Abs Start In The Kitchen Plus 4 More Tips

I’ve had 3 new client calls in the last month and you know what each and every one asked? What exercises can I do to get flat abs! You know what I told each and everyone of them…abs start in the kitchen!

You want flat abs? Don’t we all! You can do sit ups, crunches and Pilates until you’re blue in the face but unless you remove the fat that lays on top of the muscle, those bellies are not going to flatten . Also, genetics plays a big role in where your body stores fat. I store my fat in my middle and unless I get it sucked out or lose a very unhealthy amount of weight I will never ever have a sick pack.

But don’t give up yet, you can shrink the belly enough to where you feel happy about yourself and your clothes may fit a bit better. I’ve seen it happen!

Stop right now If you are looking for a quick fix weight loss, detox, holy grail solution to get flat abs. You are in the wrong place. But if you want to stick around to learn the fundamentals of how to lose weight and keep it off as a woman over 50, stick with me for the next few minutes to learn how.

The first thing you have to understand is that as we age our metabolism slows down. it’s a fact when we are in our 40, 50s and 60 we may burn 200 to 300 less calories per day than we did in our 30s. It may not sound like a lot but when you do the math that can add up to almost a pound a week. Keep doing what you’re doing, just aging, and that can add up to 30 pounds in one year. If we keep eating the same way we did and like most of us move a little less, those belly’s have no chance in hell of shrinking.

Now don’t run away crying, or give up, Trust me, if you are a woman over 50 you can shrink that belly you just have to come up with a new strategy.

Here are the top 5 things I’ve learned are the best ways to attack that belly fat.

1. Prioritize Healthy Eating Over Exercise

Yes, abs do start in the kitchen. You cannot exercise away a bad diet. And it’s why this is tip #1. I thought for years that I could out run my bad eating, not true. Yes, you need exercise to keep your body strong and capable but you don’t need it to lose weight. A healthy eating plan is the foundation, why? Because it’s so much easier to not eat 500 calories than burn 500 calories. It can take an hour or more on treadmill to burn that much.

So what is healthy eating? It isn’t rocket science. the best diet or healthy eating plan for YOU is one that you can stick to for the long term. IT IS NOT a quick fix detox or shake or low carb whatever, it’s something that is convenient, not complicated, and filled with food you enjoy. If it isn’t you will not stick to it. Through my course in Integrative Nutrition the tried and true advice is what they called IDEAL plate – ½ Veggies, ¼ protein and ¼ healthy carb with some healthy fats mixed in. That’s it. I guarantee if you could make each meal a plate that looks like this you will lose weight REALLY. I dare you. Here is a link to an eBook I created to help called the Ideal Plate Guide or watch my video HERE

2. Sleep

This could be tip #1 because sleep is the foundation of weight loss.   I found hundreds of studies linking weight gain to lack of sleep.  While the exact way that losing sleep may contribute to weight gain or weight loss resistance is not understood, studies have shown that lack of sleep affects the parts of the brain that control eating. It also affects our hormones; leptin which is the one that tells us we are full and ghrelin which tells us we are hungry— if these are off you my never feel full or you’re more hungry than normal.   Have you ever had this happen; you don’t get enough sleep and your hungrier than normal and all you want are comfort foods?    

So how in the heck do you get more sleep?  This may be harder than eating right.  My recommendation is to try keep a sleep journal at first , wear a sleep tracker like my Fitbit.  And DO all the things the sleep experts tell you; go to bed earlier, wake up later, turn off your devices, wear ear plugs or a sleep mask, keep the room cool.   Try everything you can to get more sleep if you are trying to lose weight.  I know first hand this is not easy especially if you are dealing with hot flashes, noisy pets, a snoring husband…but if you want to lose weight it’s worth your time trying to figure out a plan for you.   A trip to the doctor might help and I also filmed a video several years ago on my Sleep Tips For Women Over 50.

3. Daily Movement

This isn’t an exercise session (although that counts) this is simply just moving more throughout the day. You may have heard me say that sitting is the new smoking and if you have a desk job or working from home not getting enough movement will kill any attempt to shrink that belly. It’s not crazy, it’s just taking a walk, doing housework, yard work I’m talking 8-10K steps per day or 30 minutes. It’s great for your brain, your joints and your waistline. I know I sit way too much so lately I’ve set a timer for every hour and get up and walk around the house!

4. EXERCISE… but the right kind

Exercise does burn calories so it can be a factor in helping you lose belly fat but it has to be effective exercise. Gone are the days of cardio, cardio, cardio. In fact I’m learning that intense steady state cardio (like I used to do spending an hour on my elliptical) increases your levels of cortisol or your stress hormone and when that is elevated your body holds onto everything especially fat.

If you are a woman in their 50s no 40s, no, all women…you need to lift weights. As we age estrogen drops, bone density drops, muscle mass drops and with that so does our metabolism and strength training reverses all of that. Strength training also creates a toned body that’s more capable of doing all you love to do. You’ve got to lift heavy weights and you have to do it 2-3 times a week! You are not going to turn in the incredible hulk, it’s just going transform your body. Want to try my Free Basic Strength Training Workout? Click HERE, send me you email and I’ll send you FREE access.

On the other 4-5 days of the week, mix in Low Impact HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training Cardio with exercises to build a strong core, balance and posture and do not skip the stretching. AND as one member of the Be Healthy Enough community said “I love that you’ve given me permission to take a rest day!” Restoring your body with rest, stretching and foam rolling is one of the key concepts of every one of my workout plans in the Be Healthy Enough Digital Fitness Studio

5. Review Your Behaviors

To be honest this should have been tip #1 because weight loss is all about our behaviors. Let’s face it, at our age we know that grilled salmon is better for us than that burger. We know what healthy foods are, it’s how do we get ourselves to choose them on a regular basis or make eating healthy a habit. The best way I’ve found to shift behaviors is to set goals and understand “why” you want to achieve them. I think that losing weight is one of the most difficult things you can do – so it’s important to understand your motivation and your “why”. Things get tough and knowing your “WHY” could help you from reverting back to your old habits. Here is another FREE video to help called FINDING YOUR WHY. What I really hope you get out of this fun little task is that you realize that losing weight isn’t about looking good, it’s about growing old with grace and being healthy enough to do all you want to do in your life.

Pheww, that was a lot to throw at you and it may take time to digest it all In summary, remember that the first step to getting a flatter belly is to develop a new strategy for your healthy eating, download the ideal plate guide and make it work for you, then figure out how to get some sleep, then revamp your exercise strategy oh and make sure to look over the Be Healthy Enough Digital Fitness studio where I’ve created 100’s of workout videos designed for us over 50 crowd. Then the last thing is to make sure you spend some time understanding your WHY. Why do you want to lose weight, why do you want to make your health a priority and use this to motivate you when the going gets tough (because it always gets tough)

If you’re struggling to find a good core workout that’s designed for us women over 50 then you should check out all the ones I have in the Be Healthy Enough Digital Fitness Studio. I’ve been trained in Pilates and I know how to work around the aches and pains that creep in as we age. Try one or more FREE for 7 days. Click HERE to view my workout library first.