Weight a Minute - 5 Ways to manage Body Composition and Positivity

There is so much talk about the ‘freshman 15’ that I feel like women omit the ‘mid-life 15’. Have you had the conversation with a friend about that weight in your 20s you maintained effortlessly? Now you’re heavier on a scale… all while feeling the same? That doesn’t mean that you should want to lose weight but, you probably own a few pieces of clothing from several years ago that you might fit into again, but don’t, while feeling like not much in your lifestyle has changed to warrant that.

When you try and address your body composition with dieting, it has become significantly harder and ultimately (ideally) you accept the weight - which is irrelevant as a number anyway - and size up in clothing. But for most women some nagging feeling remains…

For most of us, the number on a scale becomes less important as we get older and feeling good in clothing plays a bigger role. We want to see some areas of our body trim while accepting that others lose their plumpness or their lift. Loving the changes in our body is one huge step to being good to our body in ways that require more discipline. The changes we seek have to come from a place of relative calm and a happier state. Changing habits and feeling physically good and like we can push more exercise and healthier eating, is very hard to do when life is stressful and we are strung out and anxious.

Contributors to weight gain as we age, include declining estrogen levels, continued loss of muscle tissue and lifestyle factors such as poor sleep and lack of the right kind of exercise (we will share exercises through our social media channels).

Some studies suggest that there is a correlation of metabolic syndrome (a confluence of conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes) and perimenopause and the risk of developing conditions related to blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure increases as we near menopause and enter postmenopause.

Now that we have the scary part explained and know that we owe it to ourselves to be as healthy as possible, let’s talk about ways that we can adopt concrete habits and a mindset that will allow us to be the best version of ourselves on most days.

I will give examples for days when we feel good and ready to tackle anything and examples for days when we feel run down and need added motivation and inspiration.

High Energy Day:

1. Start the day hydrated. Whether you like lemon water (check our Instagram for the lemon water hack). Our body dehydrates over night and needs to refill with the good stuff before adding dehydrating coffee or matcha. Also: drink a glass of water when you feel hungry before immediately satisfying the hunger with grazing.

2. Add cold therapy to your morning routine. Shower cold (cold is very much subjective) for 1 minute and start your day invigorated.

3. If you do intermittent fasting, go for a 12 - 16 hour window. Don’t extend beyond that and make sure you break your fast with a good substantial meal. Often women will test their willpower to not eat a lot when really the 8 hour window of refueling is key and needs to ensure an adequate of calories that are appropriate with your basic metabolic rate and level of exercise.

4. Add exercise snacks instead of food snacks to your day. Set a number of squats, crunches, triceps dips or jumping jacks for the whole day. Make it daunting and work your way towards the end goal in smaller increments. Try adding some of them right after eating food.

5. Remove the carbohydrates (simple carbs like bread, pasta, rice) from your dinner and eat early to allow your body to digest fully before bed and work on repairing the body with the extra protein you ingest.

Low Energy Day:

1. Eat a high protein breakfast with added collagen (the peptides are metabolized as protein) for joint and bone health.

2. Message a friend for accountability that you will move in some way, shape or form during the day. Challenge yourself and them to do the above mentioned exercise snacks and keep each other updated (have a quick pity party with them in the form of a text message or audio message - it gets some things off your chest).

3. Foam roll or stretch at some point during the day and pay attention to your breath. Take conscious breaths in and out. It doesn’t have to be a full yoga class but can be as simple as dropping into a wide legged forward fold, a cross legged forward fold and a pigeon on each side. Usually once you started there you will be tempted to do a bit more (check our social media for inspiration).

4. Cut out as much sugar and alcohol as you can. A low energy day doesn’t need the added downer of a depressant (alcohol) even if it feels like a reward and it doesn’t need the roller coaster of the sugar high and low. Add a bit of tart cherry juice to sparkling water for a taste of sweetness and some bubbles, do your stretches or foam roll the blues away and call it a night sooner.

5. Progressive Muscle Relaxation in Bed (because more restful sleep is linked to better fat metabolism)

   The body scan meditation can promote body awareness, stress awareness, and relaxation, setting the stage for peaceful rest. Lie down on your back, legs and arms extended, use a pillow for support, if preferred. Notice the sensations at the top of your head. Focus your attention on your skull. Allow any tension you feel to gently release by tensing the muscle briefly on a deep inhale, and then letting go on the exhale. Scan your face area, forehead, eyes, and nose, allowing the skin around the cheek and jaw bones to slowly melt. Now bring your attention to the sensations present in your shoulder area, directing the exhalation of your breath to lowering the shoulders away from the ears. Notice your upper back, your mid-back, and the sensations in your lower back. Bring your attention to the top of the chest area. Gently scan your chest, your rib cage, and allow your stomach to soften. Now, notice your pelvic area and the places where your body has contact with the bed. Bring attention to each leg, your knee, and your calf, starting at the top of the right leg and moving to the left. Let your feet feel heavy, bringing attention to the heels, the arch, and each toe, beginning with the pinky toe and making your way to the big toe. Now that you’ve scanned your body, you’re welcome to start again. This time, you can start at your feet and go back up through your body until you get to the top of your head.

I hope you find these tips useful. This is just the beginning and if you stick around, you’ll find out how we make these habits stick and how we make them fun.

Be well,

Roma and Team Vitelle