating breakfast within 60 minutes of waking in the morning. Great options include: veg-heavy smoothies and egg dishes.

Are you into intermittent fasting? Great - there are certainly many benefits to eating by the clock! BUT (and I know, there’s always a but…), I encourage you to skip dinner, rather than breakfast. Why? Because I’ve actually seen fasting backfire, especially in women, causing them to GAIN, rather than LOSE, weight. See tip #7 for a work-around.

6. Swap out that second cup of coffee for matcha - although coffee gets you up and going for the day, it can be too stimulating on the adrenal glands when consumed at the wrong times or in excess. Keep your hormones balanced by cutting back to just 1 cup of coffee per day, preferably mycotoxin-free, and switching to green tea thereafter. Matcha latte anyone?

7. Swap out your salt - have you been avoiding salt as an attempt to beat the bloat? News Flash: this can easily work AGAINST you and INCREASE (rather than decrease) fluid retention! Here’s why: the minerals provided by the right kind of salt help evenly distribute your bodily fluids between the inside and outside of your 50-100 trillion cells. When these minerals, especially sodium and potassium, are balanced, you will shed that water weight and de-puff.

Instead of white table salt, kosher salt or even Maldon flakes, I recommend using an unrefined sea salt such as Himalayan pink salt or Real Salt®.

8. Turn to dark chocolate for sweet tooth satisfaction - life’s too short to deprive yourself, but overindulging in sugar drives inflammation, thus weight gain. So what’s a sugar craver to do? Instead of eating candy, cookies, pastries, juices, soda and specialty coffee drinks, try lower sugar, antioxidant-rich 70% cacao content (or higher) dark chocolate. This natural dopamine-booster is highly satisfying and just bitter enough to prevent overeating!

9. Stop eating by 7pm - closing the kitchen at least 3 hours before bed allows for complete digestion and prevents you from waking with that heavy, bloated feeling. It also supports deeper, more restorative sleep which balances hormones that are responsible for hunger and cravings, the metabolism, blood sugar balance, energy and fat storage. I personally swear by this habit for keeping my weight in check!

10. Incorporate 2-3 hours of meal prep a week - if you want to eat healthy, you MUST meal prep, there’s really no way around it. Click here for some ideas and easy recipes :)

For many, this year has been full of challenges, uncertainty, stress and aggravation. As the pandemic continued to spread, overeating, excessive drinking and Netflix binges quickly replaced healthier habits such as meal prep, eating by the clock and daily exercise. Although sugar, carbs and a daily nightcap help us feel better in the moment, we must balance these indulgences with healthy habits to feel good longterm.

If you’re stuck in this vicious cycle, the only way out is to choose a different path. Rather than taking on yet another “diet”, I encourage you to integrate these 10 simple habits into your regime, one by one, until they become your new norm. Although these habits may seem too small to make an impact, they really will in time; after all, it’s the small steps (when done consistently) that lead to big, and more importantly, LASTING change!

Want more personalized guidance? Click HERE to book a One-On-One Coaching Session with me.

This article contains affiliate links, which means that if purchases are made when clicked, I receive a small commission. Thank you!