Boost Your Weight-Loss Naturally!

Tired of that extra baggage around your waist? Maybe you want to get back into your favorite pair of jeans? Or maybe your just want to be healthier and live a better lifestyle. Whatever your reason may be, weight-loss is a goal that many people have. The problem? Making that goal a reality. Many struggle with weight-gain and managing a healthy bodyweight their whole lives. Getting that weight off once it is on your body can be tricky for some. This can be attributed to all kinds of factors, including environment (exposure to toxins ect..), diet, lack of exercise, motivation and more. I will break down several factors to take into consideration when trying to lose weight and natural paths to success for your weight-loss goals!

Many of those struggling to lose weight have been diagnosed with thyroid disorders, which can cause all kinds of health problems. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck just below the Adam’s apple. This gland manufactures hormones that regulate your body’s metabolism. Something that we all know contributes to weight-gain and the ability to metabolize the foods we eat. It’s part of an intricate network of glands called the endocrine system. A system that is responsible for coordinating many of your body’s activities.

Diet is another big player in the game of weight-loss. While this may seem obvious, it is hard to figure out where to begin when starting new dietary changes. One of the best things you can do in general to become healthier and improve your diet is to base it on whole foods. This will eliminate added sugars, fats, preservatives and other processed foods from your diet. Most whole foods are naturally very filling, making it a lot easier to keep within healthy calorie limits. This is partially due to the high amounts of fiber and the many other essential nutrients that the body need to function in the whole foods. Weight-loss is typically associated with eating whole foods as a natural side-effect.

Drinking water is also very important when trying to lose weight. Well, it turns out there is truth to the claim that drinking water helps with weight-loss. Drinking 17oz of water may increase the calories you burn by 24-30% for an hour afterward. When you drink water before meals it can lead to reduced caloric intake, especially in older people, to help maintain those healthy calorie limits. Not only that, but if you are drinking enough water than you are not drinking other beverages that are high in calories and sugar, which contribute to weight-gain. This will also help you avoid liquid calories that are present in beverages like soda, fruit juices, chocolate milk and energy drinks. By now, most of us know how bad these drinks can be. They are terrible for our healthy in many ways, including an increased risk of obesity. One study showed a drastic 60% increase in the risk of obesity among children, for each daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage they were served.

Getting enough sleep may be the unsung hero of weight-loss. Sleep is incredibly important for weight-loss and the prevention of future weight-gain. Studies have shown that sleep-deprived people are up to 55% more likely to become obese, compared to those who get enough sleep. This number is even higher for the children that are not getting enough sleep. When we are deprived of adequate amounts of sleep it disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones, leading to poor appetite regulation. These findings prove that short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity. The bottom line is, if your trying to lose weight, getting enough sleep is crucial. So, what do you do if you have a hard time sleeping or just can’t stay asleep for a full 8 hours? While many people resort to harmful over the counter sleep medications, which contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) that, among other actions, blocks receptors in the brain that control wakefulness. Other side effects of diphenhydramine include constipation, confusion, dizziness and day-after drowsiness, as well as impaired balance, coordination and driving performance, putting you at risk for falls and accidents. Worse, a 2015 study from the University of Washington found that frequent long-term use of diphenhydramine and other “first-generation” antihistamines have been linked to an increased risk of dementia. The study data also suggested that the dementia risk associated with these drugs may persist and may not be reversible even years after you stop taking them.

So, what is a person to do that has trouble sleeping and doesn’t want the health risks that come along with over the counter sleep aids? First you must consider the various factors that could be responsible for your sleeplessness, including stress (anxiety about not being able to sleep), ambient temperature fluctuations, noise, medications, hormonal changes, or disruption of your regular sleep pattern. Depression, chronic pain, a variety of health issues and sleep apnea can also contribute. Consuming alcohol or caffeine and using tobacco products before bedtime can disrupt sleep, as can excessive napping in the afternoon or evening. After you have gone through that checklist, you may want to look into natural sleep aids. Upon doing so you will find that chamomile flower and peppermint leaf are among the most beneficial in the relaxation and sleep process.

The act of restricting your eating or fasting, can be a very effective way to lose weight. Not to mention all the other health benefits from the various types of fasting, like intermittent fasting. Many of the benefits of intermittent fasting are related to these changes in hormones, gene expression and function of cells. When you don't eat for a while, several things happen in your body. For example, your body initiates important cellular repair processes and changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible. Blood levels of insulin drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning. The blood levels of growth hormone may increase as much as 5-fold. These higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, as well as numerous other benefits. This fasted state also induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells, as well as beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease like cancer.

Here is where things get a little more difficult, but a little more rewarding as well. Physicals exercises like cardio are great ways to burn calories and improve both mental and physical health. Not only does cardio help reduce bodyweight, but it can improve many risk factors for heart disease. The fat burning abilities of cardio seem to be particularly effective at reducing the dangerous belly fat that builds up around your organs and causes metabolic disease. Cardio isn’t the only exercise that can help with weight-loss either. Adding resistance training to your routine can help prevent the loss of muscle mass while dieting. This is key to promoting weight-loss, due to the fact that your body will start burning fewer calories than before if you lose a lot of muscle. So, by adding resistance exercise to your daily routine you can prevent loss of muscle mass while burning more calories. Resulting in a better feeling and looking you!

Sometimes a little boost in the right direction doesn’t hurt either. The boost in this case comes from all natural, 100% organic fitness supplements from us at Organic Muscle. With supplements like our Organic Pre-Workout that has natural fat burning ingredients like organic green coffee bean, yerba mate, cordyceps, rhodiloa rosea and more! These are powerful plants that have been used since ancient times to promote energy and burn calories. This synergetic blend of herbs will not only help you burn fat, it will give you the energy needed to take your training to the next level and move one step closer to your weight-loss goals!