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Never use the excuse that you can’t eat healthy because it’s too hard, especially when you have this guide that makes healthy eating made simple. The first, and simplest, rule to remember, but not the easiest to follow, is to cut out added sugar. Cutting out sugar is tough for two reasons. First, it’s in almost everything. The next time you grab the catsup for your fries, check the ingredients. You’ll notice the high fructose corn syrup—a type of sugar—is high on the list. The easiest way to avoid it is to eat more whole foods, where you control the ingredients.

The second reason cutting sugar is tough is that it’s addictive.

You’ll see loads of recipes comparing sugary confections to crack cocaine and while it’s meant to indicate the dish is delicious and maybe even addictive, it’s also somewhat true if it’s loaded with sugar. Sugar triggers the brain’s reward system, similar to cocaine, amphetamines and even nicotine. It causes dopamine to be released, which acts like a reward for the body and makes you crave sugar even more! Start by cutting out sugar first, checking labels to ensure there’s no added sugar and stick with it for a few months before you move to the next step.

Include more fruits and vegetables in your meals.

Make you table a rainbow of colors with fruits and vegetables providing that beauty. Green beans, red cabbage, orange carrots and a red apple will add to your good health and provide a wide range of nutrients. Each color represents different nutrients or phytonutrients like anthocyanins in purple, blue or red fruits or vegetables. Eating a rainbow of color provides a wide variety of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals based on their own color.

Remember what you drink makes a big difference, too.

No matter how healthy you eat, what you drink makes a difference. If you’re abstaining from sugar and sticking with whole foods, but have a soft drink, such as a cola, with every meal, you’ll not only be adding empty calories, you’ll be adding loads of sugar. Soft drinks are nothing more than flavored sugar water. Stick with low or no calorie options like water, herbal tea or green tea.

• Don’t grab a diet cola or soft drink, thinking you’ll be saving calories and it’s better for your health. It saves calories, but may be more unhealthy. In fact, one study showed that people who drank diet colas put on visceral fat. Visceral fat is belly fat, the most dangerous type and adds to your waistline.
• Have healthy snacks available. If you’re a midday muncher, having a healthy snack ready and waiting can make a huge difference. It helps you stick with healthy eating and fills you up, not out.
• Don’t fall for the low fat versions. It’s healthy to eat some fat. It fills you up and helps reduce calorie intake. Low fat options don’t do that and often contain added sugar to make them taste better.
• Make smarter decisions and substitutions. Substituting brown rice for white rice or Greek yogurt for sour cream on your potatoes is just a start. Our personal trainers at Next Level Fitness can help you with more aids to make healthy eating easier. Try our first time free trial workout for more help.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness!

If you haven’t heard of intermittent fasting before and think it’s new, be prepared to be surprised. There have been studies that date back a few centuries. One scientific study conducted on rats in the 1940s showed that intermittent fasting could prolong life. It kept the fasting rat looking younger and free of some of the diseases rats face as they aged. Great religious leaders have fasted for both body and spirit, so it does come with a history. However, intermittent fasting is different from the traditional fasting of the ancients. It’s all about when you eat.

Fasting and intermittent fasting are different, but there are also different types of intermittent fasting.

Fasting is often over longer time periods. It might be a weekend or week-long fast, where only water is consumed. Intermittent fasting occurs over hours. It’s based on eating cycles and fasting cycles of hours, not days. Some people find that if they contain their food consumption to an eight hour period each day and fast for 16 hours, it’s easier to do. Some people find that limiting their food intake to the hours of 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm. Some people approach fasting to restricting caloric intake every other day. Other patterns have the person eating normally for five days, separated by two days of eating an extremely calorie-restricted diet of 200 to 300 calories a day or nothing at all for another version.

Find the type of intermittent fasting that works best for you.

Some people find that scheduling their meals and limiting eating to eight to ten hours of each day is the easiest for them to use. Remember, you still have to eat healthy. Intermittent fasting doesn’t mean that when you eat you fill up on candy, cookies and ice cream. Work schedules can interfere with that, so using the alternatives of either calorie restriction every other day, whether simply lowering them, severely restricting them or cutting out food entirely. It all takes planning and can be tough over the weekend, so make sure you consider social functions you have planned.

Fasting occasionally does offer a great many benefits.

How could fasting make you look younger? When you fast, your body starts a process of cellular repair called autophagy. It uses cells that aren’t functioning right or old as energy. That helps rid your body of these cells and slow the aging process, plus protect against diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer. Fasting can also boost metabolic health.

• A healthy diet is always a must, whether using intermittent fasting or not. My favorite is narrowing the time you eat to an eight hour window. I find it easier to remember and easier to do.
• You can try your own experiment and see how intermittent fasting works for you. Plan your meals so you’re eating the same number of calories each week, start by eating normally for a month, then use one of the intermittent fasting techniques for a month. See if you lose more weight with the fasting.
• Intermittent fasting can change the longevity and immunity gene expression to extend lifespan, plus improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation and raise the BDNF a brain hormone that protects from mental conditions, including depression.
• One study showed that IF—intermittent fating—for as little as three weeks to as many as 24 weeks increased loss of abdominal fat by as much as seven percent and increased weight loss to as much as eight percent.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness

Clients who visit us in Irvine, CA, often have big goals. Some that aren’t achievable in less than a few years. For these people who work to help them break down those goals and set monthly goals. That doesn’t negate that “big goal.” It just provides the steps to help them achieve those goals. Why would you want to do that? There’s a number of reasons. One of the biggest reason is motivation.

How can short term goals help you lose weight faster?

The truth is, it doesn’t. What it does do is help you stay motivated to achieve the goals that you initially set. You see a long term goal of getting fit and running a marathon or losing 120 pounds doesn’t happen quickly. It can get pretty discouraging to wait that long to enjoy your accomplishments and everyone needs an atta’ boy to help them stay on the road to fitness. It also helps keep the goal believable and achievable.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have BIG goals.

There’s nothing better than facing a big challenge and also nothing more intimidating. That’s why breaking down the goal to smaller mini goals can be so helpful. In fact, you can set monthly goals and quarterly goals with the ultimate goal your final destination. Your ultimate goal should be truly yours, not something someone else said you should do. However, if the doctor said you have to lose weight, make the goal about losing weight to see your child graduate, prevent the cost and pain of illness or simply to feel better. In that case, it’s not the doctor’s recommendation you’re following but the avoidance of the consequences of not following it.

Short term goals need to be specific, measurable and with a deadline.

Just like long term goals, you need a specific goal. Whether it’s being able to run a certain distance or lose a certain amount of weight, you have to choose something you can measure. If you don’t, you’ll never know when you’ve reached it. Find several ways to measure your goal. Weight loss may include lost inches, too. Blood pressure and health stats can be measures of your goals.

• Don’t try to do everything at once. If you have several goals, start making changes on one goal until it becomes a habit and then add another.
• When you break down your goal to monthly goals, go easy on yourself. Don’t try to lose 15 pounds a month, even though it may be possible. Work on losing two pounds a week is more reasonable
• Get the help of a personal trainer if you’re not sure how to set fitness goals and break them down to monthly goals. They’re used to helping people and can provide aid in knowing what’s possible.
• Our trainers work with each client to not only create meaningful long and short term goals, but also assess those goals and create a program for clients.

Contact us today for more information:  nextlevelfitness.net

No matter what the weather, I carry a water bottle everywhere. It’s partially because I like water. Somewhat because I get thirsty frequently, but also because water boosts my energy level without the high and low repercussions of a sugary soft drink. Water is good for you too. In fact, the brain is composed mostly of water, so you can see how staying hydrated can keep you more alert. The heart and brain contains 73 % water, the lungs have 83% and muscles and kidneys contain 79%.

You’ll notice everything is harder to do and your ability to function reduces when you’re dehydrated.

You can face serious consequences if you dehydrate. Your body needs water to do many of the functions of life. It helps keep your temperature regulated and is necessary to build new cells. If you’re feeling out of sorts, maybe it’s slight dehydration. Water helps you get rid of waste material in your body. It also is a great shock absorber for the brain and lubricates your joints.

To help take off weight, carry a bottle of water.

Did you know that sometimes you think you’re hungry but you’re really thirsty. Those are the times When watermelon and juicy fruit sounds really good. Just think before you eat that bowl of ice cream. Drink a glass or bottle of water and wait for a few minutes. Many times, you’ll be surprised that the craving to eat disappears. Another trick is to drink a full glass of cold water right before a meal. The coldness of the water burns extra calories while the water itself fills you up so you eat less.

I call water my quicker picker upper.

When I feel exhausted and need to keep going, I don’t turn to coffee, but instead go for water. Water also can provide relief if you have achy muscles or feel exhausted. One sign of mild dehydration is achy muscles…and excessive tiredness. One problem with coffee is that it contains caffeine. If dehydration is a problem, you don’t need more caffeine in your system. Caffeine can actually cause you to lose more fluid. Drink water throughout the day to stay at your best. Most people suggest 8-eight ounce glasses of water every day. Drink one the first thing in the morning to get your body awake.

• If you’re bloated and in a battle with water weight, it may sound counterproductive to drink more water, but it works. Water is actually a great diuretic and helps flush out the excess fluid you retained.
• Your age makes a difference in how fast you dehydrate. Older people often dehydrate faster than younger people do. Sometimes, it’s mistaken for senility or dementia. Frequent UTIs may be a sign that you’re also dehydrated. Your body doesn’t have enough fluid to flush out bacteria.
• If you want to look your best, drink more water. It keeps your skin looking smoother and young. While you can’t expect to look 20 years younger, it does prevent premature lines and wrinkles.
• There is so much helpful information, our trainers can provide. For instance, did you know that studies show diet colas actually add inches to your middle? Come in find out everything we have to offer from healthy eating plans and exercise routines to massages and chiropractic help.

Contact us today for more information:  nextlevelfitness.net

If you want to be healthy, you must eat healthy food and that includes what you drink. While there are so many factors that can determine whether you’ll be healthy or not, exercising and eating/drinking healthy are two of the most important. That’s especially important since these are factors that you can control. Today, obesity has reached the level that it’s number one on the list of factors in preventable diseases. Changing your eating habits doesn’t have to be hard. It all starts with one small change.

Changing what you drink is as important as changing what you eat.

If you drink carbonated drinks, coffee with cream and sugar, fruit juice or even alcoholic beverages with any regularity, you’re adding both extra calories and often health risks. Not only are some soft drinks nothing more than sugar, carbonated water and flavoring, they all contain a high amount of sodium—-even diet drinks. Although diet drinks don’t contain sugar, they do contain artificial sweeteners that can be just as bad for your health. Considering one can of cola is about 140 calories, if you drank two cans of cola a day, by switching to water you could lose a pound in less than two weeks without any other changes to your diet. That’s pretty amazing and one quick and healthier because you’re also cutting down on sugar, too.

Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

Adding more green will keep you lean. While you should add more fruit and vegetables, there are also two extra rules to follow. Add more vegetables than fruit. You should have between two and two and a half cups of vegetables and just one and a half to two cups of fruit per day. Don’t forget, you need a good source of protein and healthy fat, too. Both fill you up and keep you feeling fuller longer.

Set yourself up for successful healthy eating.

Okay, if you’re ravenous about nine o’clock at night, it’s not really a good time to eat, but if you must, make sure you have healthy snacks available. Throw out or simply don’t buy unhealthy options. Have healthy ones ready instead. Cut up fresh fruit and vegetables and have them ready for snacks. Have some yogurt based vegetable dip to add some protein. If you have a cantaloupe cut up in bite size squares, people tend to eat it. Have nuts ready to eat in individual portion bags. A sliced apple with a teaspoon of nut butter is a healthy option, too.

• Cutting out added sugar can be difficult, but well worth it for good health. While you’re doing it, keeping a supply of fresh grapes, cherries or other sweet fruit can help.
• Make sure your meals and snacks have a source of protein. While carbs from vegetables give you an energy boost immediately, the protein will keep you full longer.
• Remember, you don’t have to give up your favorite food forever, even if it isn’t the healthiest. Just eat it far less frequently and remember portion control.
• Learn to make substitutions to lower calories and improve nutrition. Something as simple as using Greek yogurt on your baked potato can be easy, yet effective.