Trust me when I say you are not alone in this fight to lose belly and hip fat. It is a billion dollar business and everywhere you turn someone is trying to sell you something that will solve all of your weight loss problems.
Here is the truth –women are meant to have body fat, so unless you are willing to make a complete lifestyle change and cut out all sugar and grains and exercise like crazy you will always have fat on your stomach and thighs. I have stopped trying to fight this and just embrace the belly fat I have, as I like wine and chocolate way too much to trade them in for a fatless stomach. Now I am not saying that you cannot limit the fat on your belly and thighs but just know that your tummy will always have a few rolls when you bend over. This is just how women have been designed -- what’s the problem?!
The first suggestion I have for you is get yourself strength training at least twice a week, even if it means you have to drop one of your runs to make time for it. You need to increase the muscle mass on your body and as much as we love the calorie burning of a 5 mile run, your body will benefit much more from the increase in metabolism you will experience from consistent strength training. Find a group strength class near by or purchase a workout you can do at home (like the Insanity Program) that you commit to twice a week. I used to only run but I have since added 3 days a week of full body strength training and I can not tell you the changes that I have seen in my body.
For your cardio workouts, replace one of your run days with a High Intensity Interval Day. You may not run as far but the anaerobic intervals will burn mega calories as well as challenge your body in ways you have not before. Hit a track and run 400s and 800s or get on a treadmill and do 2 minute intervals at the fastest pace you can, allowing yourself to recover for a few minutes in between.
Most importantly, take a look at your nutrition because if you are not eating properly you will not see any results from all of your hard work in the gym and on the track. You do not need to go on a “diet” and cut everything we love out of your diet, but moderation is key and continue to make healthy choices. Eliminate as much processed sugars as you can throughout your week (cutting back on alcohol really helps here), stay hydrated (if you are a coffee drinker, try and stick to one cup per day) and stick to natural sugars (such as fruit and honey) to get your sweetness in your day.
Add things like hemp hearts or Omega 3 oils (Udo’s oil, Flax oil, Fish oil for the non vegetarian) to help decrease your body’s cortisol production. Cortisol, which is your body’s stress hormone, promotes weight gain around the stomach. Alcohol reduction, caffeine reduction and improvements in your sleep patterns will all help combat unwanted belly fat. Try starting your day out with a breakfast high in protein, such as a tofu scramble (poached eggs if you eat eggs) or a protein smoothie, and consume most of your calories earlier in the day. Eating a large breakfast and medium sized lunch with a small dinner is the best way to eat so see if you can rearrange when you consume your calories.
Making a few changes in your diet and lifestyle can make big changes in not only how you look in your bathing suit but also how you feel. And no matter how you look in Mexico, own your body and bikini and be confident out on the beach.
Attached -- Kelly Brook on a bikini shoot last month.
