The holidays are just around the corner! While some of us are worrying about the holiday shopping getting done, the rest of us are worrying about the weight we are about to gain. Following these 4 lifestyle tips during the holidays will get you slim thick this winter.
Slim-thick is the up-and-coming body in the industry. It is characterized by an insanely small waist, a large butt, and moderately sized legs. You can’t miss it while scrolling through Instagram. While many models may achieve their bodies surgically, there are others who have adapted the perfect workout routine to earn this flattering figure.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking a gallon of water a day is one of the easiest and most effective methods to lose weight. Drinking water increases calorie burning while resting. It is shown that within ten minutes of drinking water in adults, the resting energy expenditure increased 24-30%.
Drinking water before meals also reduces appetite, therefore helping reduce overall calorie-intake during the day and leading to gradual weight loss. Adding 1 cup of water to daily water consumption, reduces weight gain by 0.23 pounds and will help you achieve your slim thick dreams.
Water also speeds up digestion, decreases bloating and inflammation, and flushes toxins out of the body, contributing to the overall look and feeling of being slimmer and getting you slim thick this winter.
Switch to Weight Training
Cardio is actually not the most effective way to achieve your dream body. While cardio may contribute to over-all fat loss, it also contributes to loss of fat in your butt. The secret to being slim thick is losing fat everywhere else in your body.
The glory behind weight training is that you get to focus on certain muscle groups while avoid training others. For example, toning your quads or hamstrings will help you achieve skinnier legs while maintaining the fat in your butt. Doing weighted exercises that isolate your glute muscles will allow you to build muscle in your butt while avoiding building muscles in your calves or quads. Trying out different compound and isolation exercises will help you become slim thick this winter
Weight-training also helps boost metabolism and contributes to weight loss. When you finish weight training for the day, your body isn’t done burning those calories. While the body repairs and builds stronger muscles after a workout, it continues to burn calories. In the end, the more muscle mass you have, the greater number of calories you burn during rest. It is why body builders and olympic athletes like Michael Phelps can consume more than 12,000 calories in a day.
Be Smart About Your Cardio
Now the other aspect of being slim thick is achieving that small waist and reduced belly fat. While doing hundreds of ab exercises seems like the answer for a small stomach, it is not.
Reducing belly fat comes from cardiovascular exercise which is notorious for all-around fat reduction and development of lean muscle throughout the body. In order to maintain the thick thighs and big butt, it is important to pick the right cardiovascular exercise.
Instead of jogging and running long distances, sprinting shorter distances repeatedly will help you maintain a stronger, fuller lower body while cutting the fat from your stomach. Sprinters are known for having strong, thick legs, while distance runners are known for having lean bodies.
Sprinting exercises take a shorter amount of time than running the average 1-2 miles on the treadmill at a medium pace. The best sprinting exercises are running the ‘straights’ or ‘curves’ of a track at full speed while taking a one minute break in between each repetition.
The Stairmaster has to be the greatest invention brought to cardiovascular health. The Stairmaster will help you maintain a lower body while burning stomach fat. The machine strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and glutes, while being low impact on the knees and elevating heart rate. Thirty-minutes on the Stairmaster can burn to 200-250 calories.
Avoid Dairy At All Costs
Dairy is bad for you, especially if you are attempting to lose weight. Not only is dairy found in high-calorie foods such as ice cream and pizza, it is also found in the least-expected foods that are over-indulged in, including cereals, chips, salad dressings, and hotdogs.
Celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Khloe Kardashian have ditched dairy in order to slim down. They realized that consuming milk is equal to drinking your calories, leaving you less-satisfied and still hungry. Everyone wants to chew their calories. A cup of skim-milk can contain 90 calorie while a cup of whole milk can contain 150 calories.
Milk is full of hormones and fat. It is known to be an inflammatory like sugar and trans fats, triggering bloating, weight-gain, and chronic disease.
At the end of the day, the secret to cutting body fat is reducing caloric intake from fats, sugars, and simple carbohydrates. Removing the cup of milk from breakfast or the cookies from dessert will show significant results within weeks in the inches around your waist.
In Conclusion
The average American gains one to two pounds during the holidays. The key to maintaining your current body and achieving your dream body is using these lifestyle changes during the holidays, while enjoying eating whatever you want (minus dairy products).
Here are your tips bundled into one nice present:
1. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week and do exercises that incorporate weights.
2. Be smart about your cardio and choose exercises that help build leg muscles while blasting belly fat.
3. Read food labels and avoid foods with dairy. It is the easiest way to reduce bloating and promote weight loss.
4. Drink water in between conversations with family, running errands, and celebrating the holidays. Your skin and body will thank you.
5. Stay motivated by following Instagram accounts such as @squats and @fitness_iq. Not only do these accounts teach you proper form for weight training, they also inspire you to work hard and get slim thick this winter.