There are many reasons for over eating…. some people find comfort in food, I find that when I am bored that the first thing I do is open the fridge door. For some it is just a habit…. Do you find yourself craving something to eat while you are watching television? Sometimes it is just a need to keep our hands and our jaws busy.

But stress can also be a major trigger for eating when you are not really hungry. The problem with this is that even though you think you might be calming your nerves with this “stress-eating” you might actually be making it worse.

The comfort foods that we tend to choose like chips, white potatoes and sugary sweets are the foods that cause swings in your blood sugar levels that cause even more intense cravings and then lead to weight gain. Not only that, a drop in blood sugar can make you feel even more stressed and uptight.

Sugary food is not good for Stress

So here are some ideas on how to cope better with your stress without making binge-eating part of that solution:

- Be very aware of the guidelines of a healthy diet and gain knowledge on what foods are really not beneficial     for your health. Find a few healthy snacks that you really enjoy, or keep your portions small when it comes to your snack foods.

- Remove all the temptations from your pantry and your fridge. Stock up with healthy snacks like low fat yoghurt, nuts, raisins, dried apricots, whole wheat crackers, beef jerky, fruit, low fat cheese and cottage cheese. Crunchy veggies like celery and carrot sticks make great healthy, high fiber and fat free snacks. Hummus or eggplant dip is ideal to make those a little more tasty and interesting.

- Keep your hands busy. Find something else to do with your hands besides eat. Find if there are any hobbies you enjoy like drawing, painting, knitting, crosswords, or do some chores around the house and if all else fails distract yourself by calling some friends or family. (Don’t use the phone in the kitchen – hehe)

- Work Out! Exercise is not only a great way to stay fit and manage your weight, but it is also a wonderful stress reliever. If you do not enjoy going to the gym, then clear your mind with a brisk walk around the neighborhood or in the park. I have created the Hot Burning Body Workouts so you can have fun with your workouts right in your own home if you don’t like to go to the gym.

I hope these things help you find better ways to deal with your stress…. and of course you can use all the same guidelines when you are just feeling bored or feel like going on a binge eating spree. We are all human and we all experience this but there are ways to take control. You can do it!

To your health and strength

Vanessa Bader

http://www.hotburningbody.com

I know that getting yourself to the gym or taking out that workout video that you purchased and actually doing it can be rather challenging.  Most people don’t feel like working out because they feel like they do all this work for nothing – they don’t see results.

Others feel it is boring and just don’t feel inspired to get their bodies moving… but once you actually do, how do you get the most out of your workout? How do you achieve your goals, get the body you want?

Visualize the body you want

Yesterday while teaching a Pilates Reformer Class I reminded my class again how important it is to visualize the muscles you are working and how to associate the movement and the desired results of that movement with a vivid image.

Let me explain:

Your body develops exactly how you move – in the way that you work it.  So if your movements are short and heavy – you are actually developing short and stocky looking muscles. But if you work with long, extended motion you are developing a body that appears long and lean.

So if you work with full range of motion and you visualize the muscle group you are targeting, then go ahead and associate that movement with a long and lean visual in your mind. That way you will extend your body even further.

For instance – let us say you are doing body weight squats, or maybe even weighted squats… if long lean muscles are what you want, imagine your body as and elastic band from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes, and every time you extend upwards you want to stretch this elastic band as long as possible.

See how the band becomes thinner as it stretches longer. Now notice how your move your body differently if you keep this image in mind while doing your squats. I guarantee you will be moving with longer and more extended motion in stead of just bending and stretching your legs.

And the more vivid the visual in your head, the more your body will move in that way and the more effective your results will be.

Do not underestimate the power of engaging your mind in simple visualizations while you work out. Not only will you experience much better results but you will now have a much more challenging and exciting workout!

When teaching my Hot Burning Body Workouts I also guide you through the exercises by making use of imagery so you can experience superior results!

To your strength and success

Vanessa Bader

P.S. Visualize the body you want while you work out, as well as go about your day. Visualize how the body you desire will walk, stand and sit. The way you move determines the body you will have – so use your mental tools along with all the physical tools I give you and you will be successful!

I had a conversation with one of the dancers on the ship yesterday that reminded me that now here in my mid thirties my physique is way better than it was in my twenties. Yet, as a twenty-something performer I was dancing way more than I am now and on top of that I use to spend just about the same amount of time in the gym as I do now…

So how come I can spend less time working out now and look better than I did 10 years ago?

Back then I was certainly working hard – or so I thought.

I was working hard and long but not clever… it was not for a lack of trying, but rather a lack of knowing…

See, it is not so much about the amount of time you spend working out but rather the intensity with which you work out. Not only that, but we often underestimate ourselves and how far we can push our bodies so we do the same amount of repetitions week after week and we hardly ever increase the difficulty of what we are doing.

You won’t know how much you are capable of doing until you have tried to push yourself to your limits. The other thing is… as a woman and a dancer I was terribly scared of “building muscles”… but girls, it is a total misconception that if you work with heavy weights you are going to end up looking like a body builder.

The real truth is that by increasing the weight you work with or the repetitions that you do even just a little, it will tone your muscles just that much more. And don’t forget that the more muscle you have, the more fat you will burn, and the more fat you burn the leaner you look.

Lean and toned… does that not sound great? Is that not what we all want? I know that is what I want. Lean and toned is so much better than skinny and flabby – right?

But now… you do not necessarily need weights to tone and shape your muscles… I am absolutely not against weight training as I do some of it myself, but I combine that with some very powerful body weight exercises that give me the cardiovascular benefits as well as the toning and firming of my muscles.

That is exactly what I show you in the Hot Burning Body workout… how you can get a toned, lean and seksy body in the shortest amount of time. And these exercises are put together in a very unique way and with great music. I give you everything you need to keep your workout interesting and challenging.

Don’t think you need to work out two hours a day to get that movie star physique you have always wanted…

If you work with more intensity for a shorter amount of time – you will definitely reap the benefits. In the Hot Burning Body workout I guide you through an invigorating series of exercises – once you know those, you will know what I know now and did not know then…

Higher intensity, less time – voila… the body you have always wanted no matter what your age…