I know firsthand the frustration of doing EVERYTHING right, but still not being able to shed those extra pounds that were clinging for dear life to my midsection.
When I was in my late 30s, I was 30+ pounds overweight (gained over less than a year), yet I had made NO changes to my diet and I was still working out every day.
I would kick butt at the gym, eat salads for lunch, and say no to a glass of wine or a piece of cheesecake when we went out to dinner…
Yet still, the weight wouldn’t budge.
Stubborn weight is one of those things that just drives you crazy. You obsess over it, strategize about what you’re going to do differently, and spend hours researching the “latest and greatest” ways to lose weight fast…
But ultimately, you end up back where you started.
Losing weight in your 20s or early 30s may have been easy. If your pants were feeling tight, you’d just head to the gym a couple of extra times each week and before long, you’d be back down to your normal size.
But hormone changes including perimenopause, estrogen dominance, and insulin resistance radically change this.
Because here’s the thing: your weight is ALWAYS a symptom of something else going on in your body. It’s the thing you see and that you want to change, but really you need to dig a little deeper.
My newest book The Essential Oils Menopause Solution gives some incredibly helpful insights to help you pinpoint exactly what’s happening in your body. Even if you’re not in menopause yet, if you’re a woman aged 30+, this book NEEDS to be in your library!
While you’re digging into the research I’ve done in this book, you may be wondering what you can do TODAY to start feeling more energized (and maybe even slim down a couple of pounds)…
Here are 7 easy ways you can pattern your day to optimize metabolism, energy production, and weight loss to protect your strength and health for the long term!
#1: Intermittent Fasting
Giving your body a digestion break helps your body actually be able to process the nutrients you’ve taken in through the day. Taking an extended break from snacking also supports mitochondrial health (where you get your energy), cellular detoxification (clearing out buildup and junk that slows every system in your body), and lower inflammation body-wide.
A 13-hour window of not eating feels doable for lots of women (like 7 pm to 8 am). This is a great start, but what’s amazing for your body is if you can push it to 15-16 hours at least a few days each week!
#2: Work Out in the Morning
I know what it’s like to be so busy that working in exercise feels overwhelming. But as often as you can, getting that workout in first thing in the morning will give you the best results for your body
Cortisol is the highest right when you wake up in the morning, so this is a great way to leverage this stimulation to boost your mitochondria function. Working out with higher cortisol and healthy mitochondria will give you MORE energy all day (instead of feeling even more depleted and exhausted post-workout).
Even just 20 minutes of strength training speeds up your metabolism for up to 2 hours post-workout!
BONUS! Plan your morning workout before you break your fast. This will help you burn more fat and calories because you’ll be working off of the stores in your body rather than whatever you ate for breakfast.
#3: Focus on Building Muscle Instead of Losing Weight
As we age, the health of our muscles is a key indicator of longevity. Resistance training to build strength, interspersed with occasional aerobic workouts, is typically more effective for women over 40 than high-intensity workouts every day.
Exercise puts healthy stress on your cells and body, but too much intensity can wear down your mitochondria, leaving you more tired and stressed—which signals your body to hold onto fat.
Anyone who has ever killed it at the gym and has never seen any progress on the scale knows this frustration! Being more gentle in your movement over 40 could be the answer to keeping a trim, healthy body through menopause and beyond.
As long as you keep your body moving and leverage some of the other tips in this post, the fat burning will happen naturally!
#4: Take Magnesium at Night
Magnesium is a must-have for ALL women for so many different reasons. When it comes to energy levels and metabolism, if you are lacking magnesium (even only a slight deficiency), these processes won’t work as they should.
Magnesium is SO important for creating energy within your cells, along with weight management, glucose and insulin stability, and muscle health.
The reason I recommend taking magnesium at night is that it’s the best time to leverage its benefits for sleep in addition to these other amazing perks. Taking 300-600mg about 30 minutes or an hour before you go to bed will help you sleep more soundly, calm mental chatter that keeps you awake, and promote healthy cellular clean-up, mitochondria repair, and detoxification while you sleep.
Not all magnesium supplements will be effective (because some literally can’t even be absorbed!). I recommend a combination of magnesium glycinate and magnesium oxide because they work to quickly supply magnesium to your cells while also upping your body’s stores of this essential mineral. Get my bestselling Magnesium Restore here today! >>
#5: Rev Your Metabolism First Thing in the Morning with a Bloat-Busting Water
Before you drink your coffee or tea and before you break your fast, priming your gut and liver with a Belly Slim-Down Water is a simple (but effective) way to debloat and set up your metabolism for all-day success! Here’s what I’m personally using and loving right now:
DR. MARIZA’S BELLY SLIM-DOWN WATER
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
10-15 mint leaves
1 cucumber, sliced
Optional additions if you’re feeling spicy:
A dash of cayenne pepper
Approx. 1 inch of grated ginger root
2-3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Combine all of these ingredients together in a 2-liter glass jar. Fill the rest of the way with filtered water. Allow it to soak overnight, or at least for a couple of hours. Drink at least 16 ounces in the morning BEFORE you eat or drink anything else!
#6: Spice It Up!
Spices like cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, and cayenne help stabilize blood glucose levels and can even help your body burn more calories doing your everyday things. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin, which studies show can boost your metabolism and help you burn an extra 50 calories per day.
I love adding cinnamon to my tea and coffee, throwing some cayenne in my Slim-Down Water, and sprinkling spices like ginger and turmeric on my salads!
#7: Get More Protein (20-25 grams per meal)
The average woman gets only half of the protein she needs every day. While we were in our 20s and early 30s, this may have been ok, but as you get to age 40 or 50+, upping your protein becomes even more important.
Women who get enough protein have stronger, more resilient bodies because protein optimizes your muscle health and stabilizes your insulin and blood sugar levels. Getting adequate protein at every meal will also help ward off pesky cravings that derail your best intentions and keep you energized all day long.
One of the easiest ways to effortlessly add more protein to your diet is with a high-quality protein powder. Used along with protein-rich foods (like poultry, nuts, seeds, and fish), protein powder can have major protective benefits for your long-term energy and health!
Check out my favorite vegan and Paleo options here today! >>
GET THE ALL-INCLUSIVE PLAN TO TRANSFORM YOUR BODY AT ANY AGE
It’s a myth that weight gain and a slowed metabolism are just “to be expected” in menopause.
Yes, it may take some daily changes on your part, but by giving your body exactly what it needs in the form of healing foods, powerful supplements, and life-giving self-care, you can absolutely feel and look even better now than you did in your 20s!
Don’t believe me? Click here to read my own mama’s incredible story >>
This is the life I want for you, and I know deep down you want it for yourself, too. You aren’t left to wander through store aisles and spend hours Googling alone what you should be doing to make a vibrant, energized life your reality.
The Essential Oils Menopause Solution contains a root-cause approach to stubborn weight and slow metabolism, along with SO MANY other symptoms that are making your life so hard right now.
And Part III of the book is an all-inclusive healing protocol that you can tailor to fit your unique body’s needs—but everything you need to get started is right there in the book!
I can’t wait for you to feel the transformational power of loving up on your body in exactly the way it needs. Grab your copy and some incredible bonuses today!
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