Posted on January 14th, 2011

Let’s start with the most important tip: Your body is amazing. It is the multi-functioning, multi-tasking, high-performing vessel for your beautiful soul. No matter what your shape or size, we love it.

So why the tips on getting lean? Because for most of us, carrying extra weight isn’t what’s best for us. That’s why the new trim-down Whole Health Program from My Yoga Online is called Get Lean, Get Healthy. Because getting lean—not model skinny —most often means getting healthy. And that’s what’s best for us.

8 Tips to Help You Get Lean, Get Healthy

1.       Notice why you eat. We all eat for different reasons—not just to nourish our body. It’s okay to find a certain degree of comfort in a perfectly-baked brownie. Just become aware that you do. Notice if you connect food—or certain types of food—with memories or feelings.

2.       Recognize. Identify anxiety, worries, and lingering stress for what they really are, rather than trying to interpret them as hunger that can be solved with food.

3.       Fill up on the good stuff. Aim to fill half your dish with vegetables, a quarter with whole grains, and a quarter with healthy lean protein.

4.       Prevention is key. Add stress management techniques such as yoga and meditation to your life. They are just as important—and some would say more important than—counting calories, since recent research has shown that extra stress can lead to extra weight.

5.       Choose the right carbs. Some carbs will send your blood sugar spiraling up or down and the stress-related fight-or-flight hormone cortisol into high alert. Learning how to choose the right carbohydrates will help you decrease stress—and the likelihood of weight gain.

6.       Drink more water. Studies show that if you drink a glass of water before eating, you’re less likely to overeat. Plus, there are about a hundred other benefits to drinking lots of the good stuff—including beautifying ones. Water helps battle hunger, keep cells and digestive and metabolism systems working properly, and washes away toxins. Add lemon to stimulate digestion—a great idea first thing in the morning.

7.       Craving control. When a craving hits, respond not with guilt and avoidance, but with a nutritious, delicious snack. Healthy snacking keeps your metabolism up and your cravings down, and when mealtime comes you will be less likely to binge on too much (or unhealthy) food.

8.       Hunger helper. Stay tuned into your hunger. Learn to eat when you are actually hungry. For you that may mean three regular meals or three to six smaller meals, plus a few healthy snacks.

About Lindsey Lewis
I'm a yoga-teacher, whole health lover, plus a bazilion other things, and lucky to be part of the team at My Yoga Online. I teach Kundalini, Hatha and Yin yoga, and write a blog about it all, plus my learnings from a life lived with intention, at www.joyyoga.ca. Connect with me at my profile on My Yoga Online.

8 Days of Getting Lean, Getting Healthy

For more tips on how to reveal your leaner, sleeker self, connect with My Yoga Online on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll be posting them there regularly starting Monday, January 17.

WHOLE HEALTH PROGRAMS
The My Yoga Online Whole Health Programs are the pro-active solutions project of yoga teacher-turned wellness business woman Michelle Trantina, co-founder of My Yoga Online. Conceived as a way to help busy people live truly healthy lives, Michelle created the programs with the help of her colleagues—yoga teachers and whole health aficionados Kreg Weiss (also co-founder of My Yoga Online) and Lindsey Lewis.

Tags: Yoga, Wellness, Michelle Trantina, Kreg Weiss

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