Six Secrets for Super Simple Slimness:

“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
Buddha (c. 563 BC to 483 BC)

Hello,

This is Dr. Michelle Nielsen of Master Manifestors and I would like to welcome you to this months featured blog: “ Six Secrets for Super Simple Slimness”. I apologize in advance for the length of this article as I have so much great information to share!

(You may prefer to listen to the video version as a “webi-sode” on vimeo by clicking here )

In this article, I will provide you with Six Simple Steps that you can implement over the next six weeks, to manifest a healthy, fit and strong body.

Okay, maybe they aren’t the biggest “secrets” in the world, but after being involved in the wellness and personal development movement for over 20 years, I have simplified a vast amount of knowledge that really does work for easy and long-term weight loss. At the end of the day, there are no magic tricks and common sense does go a long way.

After all, there are many people who KNOW what to DO, but very few people DO what they KNOW.

At the end of this article, you will find a link to try a guided meditation. After years of being involved in the personal development movement, I have found that meditation can be one of the fastest ways to make permanent and lasting change. All of the practical information that I, or anyone else, shares with you, is useless if you don’t reprogram your subconscious mind. This is what is in control of our thoughts, habits and behaviors. Guided meditation has been found to be a powerful way to do this.

Now, without any further ado, here are The Six Secrets for Super Simple Slimness. I challenge you to commit to these six steps for the next six weeks, and if you do, I am sure you will be saying hello to a healthier, happier and sexier you!

SECRET #1:
ADIOS SUGAR AND SWEETNERS!

Did you know that the average person in western society consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds (or 1.5 kg.) of sugar each week? Which is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods.

The last 20 years have been particularly detrimental. With the advent of high fructose corn syrup being used as a cheap sweetener by almost all “food” manufacturers, sugar consumption has increased from 25 lb. per year in 1992 to it’s present level of consumption of 140 lb./year.

Put another way, we consume over 200 times more sugar than our great-grandparents, 20 times more than our grandparents and almost 7 times more than our parents!

It’s no wonder almost 35% of Americas, 25% of Australians and 33% of British are obese. And, I’m talking about OBESE (not overweight!), which means they are carrying a 30% body fat than they should be.

Aside from sugars other detrimental effects on your teeth, bones and general health,

SUGAR MAKES YOU PUT ON WEIGHT IN THE FORM OF FAT!

If you are on a low fat diet, and treating yourself to “low calorie” muffins, cookies and ice-cream that are high in sugar, you will most likely gain weight.

One of the most important factors, if you are trying to shed pounds or maintain a healthy weight, is not so much about the amount of calories that you consume but… it is ALL about the amount of insulin that your body produces and secretes. When you eat sugar, your body releases insulin which is manufactured by your pancreas. And, insulin, promotes the storage of fat.

An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body’s blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin, promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets or ANYTHING high in sugar, you’re making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels.

If you are serious about losing weight, immediately commit to 6 weeks of NO sugar or sweeteners. (No honey, no artificial sweeteners, no maple syrup and certainly no aspartame!) Read your labels, as you will find sugar in many processed foods.

However, if you are a sugar addict, don’t despair… after a week or so, your craving for sugar will decrease and soon, you will even be repulsed by overly sweet foods.

For treats and dessert enjoy fresh whole fruits and indulge yourself to an occasional high quality dark chocolate (80% or above) such as the brand LINDT. You will learn to enjoy the CHOCOLATE flavor itself, and not the sweetness.

SECRET #2:

HELLO WATER!

You should be drink 1.5-2 liters of water per day. For one, this replaces unhealthy sugary drinks.

Water also decreases your appetite. As many times people mistake thirst for hunger, and end up overeating … when what their body really craves is hydration.

Also, when you are not drinking enough water, you body will retain the water that it has and this will cause you to bloat. The more water you drink, the more water your body allows itself to release.

Proper water consumption also removes toxins, keeps you hydrated and is good for your skin.

Another Secret Weight Loss Weapon is Lemon!

Add a little fresh lemon to increase flavor and to help the body regulate its metabolism and sugar absorption, in a manner that helps you lose extra weight. The secret lies in the “acidity” content in a lemon. Lemons are rich in citric acid, so when you take a glass of lemon juice in plain warm water first thing in the morning, you introduce healthy natural digestive aid into your stomach. The citric acid, from lemons, ends up interacting with the other acids and enzymes in your digestive tract which results in a healthy and problem free digestion.

SECRET #3:
ADIOS CARBS

Carbohydrate intake is often the decisive factor in weight loss success and prevention of widespread health problems like Metabolic Syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes. These average daily intake levels assume that you are also getting sufficient protein and healthy fats, and are doing some amount of exercise.

According to the Author of “The Primal Blueprint” Mark Sisson, the Sweet Spot for Weight Loss is consuming between 50-100 grams per day. (See Sisson’s chart to the left.)

This will help you to steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. This level should Enable 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.

There are plenty of delicious low carb meals to enjoy.

For Breakfast, make yourself a bowl of cut fruit, topped off with a non-sugared yogurt and sprinkled with delicious nuts.

For Lunch, indulge in a large salad topped with tuna, wild salmon or organic grilled chicken (or a boiled egg if you are vegetarian).

Feel free to eat plenty of whole fresh fruit for snacking.

And, for dinner, indulge in lots of veggies with a side of grilled fish or chicken.

A high protein, low carb diet will increase your metabolism, decrease hunger and give you a much higher level of sustained energy throughout the day.

An excellent resource for this style of eating is the website http://www.marksdailyapple.com created by Mark Sisson.

You are what you eat!

SECRET #4:
HELLO MUSCLE MASS!

We’ve all been told about how important that time-consuming, aerobic exercise is, but the real secret to boosting your metabolism and keeping the weight off is to build up your muscle mass.

Did you know that after the age of 30, we lose 1% of our muscle mass per year? Scary isn’t it!

For longevity and vitality, it is important to maintain or increase our muscle mass with muscle building exercise.

Exercises that strengthen muscles can reduce the risk of falls and fractures, promote healthy bone density and improve balance and coordination, which can help prevent falls. Benefits like this can lead to a better quality of life during one’s senior years.

These benefits are noted in:

Your Posture:
Having strong muscles in your core, hips, back and shoulders will help give you better posture. You might be able to sit straighter and even more comfortably with stronger muscles.

Your Mind:
Many people find strength training to be a healthy way to deal with stress. Strong muscles and a healthy looking body can also improve confidence and self esteem.

Prevention of Disease:
New research indicates that adding strength through resistance training may positively affect risk factors like insulin resistance, glucose metabolism, metabolic rate, blood pressure and gastrointestinal transit time. These are associated with diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Muscle mass is also very important for weight loss and maintenance as it boosts our metabolism. The advantages of muscle building exercise last well beyond the actual exercise session itself.

What exactly is metabolism? It’s the amount of energy — in the form of calories — that we burn during the day.

When you increase your muscle mass, you boost your resting metabolism — and that makes your body burn more calories,

Sure, we burn calories when we run or walk. But, with an increased muscle mass we can also burn calories when we sit at the computer or TV, even when we sleep — what’s referred to as “resting metabolic rate.”

HOW GREAT IS THAT?!

Some examples of muscle building activities are: using hand weights to do bicep curls, using weight machines at a gym, even doing specific calisthenics such as push-ups and abdominal crunches. If you are just jumping on the fitness train, don’t go crazy. Start with 20 -30 push-ups per day, even if you have to start with the modified style of doing them from your knees. Build up to full push ups until you can complete 50 push up / per day…you should be able to knock them over in 10 minutes…(oops! there goes the time excuse!)

Put simply, if you’re building strength, you are constantly burning calories to fuel your muscles!

Any kind of strength training is going to increase muscle mass and experts recommend weight training twice a week.

If in doubt, invest in 5-10 sessions with a personal trainer to set you up with a simple routine that you can stay consistent with. The benefits are well worth the effort!

SECRET # 5:

HELLO AEROBIC EXERCISE!

Get sufficient cardiovascular/aerobic exercise.

There’s no getting around it — a big burn does come from cardiovascular exercise. That means running, hiking, walking, cycling, taking aerobics classes, dancing, kickboxing, rollerblading (my favorite!) or using cardio machines at a gym, anything that gets your heart rate up.

Ideally, you should do this 3 to 4 times week for 30 to 40 minutes each time.
The whole idea here is just getting out there and burn off any excess energy stress and as many calories as you can. Why not trade in your car commute for a bike-ride, or take the stairs instead of the elevator?! Every bit helps!

SECRET #6: HELLO MEDITATION!

Re-program your subconscious mind with meditation!

Why is it that sometimes we are so determined to make a positive change, and yet, we find ourselves reverting back to our old self in no time?

Well, one of the reasons is that when we commit to a change, we do so with our well-meaning conscious mind. However, this only accounts for 10% of what actually controls our habits and behavior. The truth is that our real programming is stored in the other 90% of our brain that is known as our subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind, in reality, is what drives you! It is responsible for your automatic body functions and habitual behavior (the good, the bad and the ugly!) The subconscious mind also stores our memories, manages our emotions, and controls automatic behavior and responses. So, unless we change the programming in our subconscious mind, we often revert back to bad habits and become frustrated and disappointed when we attempt to make change.

That’s why I have found it very helpful to introduce guided meditation for people who want to make real change. When our mind is in the relaxed state, known as Alfa or Beta, the normally locked subconscious mind is open and we can re-program it with positive thoughts and suggestions. It’s almost as if we are re-programming our subconscious mind by hitting the delete button and typing in new information, just like we do on the computer.

Some of you may have already tried meditation or hypnosis to make a change in your life. But, for those of you who haven’t and are interested in re-programming your mind to create healthy natural habits to achieve natural slimness and vitality, I encourage you to give it a try on Vimeo. It won’t cost you anything (other than 20 minutes of your time) to try—RIGHT NOW!—with this special meditation that I have created called:

THE HAMMOCK EXPERIENCE:

A Guided Meditation for Creating Your Ideal Weight & A Healthy Body

This Guided Meditation will help you:

*Re-Program Your Thinking.

*Create Healthy Habits.

*Strip Food of Its Power Over You.

So find a comfortable position where you won’t be disturbed for the next 20 minutes. Put on your headphones and sit back and relax to listen to the guided meditation (by clicking here) that will re-program your mind for permanent, lasting and healthy change.

Now, it’s time to get started on these six steps for the next six weeks, to manifest a healthier, fitter body!

Let me know how you’re going or leave your questions at our facebook forum!

Yours in health and happiness,

Dr. Michelle Nielsen
www.MasterManifestors.com