Weight Loss Archives - The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+

How to Measure Your Progress Without Obsessing Over the Scale

Steve Roy — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 21:44:48 +0000

You’ve been consistent—exercising hard, choosing chicken breasts over spaghetti, and logging your meals. You step on the scale expecting a win… and the number is higher. Frustrating, right?

Here’s the truth: the scale is a lagging, noisy signal. If you’re following the right plan, your body can’t help but make progress—you just need better ways to measure it. And if you want a plan that guarantees those wins show up in your clothes, energy, strength, and labs, that’s exactly what our Fit Mother Program program delivers.

Promise: In this article I'm going to share with you how to stop letting the scale derail your mindset, how to start tracking what actually matters, and the 7 fundamentals that will ensure you continue to make progress.

First: When Weight Loss Stalls, Shift the Goal

For example: if you’re 170 lbs aiming for 150, ask: What do I actually want?
More energy? Confidence? Clothes that fit right? Keeping up with your super active kids? Those outcomes keep you motivated when the number wobbles.

Numbers are just numbers and unless there is some significant emotional reason you’re tied to them, it’s sort of arbitrary. Meaning, if you want to lose 20 pounds just for sake of losing it, it may not be motivating enough to keep you on track when things get hard.

Instead, ask yourself these questions:

How do I feel and how’s my energy?
Do my clothes fit better?
Do I feel more confident and attractive?
Are others noticing?
Am I happier with what I see in the mirror?

Why Most People Stall (and How Our Members Don’t)

Daily weight swings (salt, sleep, hormones, training) can mask fat loss for weeks.
Body recomp is real—gain muscle while losing fat and the scale barely moves.
Random workouts + guesswork nutrition = inconsistent results and motivation drop-off.

Foundations removes the guesswork: simple meal templates, progressive workouts, accountability, and weekly check-ins so you see and feel progress—even when the scale lags.

Why the Scale Messes With Your Head

Your weight is constantly shifting. A salty meal, a hard workout, poor sleep, or even the time of day can swing the number by several pounds. That’s normal—but it can feel discouraging when you’re putting in the work and the scale isn’t cooperating.

Here’s another kicker: if you’ve started strength training (which is one of the best things you can do as a woman in your 40s), you might actually gain muscle while losing fat. The scale doesn’t know the difference—it just adds up the total. That means you could be transforming your body in all the right ways while the scale says “stuck.”

So if the scale isn’t reliable, what should you track instead?

7 Better Ways to Measure Real Progress

1. The Clothes Test (Simple + Honest)

You may not notice small daily changes in the mirror, but your clothes won’t lie. That notch you tighten on your belt, the way your shirt feels looser around the stomach, or jeans that fit better than they did a month ago—those are big wins. Unlike the scale, your wardrobe gives you feedback you can feel every day.

Pro tip: Keep one “benchmark” piece of clothing—like a pair of jeans or a fitted blouse—and try it on every couple of weeks. It’ll tell you more than the scale ever will.

2. Progress Photos Are Gold (Measure Every 4-6 Weeks)

Nobody loves taking them, but progress photos are one of the most powerful tools you’ve got. Take front, side, and back pictures every 4–6 weeks. Don’t rely on daily mirror checks—the changes are too subtle. But when you compare photos month to month, the difference becomes crystal clear.

Some progress photos, like the ones below from a few of our Fit Mother Program members, can be highly motivating and keep you laser focused as you continue to make improvements.

Think of it like watching your kids grow. You don’t notice the day-to-day changes, but when you look back at last year’s school photo, it’s obvious how much they’ve grown. Your body works the same way.

3. Strength & Performance (Capability = Confidence)

Here’s something the scale will never tell you: how strong you’ve become. At 40 and beyond, strength isn’t just about vanity—it’s about staying capable and independent for decades to come.

Ask yourself:

Can you do more push-ups or squats than last month?
Are you running farther without feeling like your lungs are on fire?
Have you moved up to heavier weights at the gym? (yes, this is important for women too)

These improvements are massive markers of progress. And the cool part? They spill over into everyday life—carrying groceries, keeping up with your kids, or even tackling yard work without throwing out your back.

4. Energy & Mood (The Underrated Wins)

Forget being super lean for a second. Real progress shows up in your day-to-day energy. Do you have more stamina to keep up with your kids? Are you less wiped out after a long day at work?

Energy is one of the most underrated signs that your fitness and nutrition are paying off. When you feel good in your own skin and have the juice to live your life fully, that’s a win no scale can measure.

5. Health Markers That Matter (The Grown-Up Scoreboard)

Here’s the grown-up side of progress: your health stats. Blood pressure, cholesterol, resting heart rate, and blood sugar levels—all of these are influenced by your fitness habits. Improving those numbers doesn’t just make you “look” better; it sets you up for a longer, healthier life.

When you go for your next physical, compare your results with your last one. A lower blood pressure reading or improved cholesterol profile is progress that will keep you around for your family longer—and that’s the ultimate goal.

6. Sleep & Mood Upgrades (The Underrated Wins)

One of the first “hidden” benefits of consistent exercise and better nutrition is improved sleep and mood. If you’re falling asleep faster, waking up more refreshed, or finding yourself less irritable, that’s not a coincidence.

Better sleep and emotional stability are game-changers for moms. It means you show up more patient, more present, and more resilient for your family. Again, nothing the scale can capture—but it matters big-time.

7. Body Fat Percentage (Use Consistent Methods)

This is one of those markers that can tell you a lot, but only if done correctly and consistently. Sometimes we may lose body fat while increasing lean muscle and the numbers on the scale may be disheartening, so knowing your body fat percentage can be a huge boost.

If you track body fat, pick one method and be consistent:

Best: DEXA (periodically), BodPod, or a reliable multi-frequency BIA scale.
Cost-effective: Skilled caliper testing at your gym. Use the same technician, sites, and protocol each time. Trends > single readings.

The Fit Mother Fundamentals (Do These and You Win)

Making progress on and off the scale is simple (but not easy) and is exactly what we teach inside our Fit Mother Program.

Eat a high-quality diet 80%+ of the time.
If fat loss is the goal: maintain a modest calorie deficit consistently.
Hit 0.7 + protein per lb bodyweight daily.
Progressive strength training 3–4x/week.
Conditioning/cardio 1–3x/week.
Sleep 7–9 hours and manage stress.
Move more, sit less.
Be ruthlessly consistent—weeks and months, not days.

The Mom Mindset Shift; Use The Scale as a Tool, Not a Judge

Using the scale isn't inherently bad, but relying on it too much or obsessing over every lost and gained pound will drive you (and your family) crazy! Instead, weigh yourself once weekly or track a 7-day rolling average if you must—but always read it alongside your clothes, photos, measurements, performance, energy, and health markers.

Being fit in your 40s+ isn’t about chasing a number—it’s about being the strongest, healthiest version of yourself for the people you love and the life you want to live.

Quick-Start Checklist (Do These This Week)

Clothes Test: Pick a benchmark blouse/jeans. Note the fit. Recheck in 2–3 weeks.
Photos: Take front/side/back today. Repeat in 4–6 weeks.
Strength Log: Record one lift (e.g., goblet squat, plank). Beat it next week.
Waist Measure: Measure at the navel once per week. Track the trend.
Energy & Sleep: Note daily energy (1–10) and mornings you wake refreshed. Aim to improve your weekly averages.

Bottom line: Trust the fundamentals. Track what matters. Let your life—not your scale—tell you you’re winning.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

Steve Roy

Trainer, Fit Mother Project

Steve is a single father to two amazing daughters, has been involved in the fitness industry for more than 28 years, and joined the Fit Father/Fit Mother Project team in 2023.

Growing up as the prototypical “98-pound weakling”, my goal from an early age was to get bigger and stronger.

This process ignited my passion for health and fitness and I got my first personal training certification in 1997 and started working for a local gym. I spent the next 10 years traveling the country, working in gyms, health clubs, resorts, and hotels trying to be the best trainer and coach I could be and learning from some great mentors.

It's been an amazing journey and at 54 years old, I feel better than I did 20 years ago and it all comes down to making fitness a priority. This is a principle I live by and teach every single day.

*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary individually; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched information on building muscle, nutrition, and sustainable fitness habits.

The post How to Measure Your Progress Without Obsessing Over the Scale appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

HIIT Workouts For Women: Strength Training and Cardio in One Quick Exercise Session

Holly Smith, M.D. — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Variety is the spice of life, and HIIT workouts for women are a great way to add variations to your weekly exercise plan!

Whether you have time to get to the gym or not, the hectic schedule of a busy mom means you need an efficient workout that will hit multiple muscle groups and burn calories in a short period of time.

There are a number of HIIT workouts for women, from beginner to advanced, that can be done at home, or even in your backyard.

High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is a great way to maintain both your cardiovascular fitness and muscle strength. Performing these exercises at your highest capacity with minimal rest has been shown to result in a high level of aerobic and anaerobic fitness gains.

Plus, you can target all of your major muscle groups with exercises like push-ups, squats, and plank workouts. This allows you to combine both strength training and cardio in one quick workout.

While HIIT may seem intimidating at first, these workouts can be tailored to any level of fitness. So get started today with some of these awesome HIIT workouts for women!

This 15-minute HIIT workout for women can be done at home with no equipment!

The Benefits of HIIT Workouts For Women

Studies have shown that high-intensity interval training had a greater impact on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. This is why HIIT training has become so popular.

It dispels the myth that you need to work out for hours on end to improve your cardiovascular fitness. As long as you really push yourself to your limits during these shortened interval workouts, you can still see substantial gains.

There is more to HIIT training than just cardiovascular benefits. You can do pretty much any exercise you choose during the intervals! This lets you train multiple muscle groups while you gain strength and lean muscle.

Any workout is going to burn calories; however, the higher the intensity of the workout, the more calories you will continue to burn, even after the workout has ended. This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC for short.

So if you are short on time, the key is to really up the intensity. This ensures that even a workout that is low in minutes will be high in strength building.

One study showed that two minutes of sprint intervals produced similar post-exercise oxygen consumption compared to 30 minutes of continuous running at a lower intensity. This is important when you have minimal time but want to achieve the same fitness goals.

HIIT Workout Warmup

Perform each move for 30 seconds.

Rest for one minute, then repeat for a quick five-minute warm-up.

High Knees

Stand upright and place your feet hip-width apart.
Place your hands near your waist with your palms down.
Drive your right knee up to meet your right hand, then bring the same leg back to the ground and immediately bring the left knee up to meet your left hand.
Continue to alternate knees with a hopping motion, staying on the balls of your feet.

Jumping Jacks

Stand with your feet together and arms at your side.
In one motion, jump your feet out to the sides and raise your arms above your head.
Immediately reverse the motion back to the starting position.

Butt Kickers

Stand up straight with your legs slightly wider than your hips.
Bring your right heel off the floor toward your glutes.
At the same time, match this movement with your left hand coming up towards your shoulder like you’re running.
As soon as your right leg comes back to the floor, bring your left leg up in the same manner.
Continue alternating this running motion.

High Knee With Oblique Twist

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Bend your elbows and bring your fists up near your chin.
Drive your right knee up while twisting your torso to the right, bringing your right knee to meet your left elbow.
Immediately repeat with the left knee meeting your right elbow and do this in a hopping motion while staying on the balls of your feet.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Beginner HIIT Workout

If you are just starting out on your fitness journey, you want to begin at a lower intensity and with simple movements to avoid injury. Since this is a beginner HIIT workout, the intervals will be shorter with longer rest periods.

But, make sure that you are pushing it as hard as you can go to still challenge yourself. For each exercise, perform the movement with as many reps as possible for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.

Burpees

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat down and place your hands on the floor.
Kick back into a push-up position.
Do one push-up.
Jump your legs back to a squat and jump up, throwing your hands above your head.
Land and repeat.
You can perform these with or without a push-up. As your fitness increases, try adding in the push-up.

Squat Jumps

Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
Hinge at the hips to push your butt back and lower down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Explode off the floor and jump as high as you can.
Allow your knees to bend 45 degrees when you land, and then immediately drop back down into a squat, and jump again.

Flutter Kicks

Lie on your back and extend your legs up to a 45-degree angle.
Keep your arms straight and in line with the floor, palms facing down.
Lift your upper body off the ground.
While keeping your legs straight, begin alternating each leg up and down in a flutter motion.
Try to maintain this motion for the entire 30 seconds.

Push-Ups

Start in a plank position, with your shoulders over your wrists and legs out behind you.
Contract your abdominal muscles and keep your back straight.
As you lower and exhale, bend your elbows outward to the sides.
If you cannot do these on your feet, you can start on your knees.
Eventually, you will be able to perform the standard push-ups as your strength increases.

After completing this circuit, rest for a full minute. Then repeat the circuit two more times.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Intermediate HIIT Workout

Once you have mastered the beginner HIIT workout, you can move on to this slightly more intense workout. With these exercises, perform the movement again for 30 seconds, but decrease your rest time to 20 seconds before moving to the next move.

Alternating Jump Lunges

Start in a split stance position with your hands on your hips and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle with your right leg forward.
Lower your left knee down while bringing your right thigh parallel to the floor in a lunge position.
Push off the ground, jump, and switch the position of your legs while in mid-air, landing into the lunge position with the left leg forward.
Repeat, switching legs on each jump.

Side to Side Push-Ups

Start in a push-up position.
Move to the right with your right arm and right leg while bending at the elbows to lower your chest to the ground in a push-up.
Extend your arms to return to the top.
Then repeat to the left side.
Continue alternating sides.

Lateral Skaters

Start with your legs slightly wider than shoulder distance apart and arms at the sides.
Bring your left leg at a slight angle into a reverse lunge with the right knee at a 90-degree angle.
Swing the arms in front of that bent knee and leap the back leg forward in a skating motion.
Alternate your arms and legs as you switch sides like a speed skater.

Mountain Climbers

Start in a push-up position.
Bring your right knee forward under your chest, then return the leg back.
Switch legs, bringing the left knee forward.
Keep switching legs and pick up the pace until it feels a little like running in place in a plank position.

After completing this circuit, rest for a full minute. Then repeat the circuit two more times.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Advanced HIIT Workout

If you have been working out for years and want to really challenge yourself with some heart-pumping HIIT, then look no further than this advanced HIIT workout for women. Not only are the exercises a bit more advanced, but you are also going to increase the interval time and decrease the rest time.

Tuck Jumps

Hold your hands in front of you at chest height with your palms down.
Dip down into a quarter squat and immediately jump upward.
Drive the knees towards the chest, attempting to touch them to the palms of your hands.
Then land by re-extending your legs with knees slightly bent.
Repeat as quickly as possible for 30 seconds.

Side to Side Plank Abs

Start in a plank position.
Hop both feet up to the right, trying to bring your knees to the outside of your right elbow.
Hop back into a plank position, then bring your knees to the left.
Continue alternating sides.

V-Push-Ups

Start in a push-up position and then lift up your hips up so that your body forms an upside-down V.
Keep your legs and arms straight.
Bend your elbows and lower your upper body until the top of your head nearly touches the floor.
Pause, and then push yourself back up until your arms are straight.

Russian Twist

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot from your butt while holding a dumbbell in both hands.
Lean slightly back without rounding your back.
Twist slowly to the left, bringing the weight to your left side.
Then rotate to the right with the weight.
Continue alternating sides.
Make sure you are using your abs and not just swinging your arms.
You can do this with your feet on the ground, or hover the feet above the ground for a challenge.

After completing this circuit, rest for a full minute. Then repeat the circuit two more times.

Cool Down

After all of these HIIT workouts, you want to be sure to include a five to 10-minute cool-down that includes some static stretches that focus on the upper and lower body.

This HIIT workout for women without weights is one of our favorite quick workouts to burn fat and build muscle!

Holly Smith, M.D.

B.S. Dietetics, NASM-PES Certified Trainer

Writer, Fit Mother Project

Holly is an osteopathic physician, runner, triathlete, and fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine, has a bachelors degree in dietetics and is a certified personal trainer with NASM-PES certification.

Holly has completed four full ironmans, twelve marathons, countless half ironmans, olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and numerous other road races.

Holly joined the Fit Father Project in May 2019 as a regular writer, contributing articles on health, wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

She has also recently qualified for the 2020 World Championships for Ironman 70.3, in New Zealand!

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on HIIT workouts for women.

The post HIIT Workouts For Women: Strength Training and Cardio in One Quick Exercise Session appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

No More Excuses: How Fit Mother Tami Retrained Her Mind & Body to Get in The Best Shape of Her Life

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 20:18:17 +0000

Checking in 2 years later! I couldn’t be happier with this life-changing program. Thank you Fit Mother Project for teaching me that prioritizing my health is important, possible and that I’m worth it!

Tami shares:

“It's not always easy but oh my is it worth it! I have been able to retrain my mind and my body and I love it. I'm 42 and in the best shape of my life.”

Tami learned that she could do things she never thought she could do! Not too long ago, she ran a Spartan Race . Even though she trained and prepared, she still doubted herself all the way up to the starting line, and then wanted to cry with pride when she crossed that finish line!

“I did it!! 19 months after starting my Fit Mother journey, I completed a Spartan Race. It's amazing when I think of what I can do today that I couldn’t do last week – last month – or last year!”

Tami's Advice – Just Do It

Embrace the pain, the sweat and tears.
Embrace the ups the downs, feeling uncomfortable and the change.
Don't give any time or space in your head for excuses.
When it's time to lift weights or run – you go. Period.
Lean all the way in and I promise the victories you are going to experience are SO worth it!!

Tami listened to a reel not too long ago where she heard that to be successful – you have to just wake up in the morning and go for your goal that day. Don’t give any time or space in your head for excuses. When it's time to work out – you do it. She spent the last few months working on this and the results are amazing.

“I’ve conquered a lot of mental blocks and smashed a lot of excuses I thought I couldn’t
get over.”

Now Tami is 42 and in the best shape of her life. She's excited & stronger than ever both mentally and physically. She went all in on Fit Mother 30X .

“Set those goals ladies!! You are capable of SO much more than you ever thought!”

Fit Mother 30X is the program Tami used. Click here to learn more »

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi

Founder, Fit Mother Project & Fit Father Project

After watching his own Dad lose his health and pass away at the young age of 42, Dr. Balduzzi founded The Fit Mother Project and Fit Father Project to help busy moms and dads get and stay healthy for their families.

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi holds dual degrees in Psychology & Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, and is also a former national champion bodybuilder. He’s is most proud of the fact that he’s helped over 40,000 families in over 100 countries lose weight and get healthy for life.

The post No More Excuses: How Fit Mother Tami Retrained Her Mind & Body to Get in The Best Shape of Her Life appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Easy Resolutions: 40 Achievable Goals For the New Year!

Erin Coleman — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 12:00:32 +0000

Have you made your new year's resolutions? Or have you already broken the ones you've made? Either way, make this year easier by settings some easy resolutions!

That doesn't mean resolving to eat more ice cream, it means setting goals you know you can keep!

Setting achievable goals is the best way to feel a sense of accomplishment and stay on track with your health and fitness goals.

By setting easy resolutions and tracking the little things, you can really make a difference in meeting your overall goals.

No resolution is too small! Start little to ensure you maintain each goal all year long!

The easy resolutions that are right for you depend on your lifestyle, health, and overall wellness.

Take into account your schedule, food and exercise preferences, and mental ability to stay on track and meet targets.

Don't set expectations that are dramatically different from your usual lifestyle and choose goals you feel excited about!

Here's how to set easy resolutions that will lead to positive changes.

Learn the key behind the motivation to work out and how to sustain your diet and exercise plans.

15 Easy Resolutions for the New Year

When deciding which targets to set this year, use the following easy resolutions as a guide!

1. Work Out at Least 4 Days a Week

You don't have to exercise every single day. An easy new year's resolution is to exercise at least four days of each week.

Keep track of the days you complete a planned exercise, such as jogging, cycling, stair climbing, using an elliptical machine, or lifting weights.

Use an exercise journal so you don't forget which days you've exercised!

2. Exercise at Least 20 Minutes Most Days

Exercising for at least 20 minutes most days of the week is an easy resolution that many parents find ways to fit into busy schedules.

If you have the time, work out more than 20 minutes per day.

However, if your schedule doesn't allow for longer workouts, 20 minutes is often plenty of time to achieve health, fitness, and body weight goals.

3. Walk Every Day, Especially After Meals

On non-workout days, or even on days you complete a planned exercise, schedule in time to take walks — even if it's just 10 minutes here and there or walking your dog every day.

Doing so keeps your body moving, can give you a boost of energy, and keeps your metabolism going strong.

If weight loss is your goal, studies show that walking briskly for 30 minutes soon after mealtime enhances weight loss.

If you have a desk job, take periodic walking or stair-climbing breaks every opportunity you get to reduce the number of hours daily you spend sitting down.

4. Eat 3 Servings of Vegetables Daily

Many people don't consume the amounts of vegetables needed to meet daily vitamin, mineral, and fiber needs.

Consuming a wide array of vegetables on a daily basis helps you manage a healthy weight, keep cholesterol levels in check, and reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.

Aim to fill half of each plate of food with vegetables during meals.

Even during breakfast, add vegetables to your plate, drink vegetable juice, or add veggie powder to protein shakes.

Sneak vegetables into omelets or scrambled eggs whenever possible.

If you're unable to eat veggies for breakfast, add an extra vegetable portion to lunch, dinner, or between-meal snacks to ensure you consume at least 3 vegetable servings daily.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

5. Drink 12 Cups of Fluids

To maintain exceptional health, women should aim for at least 12 cups of fluids, particularly water, each day.

Other healthy drinks that count toward daily fluid goals include milk, plant milk, plain kefir, 100% fruit juice, coffee, tea, and vegetable juice.

If your new year's resolution is weight loss, drink about 2 cups of water before meals to help you feel full with fewer calories.

Keep track of your fluid intake throughout the day by drinking out of water bottles that hold known amounts.

As a frame of reference, one cup of fluid equals 8 fluid ounces.

6. Lose 1-2 Pounds per Week

If your new year's resolution is weight loss, make your weight-loss goal attainable and a number you can maintain for a lifetime.

Losing 1-2 pounds per week is a safe rate of weight loss that boosts your chance of keeping lost weight off long-term.

In comparison, losing weight rapidly puts you at risk of weight regain.

Step on the scale each day to ensure you meet daily and weekly weight goals.

Let the Fit Mother Project 30X (FM30X) weight loss program guide you!

7. Do at Least 2 House Chores Daily

If you don't keep up with house chores on a daily basis, they can quickly build up over time and become overwhelming.

Easy resolutions often involve house chores or organizational strategies that help you keep your home in order.

Chores are also calorie burners, which can make healthy weight management easier.

Consider doing at least two chores each day, such as doing the dishes, folding laundry, grocery shopping, doing yard work, washing your windows, washing your car, vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning the floors.

Cooking counts too and is an excellent way to keep your body moving!

Add chores to your resolution list based on your household needs.

8. Weigh Yourself Every Day

Weighing yourself daily is an easy resolution that's simple to complete this new year.

Studies show that daily weigh-ins are highly effective for weight loss and adopting healthy habits.

They also reduce your risk of unplanned weight gain.

Step on the scale at the same time each day to get the most accurate results!

Find out how to track your weight loss in the most effective ways!

9. Eat Protein Foods During Every Meal

Knowing which nutritious foods are rich in protein helps you achieve the easy resolution of consuming protein at each meal. Why is this a good idea?

Consuming protein frequently throughout the day helps you maintain lean muscle mass, minimize body fat, and achieve healthy body weight.

It enhances your metabolism, boosts satiety, and keeps your hair, skin, and nails healthy.

Pick some of the following healthy foods to ensure you consume plenty of protein at each meal: chicken, turkey, duck, very lean red meat, eggs, fish, and seafood, as well as nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, or seitan.

Milk, plant milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, plain kefir, and reduced-fat cheese are also excellent protein-rich options.

Low-sugar protein shakes and bars count too!

10. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods at Each Meal

Like protein-rich foods, foods high in fiber offer a variety of wellness benefits.

Examples include healthy weight management and a low risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.

An easy resolution is to consume high-fiber foods during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when eating snacks if possible!

Pick fruits, vegetables, whole grains (quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-grain bread, oatmeal, etc.), avocados, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Examples of legumes include lentils, peas, black beans, pinto beans, and other dried beans.

11. Schedule Time for Relaxation

Relaxation doesn't come easy, especially for many busy parents.

But scheduling time to relax is one of the best things you can do for your body to keep stress levels low and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.

An easy resolution to keep this year is to set aside at least 15 minutes of relaxation time every day.

During this time, you might choose a cat nap, reading, getting caught up with current events, meditation, getting a massage, or doing yoga.

Get your body into a relaxing position, take deep breaths, don't think about stressful thoughts, and allow yourself to unwind.

12. Sleep at Least 7 Hours Each Night

Studies show that sleeping soundly for at least 7 hours each night reduces the risk of adverse health outcomes, such as obesity, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, depression, and all-cause deaths.

An easy resolution is to sleep at least 7 hours every night or most nights of each week.

Keep a sleep journal to ensure you get the amount of rest needed to maintain exceptional health and wellness.

To maximize sleep quality, sleep in a cool dark room, set a regular bedtime, and avoid caffeine and alcohol before bed.

Try this simple technique to fall asleep and relax your mind before bed!

13. Take Vitamins

Make it a new year's resolution this season to take a multivitamin or other vitamin supplement as directed by your doctor every day.

Doing so can improve your overall health, boost energy levels, and lower your risk of nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases.

Ask your doctor about taking additional dietary supplements, such as joint health or heart support supplements, omega-3 supplements, probiotics, protein supplements, or other supplements that meet your individualized needs.

14. Take Care of Your Skin

Taking good care of your skin enhances its appearance and reduces the risk of dry skin, aging skin, acne, and other common skin issues.

Things you can do to improve the health of your skin include cleaning it often, keeping it moisturized, using sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun, and consuming the vitamins and minerals needed to give your skin a healthy glow.

Wash your face at least twice daily using water and a facial cleanser.

15. Work Out Your Abs Daily

While it's usually best to avoid working the same muscle groups day after day, abdominal muscles are an exception.

You can do ab exercises every day of the week, or most days of the week if you prefer.

Change up your ab routine often to reap the most benefit from regular ab workouts.

Do combinations of plank jacks, side planks, other oblique exercises, shoulder-touch planks, mountain climbers, sit-ups, crunches, leg raises, and other favorite ab exercises to keep your midsection slim and toned.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

25 Additional Easy Resolutions for the New Year

In addition to the 15 easy resolutions above, consider trying setting some of the following this New Year's season!

If you're a smoker, stop smoking
Drink alcohol no more than one time per week
Find an active hobby
Be on time for all events
Spend more time with family and friends
Keep a gratitude journal
Go on weekly date nights with your spouse
Make a budget and stick to it
Take time to yourself every day
Keep a daily planner
Stop eating fast food
Dine out no more than 1-2 times per week
Set career or income goals
Set a regular bedtime and stick to it
Do yoga at least once per week
Sit down less often (at least 1 hour less)
Limit screen time/look at your phone less often
Limit social media activity
Read one book per month
Start gardening
Eat more organic foods
Lift weights at least twice weekly
Volunteer at least once a month
Stop drinking soda and diet soda
Cook at home more often

Don't overwhelm yourself with new year's resolutions this season.

Start by choosing just a few that best fit your lifestyle and preferences.

You can always add more targets after effectively achieving your initial goals!

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Get Started with Easy Resolutions

Take plenty of time to consider the feasibility of easy resolutions this new year, and which are best for you and your family.

Make a list of your top ten ideas and narrow them down if needed.

Strive to attain at least 2-3 easy goals for an entire year and add to your resolution list if needed based on your motivation level and success rate.

Trust the Fit Mother Project to help you achieve health and fitness goals this New Year!

Upon joining this highly effective healthy living program for busy moms over 40, you have access to:

Online health coaching from medical experts
Social support from other fit moms
Custom meal plans and menus
Fat-burning workouts
Weekly newsletters
Nutritious recipes
Much more!

In addition to setting feasible, easy resolutions this new year, try a free FMP meal plan and workout to continue on the road toward better health for you and your family!

Erin Coleman

B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian with over 15 years of freelance writing experience.

She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed her dietetic internship at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Prior to beginning her career in medical content writing, Erin worked as Health Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Internal Medicine.

Her published work appears on hundreds of health and fitness websites, and she’s currently working on publishing her first book! Erin is a wife, and a Mom to two beautiful children.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post Easy Resolutions: 40 Achievable Goals For the New Year! appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Tracking Weight Loss: Celebrating Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)!

Holly Smith, M.D. — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 01:00:12 +0000

If you want to reach your health and fitness goals, then tracking weight loss is a must. But that doesn't just mean looking at the numbers on the scale!

It’s easy to say that you want to lose weight, but making a true commitment means staying accountable to your goals and monitoring your achievements along the path to fitness.

If you want to lose weight, you need to weigh yourself daily.

This may go against everything you have heard, since your weight will fluctuate even if you are making progress.

The goal here is not to become obsessed with the finite number on the scale, but instead to track your weight loss trends and look at non-scale victories (NSVs).

You don’t lose weight every day. Gain a few, lose a few. The net trend is a downward trajectory. Check-in every day at the same time to get feedback to response and trends over time

As with any goal, what you monitor is what actually improves. This goes for weight loss as well.

However, tracking your weight loss goes beyond just the number on the scale!

Once you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will slow. This is where you can look for other cues that go beyond the scale.

You can still monitor your weight daily to ensure that your weight isn’t creeping back up and that you are maintaining your goal weight.

But again, you don’t need to get tied up in the numbers once you reach your goal. This is where you can find new ways to track daily progress.

Here's the truth about tracking weight loss and how to embrace non-scale victories!

You don’t have to starve yourself to reach and maintain a healthy weight! It’s time to start rethinking dieting. Here’s how!

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Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)

Tracking weight loss on the scale is helpful for obvious reasons.

But there are a number of non-scale victories that will keep you motivated and accountable to your fit lifestyle.

Performance

Performance victories are excellent ways to give you feedback about your health gains.

These will be based on your specific fitness goals.

For example, you can keep track of how much weight you are lifting in your workouts.

You should see that you are lifting heavier weights or able to do more reps during your strength training sessions as your fitness progresses.

If you love doing high-intensity interval training, track your heart rate after each workout.

As your aerobic endurance improves, your resting heart rate will start to decrease.

You will also notice that you can go longer in your workouts before reaching your max heart rate.

Runners can track their times for specific race distances.

Seeing improvements in your pace is another non-scale victory that demonstrates your fitness gains.

Body Composition

A healthy physique goes beyond just your weight.

Your lean body mass and fat mass are important markers of how fit you actually are.

This can be tracked by monitoring your body fat percentage.

Research has found that higher levels of body fat also have a stronger association with cardiovascular disease risk and mortality when compared to BMI.

A study from European Heart Journal found that even individuals with a normal weight (as reported by BMI) still had a high prevalence of cardiometabolic abnormalities, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular risk factors if they had high amounts of body fat.

This shows that maintaining a healthy body fat percentage is just as important, if not more so, than simply a healthy body weight.

There are a number of ways to measure body fat percentage.

Many gyms have special bioelectric impedance scales that can give an estimate of your body fat percentage. These can also be bought for home use as well.

If you want to get really accurate, you can have a DEXA scan done. This is important for women anyway since it measures bone mineral density.

But in addition to that, DEXA scans give you a percentage for your whole body composition, including your body fat and lean muscle mass.

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How Your Clothes Fit

Another easy way to see how your health is improving other than just the number on the scale is by how your clothes fit.

While the scale may start to plateau as you reach your goal weight, you may notice that you are dropping pants sizes.

This is a crucial part of monitoring weight loss since abdominal fat is closely tied to cardiovascular disease.

In fact, waist to hip ratio is an indicator of obesity.

Studies have found that this ratio is a better marker for obesity than BMI alone.

Subjective Well-Being

As women lose weight and get into better shape, they also notice that they just feel better overall.

This subjective sense of well-being is a huge non-scale victory.

You may have more energy playing with your kids, or are able to do activities with them that had you feeling out of breath in the past.

Not only is this great for you, but also for your family as well.

Weight loss also leads to enhanced self-esteem.

Exercise leads to better health outcomes, including enhanced quality of life and improved mental health.

Plus having a fit and toned body helps improve your sense of well-being by feeling strong and healthy.

When women take charge of their fitness this helps improve self-esteem and enhances motivation to continue towards their fitness goals.

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Health Metrics

Losing weight will also lead to improved blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and better blood sugar control.

Not only will these numbers improve, but as you lose weight you may even be able to come off of certain medications if you can manage these chronic conditions with a healthy lifestyle.

And that’s a huge non-scale victory when it comes to weight loss.

Observations from Others

While we can’t base our happiness on what other people think of us, outside observations about weight loss can be a big motivational boost.

When other people notice your improved physique, it helps reinforce that you are on the right track.

And they likely will notice more than just a drop in pounds.

Your improved self-esteem and sense of well-being will be obvious as well.

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Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Tracking Weight Loss: From the Scale and Beyond

If you want to lose weight, you have to weigh yourself.

It sounds simple, but it can be hard sometimes when you get off track and your weight starts to creep up.

However, these are the most important moments because it gives you a chance to assess what you did and why you may be seeing a weight gain.

On the other hand, as you get closer to or actually reach your weight loss goal, you won’t see a huge change in the number on the scale.

This is where keeping track of non-scale victories will help you continue to maintain your healthy lifestyle.

You may even want to keep a journal of these achievements to keep you motivated.

Writing down your non-scale victories is just as much of a way to track your weight loss journey as the number on the scale.

As you track your weight loss, the key is not to turn the scale into the enemy or become frustrated.

You should always be thinking of the big picture and a trend of weight loss over a longer period of time.

In the end, this is not about being on a “diet” or a quick weight loss fad.

This should be a fun and sustainable healthy lifestyle that will keep you fit and active not just for yourself, but for your children and family for years to come.

Holly Smith, M.D.

B.S. Dietetics, NASM-PES Certified Trainer

Writer, Fit Mother Project

Holly is an osteopathic physician, runner, triathlete, and fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine, has a bachelors degree in dietetics and is a certified personal trainer with NASM-PES certification.

Holly has completed four full ironmans, twelve marathons, countless half ironmans, olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and numerous other road races.

Holly joined the Fit Father Project in May 2019 as a regular writer, contributing articles on health, wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

She has also recently qualified for the 2020 World Championships for Ironman 70.3, in New Zealand!

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post Tracking Weight Loss: Celebrating Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)! appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Benefits of Weight Loss: It’s More Than a Number On a Scale!

Holly Smith, M.D. — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 01:00:29 +0000

The benefits of weight loss go far beyond just looking great in front of the mirror or achieving a certain weight on the scale.

Weight loss improves so many aspects of your life, from decreasing chronic health problems to improving mental health and enhancing self-esteem.

While having a number as a weight loss goal can be a good starting point, there are so many more non-scale victories (NSVs) that you can celebrate along the way.

Strength gains, improved health markers like blood pressure and cholesterol, decreased body fat percentage, and an enhanced sex life are just a few NSVs most people don't think of.

So instead of just watching the scale, set new health goals along the way in your weight loss journey, because the scale may not always be picking up these huge fitness victories.

Keep reading to learn more about the many benefits of weight loss that are so much more than what the scale tells you!

Find out how the connection between exercise and hormones could be the key to your overall health.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Benefits of Weight Loss

Perhaps the biggest benefits of weight loss are overall health improvements.

Research has shown that even moderate weight loss can decrease your risk for chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.

Being overweight or obese is strongly associated with high blood pressure.

Weight gain, especially when associated with increased abdominal fat, plays a big role in hypertension.

In fact, overweight or obesity accounts for up to 65% to 75% of the risk for high blood pressure.

Numerous studies have identified the benefits of weight loss on decreasing blood pressure.

For example, one meta-analysis of 25 randomized, controlled studies found that a weight reduction of 5 kg, or a little over 10 pounds, helped to decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

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Improve Body Composition

Losing weight isn’t all about just shedding fat.

It’s also about building muscle and creating a fit, strong body.

Exercise and resistance training will not just help you lose weight but will give your body muscular definition.

Increasing muscle mass will give you a lean, fit physique, and strength training will help you maintain muscle mass while you are trying to lose weight in other areas.

It’s no secret that you burn some serious calories during a tough workout session.

But in addition to that, regular exercise will increase your lean muscle mass.

This in turn increases your resting metabolic rate and further aids in weight loss.

This means that by losing fat and gaining muscle you will burn more calories, even at rest, and maintain your weight loss goals.

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Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Sleep and Fitness

Sleep affects our bodies and our minds in so many ways.

It plays a role in our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Exercise and weight loss can help improve your sleep patterns and have you feeling more rested each morning.

In addition, weight loss and improved sleep can form a positive feedback loop that enhances more weight loss.

For example, if you are trying to lose weight, adequate sleep is essential to reach these goals.

Sleep deprivation can alter hormone levels that impact hunger and metabolism and increase abdominal fat.

This in turn can have a negative effect on your weight loss goals.

However, losing weight and normalizing your sleep patterns can keep your hormone levels in check.

Plus, if you don’t get enough sleep this can slow fat loss even if you are following a good nutrition and fitness plan.

So even if you are doing everything right with your diet and workout plans, you can sabotage this with poor sleep habits.

Find out why sleep is important and how getting enough quality sleep can help you lose weight.

Weight Loss and Mental Health

A lot of people turn to exercise for stress relief, and for good reason!

Losing weight will not only improve your physical fitness but also your mental and emotional health.

Being able to manage your stress levels allows you to not only be healthier overall but to live a high quality of life as well.

Exercise is an amazing outlet that allows you to strengthen both your body and mind at the same time.

A review of several health studies shows that exercise leads to better health outcomes, including enhanced quality of life, better functional capacity, and better mood states.

This is true for both aerobic and resistance exercise, which has also been found to improve anxiety.

Physical activity is truly one of the best treatments out there when it comes to decreasing stress and empowering the mind.

The endorphins released during exercise improve anxiety and can even help with pain relief.

The benefits of exercise not only include improved physical fitness, but also mental and emotional health.

Find out how to make your mind happy by training your mental health!

Strengthen Your Body and Self-Esteem

One of the ways that weight loss can improve mental health is by boosting self-esteem.

I think that we can all admit that having a toned, strong body helps improve our self-esteem. And I’m not talking about being “skinny.”

This is all about being strong and healthy.

When women take charge of their fitness this helps improve self-esteem and enhances motivation to continue towards their fitness goals.

So not only will working on that summer beach body have you looking great, but you will also be feeling great too!

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Improved Libido

Another benefit of weight loss that women often forget is improved sexual health.

Fitness encompasses all aspects of wellness. This includes physical strength, endurance, mental health, and libido.

Sexual health is an aspect of women's health that all too often goes overlooked.

Women with obesity tend to have lower levels of libido-enhancing hormones like testosterone.

This in turn leads to a lower sex drive.

However, exercise can help increase lean muscle mass and boost testosterone levels.

On top of this, weight loss can improve libido and satisfaction with sexual life in obese women.

Just another reason why physical fitness is so important in overall health.

Join our 6-Week Program...
You'll Gain Health for Life!

In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

Better Skin

You often hear about someone having a “healthy glow.”

While being healthy is definitely more than skin deep, that doesn’t mean your skin doesn’t get an extra boost from weight loss.

Being overweight can cause a number of skin issues, from stretch marks, dry skin, hyperpigmentation, and even an increased risk of skin infections.

These skin problems are typically associated with increased sweating and friction.

In addition, obesity may also be associated with poor wound healing, malignant melanoma, and an increased risk of inflammatory skin problems such as psoriasis.

Just another NSV that comes with weight loss!

Holly Smith, M.D.

B.S. Dietetics, NASM-PES Certified Trainer

Writer, Fit Mother Project

Holly is an osteopathic physician, runner, triathlete, and fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine, has a bachelors degree in dietetics and is a certified personal trainer with NASM-PES certification.

Holly has completed four full ironmans, twelve marathons, countless half ironmans, olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and numerous other road races.

Holly joined the Fit Father Project in May 2019 as a regular writer, contributing articles on health, wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

She has also recently qualified for the 2020 World Championships for Ironman 70.3, in New Zealand!

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post Benefits of Weight Loss: It’s More Than a Number On a Scale! appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

What Are Macronutrients and Micronutrients … and Do They REALLY Matter?

Erin Coleman — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 01:00:24 +0000

What are macronutrients? You've surely heard of them before, but what exactly are macronutrients and micronutrients?

In short, they are the keys to achieving optimal health, wellness, and a better overall quality of life for you and your family.

But don't worry if you don't know a lot about them; you are not alone!

Knowing more about protein, carbohydrates, dietary fat, vitamins, and minerals, and how much of each to consume, can maximize your energy and overall health.

So, what are macronutrients and micronutrients? Here's everything you need to know about protein, carbs, fat, vitamins, minerals, and more!

Are these 20 nutrient-dense foods in your meal plan?

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What are Macronutrients?

The three macronutrients include those your body requires daily to maintain optimal health, wellness, energy, and metabolism.

Essential macronutrients include:

Protein
Carbohydrates
Dietary fat

Many foods contain a healthy balance of all three macronutrients, or at least two of the three.

Consuming the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fat, and knowing how to properly incorporate these macronutrients into your diet, helps you meet weight management and fitness goals.

These might include weight loss, fat loss, healthy weight maintenance, or muscle building.

Healthy Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates give you energy and help you maintain numerous essential body functions.

The Institute of Medicine recommends getting about 45-65% of your daily calories from carbohydrates, or at least 130 grams of carbohydrates daily for adults.

Many specialized diets, such as ketogenic, Atkins, and other low-carb diets, contain fewer than 45% of their calories from carbohydrates.

Finding the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat is the best way to optimize energy levels, especially if you work out regularly.

Examples of healthy carbs to consider include:

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Healthy carbs keep you full for longer time periods to help you gain long-lasting energy.

Examples of starchy vegetables that contain about 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving include:

Sweet potatoes
Corn
Peas
Black beans
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Lentils
Garbanzo beans

As a rule, fill about one-fourth of your plate with starchy vegetables or whole grains to make sure you're meeting daily starch requirements without overindulging in carbs.

Non-Starchy Vegetables

Many non-starchy vegetables contain about 5 grams of carbohydrates per serving and fewer calories than starchy vegetables.

While non-starchy veggies might not give you long-lasting energy associated with starchy vegetables, they can still fill you up and are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Examples of nutritious non-starchy veggies include:

Leafy greens
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Squash
Mushrooms
Asparagus
Bell peppers
Celery
Onions

When planning healthy meals and menus, aim to fill about half of each plate with non-starchy vegetables if you can.

Whole Grains

Whole-grains are fiber-rich starches that can keep you full for hours.

Examples of whole-grain, healthy carbohydrates that provide about 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving include:

Brown rice
Wild rice
Oatmeal
Whole-grain cereal
Whole-grain bread
Quinoa
Whole-grain pasta
Whole-grain couscous

As a rule, choose whole grains over refined grains (such as white rice and white bread) whenever possible.

Fill about one-fourth of each plate with whole grains or starchy vegetables.

Here are the most important carbs to avoid for weight loss!

Fruits

Fruits are rich in simple carbohydrates, meaning they give you a quick boost of energy.

Fruits are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and provide about 15 grams of carbohydrates in each serving.

Consider:

Watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon
Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or cherries
Bananas, apples, pears, peaches, or grapes
Oranges, grapefruit, or tangerines
Kiwi fruit

Aim to eat about 1-2 servings of fruit per day, depending on your total daily calorie needs.

Milk Products

Milk usually contains about 12 grams of carbohydrates in each 1-cup portion.

However, some high-protein milks contain fewer carbohydrates.

Yogurt and kefir are also sources of carbohydrates.

Make sure to choose milk products without added sugar whenever possible.

Greek yogurt usually contains fewer carbohydrates (about 5 grams) compared with regular yogurt.

Check the ingredient label on milk products if you're counting carbohydrates, as the carb content of dairy foods can vary widely.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are high in dietary fat, but also contain protein and a small number of carbohydrates (usually about 5 grams of carbs per serving).

Consider peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or nut butters to meet your daily macronutrient needs.

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Nutritious Protein Foods

Protein is a key nutrient that's beneficial for numerous reasons.

Protein helps you build and maintain strong muscles and bones, boosts your metabolism, increases satiety, and helps you maintain a healthy weight.

Some high-protein foods are also rich in carbohydrates, while others aren't. Examples of nutritious protein foods to consider are:

Meat, Poultry, and Seafood

Protein-rich meat, poultry, and seafood usually contain about 20-25 grams of protein per serving.

Examples include:

Lean organic steak, bison, and venison
Chicken, turkey, and duck
Salmon, tuna, and other types of fish
Shrimp, scallops, crab, and other seafood

As a rule, aim to fill about one-fourth of each plate of food with nutritious meats, poultry, fish, seafood, meat substitutes, or eggs.

Eggs

Eggs and egg whites are also good sources of high-quality protein, containing about 6 grams of protein per whole egg or about 7 grams in each serving of two egg whites.

Eggs don't provide a significant amount of carbohydrates, but egg yolks contain about 5 grams of dietary fat.

Plant-Based Meat Substitutes

If you're following a vegetarian diet or simply enjoy meat substitutes every now and then, consider the following protein-rich plant foods (containing about 10-20 grams of protein per serving):

Tofu
Tempeh
Miso
Seitan
Mycoprotein meat substitutes
Veggie burgers

While plant-based meat substitutes may not offer quite as much protein as meat itself, these foods are still an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Milk Products

Milk and products made from milk are good sources of protein and calcium, often containing about 8-28 grams of protein in each 1-cup portion.

Many milk products are also sources of carbohydrates. Examples of nutritious, protein-rich dairy foods to consider include:

Low-fat milk
Plain Greek yogurt
Low-fat cottage cheese
Plain kefir
Reduced-fat cheese

Aim to consume about 2-3 servings of milk products (or plant-based, calcium-rich alternatives), each day to optimize your health.

Protein Powder

Protein powder usually provides about 20-25 grams of protein in each 1-scoop portion.

Protein powder might contain soy, eggs, whey, casein, pea, hemp, rice, other plant-based proteins, or combinations of these high-protein ingredients.

Many types of protein powders are low in carbohydrates and dietary fat, but check the ingredient label to know for sure.

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Legumes

Legumes are packed with carbohydrates, including dietary fiber, and protein.

They often provide about 15 grams of protein in each 1-cup portion, as well as 15 grams of fiber and 40 grams of total carbohydrates.

Examples of healthy legumes to consider include:

Pinto beans
Black beans
Kidney beans
Navy beans
Lentils
Chickpeas
Green peas

Because legumes are high in carbohydrates, count them as starches when filling up your plate.

Aim to fill about one-fourth of your plate with legumes, other starchy vegetables, or whole grains.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds are rich in protein in addition to heart-healthy fats and fiber.

Many nuts and seeds offer about 7 grams of protein, 14 grams of dietary fat, and 5 grams of carbohydrates in each serving.

Consider adding peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pistachios, other nuts or seeds, or nut butters to healthy meal plans.

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Healthy Fats

Dietary fat is a macronutrient that's just as important as carbohydrates and protein.

Fat is crucial for properly absorbing certain vitamins, achieving optimal brain function, and maintaining healthy hair, skin, and nails.

Fat is a source of energy that helps you feel full for longer time periods.

Many popular weight-loss diets, including ketogenic diets, are rich in heart-healthy dietary fats.

Consider adding the following fats to daily meal plans:

Avocados
Nuts
Seeds
Nut butters
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Other plant-based oils
Coconuts
Olives
Hummus

The Institute of Medicine recommends adults consume 20-35% of their daily calories from dietary fat.

This equates to about 40-70 grams daily if you're following a 1,800-calorie meal plan.

Check the nutrition facts label or use an online nutrition database to evaluate fat grams.

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What are Micronutrients?

Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals, are just as important as macronutrients when it comes to achieving optimal health and wellness.

Vitamins and minerals are crucial for maintaining high energy, and essential functions and structures within the body.

Vitamins and minerals work together with macronutrients to keep you healthy and reduce the risk of serious health problems.

Vitamins

Vitamins are found in virtually all nutritious, whole foods.

Essential vitamins include:

Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Vitamin B12
Folate

Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, dairy foods, other protein-rich foods, and heart-healthy fats to meet daily vitamin requirements.

Ask your doctor if taking a multivitamin supplement is right for you, to reduce your risk of developing a vitamin deficiency and side effects associated with it.

Minerals

Like vitamins, your body needs essential minerals on a daily basis to function properly and reduce the risk of health problems.

For example, calcium is a mineral that's crucial for bone health, heart health, and maintaining strong teeth.

Essential minerals include:

Calcium
Phosphorous
Magnesium
Iron
Manganese
Copper
Iodine
Zinc
Molybdenum
Sodium
Potassium
Chloride
Fluoride
Selenium

Most multivitamin supplements contain essential minerals in addition to vitamins.

Make sure to read supplement facts on multivitamin supplements to make sure they meet your daily requirements.

After a simple blood test, your doctor can let you know if certain vitamin or mineral levels are low.

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Tips for Planning Well-Balanced Meals

After answering the question “what are macronutrients and micronutrients?” you can now use the information you've acquired to plan nutritious meals and menus!

Use the perfect plate method to guide meal planning in the following way:

Fill 1/2 of your plates with non-starchy vegetables
Fill 1/4 of your plates with protein foods
Fill 1/4 of your plates with fiber-rich starches
Eat 2-3 daily servings of dairy foods or calcium-rich equivalents
Consume 1-2 daily servings of fruits
Eat healthy fats at each meal
Drink a lot of water (at least 12 cups daily for women)

Consider some of the following meal and snack ideas to get started with healthy meal planning for you and your entire family:

Sample Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast #1: eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, and almonds with coffee or tea

Breakfast #2: a healthy protein shake recipe containing fruit

Breakfast #3: protein-rich bars with coffee or tea

Breakfast #4: Greek yogurt topped with strawberries and walnuts

Breakfast #5: an egg and vegetable omelet with avocados and roasted potatoes

Breakfast #6: eggs, quinoa, and avocado with veggies recipe and coffee or tea

Sample Lunch Ideas

Lunch #1: tuna avocado salad over whole-grain bread or greens

Lunch #2: chicken, rice, and vegetable soup OR chicken chili with beans

Lunch #3: A veggie burger or turkey burger wrapped in lettuce or a whole-grain bun

Lunch #4: whole-grain pasta topped with grilled chicken and olive oil-based pesto

Lunch #5: a Mediterranean avocado and salmon salad recipe

Sample Dinner Ideas

Dinner #1: grilled chicken, wild rice, and grilled asparagus

Dinner #2: shrimp fajitas recipe (served over brown rice in place of tortillas)

Dinner #3: tofu over wild rice or quinoa with broccoli and cauliflower

Dinner #4: baked catfish with corn and green beans

Dinner #5: crab and avocado summer salad recipe

Healthy Snack Ideas

Snack #1: hummus with pita chips, pea pods, carrots, celery, cucumbers, or tomatoes

Snack #2: cottage cheese with fruit and/or sunflower seeds

Snack #3: a protein shake or bar

Snack #4: reduced-fat cheese with fruit

Snack #5: Greek yogurt topped with bananas and pistachios or walnuts

Aim to consume 3-6 small meals daily, or 3 meals plus 2-3 snacks.

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Knowing how to properly answer the question: “what are macronutrients and micronutrients” is just the beginning of your journey toward a healthier lifestyle.

The Fit Mother Project helps women of all ages and their families adopt healthy habits that last a lifetime.

The program offers fat-burning workouts, meal plans, motivational support from health experts, private social media group access, and much more.

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Consuming the proper amount of macronutrients and micronutrients has never been easier!

Erin Coleman

B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian with over 15 years of freelance writing experience.

She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed her dietetic internship at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Prior to beginning her career in medical content writing, Erin worked as Health Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Internal Medicine.

Her published work appears on hundreds of health and fitness websites, and she’s currently working on publishing her first book! Erin is a wife, and a Mom to two beautiful children.

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The post What Are Macronutrients and Micronutrients … and Do They REALLY Matter? appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

How Much Cardio To Lose Weight?

Holly Smith, M.D. — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 01:00:37 +0000

If you've ever slogged it out on a treadmill or elliptical only to see you've burned enough calories for a small snack, you've probably wondered, “How much cardio to lose weight?”

Being a busy mom means that you don’t have a ton of spare time to go out for a run, or even use a treadmill or elliptical at home.

Luckily, you don’t need countless hours of cardio to see major fitness benefits!

And while cardio is an important part of any weight loss program, it's not the be-all, end-all.

You need to incorporate the right types of cardio along with a comprehensive fitness program, to truly see weight loss benefits.

Here's how to do just that and finally put to rest the question of, “How much cardio to lose weight?”

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Weight Loss Requires Cardio and Strength Training

If you are really serious about dropping some pounds, you're going to need to include both cardio and strength training exercises.

Cardio is great because you will burn calories during and after your workout. With shorter, high-intensity workouts, the key is to make sure that you really push yourself.

Even lower intensity cardio is great because it will help you burn calories while also allowing your body to recover.

Along with cardio, resistance and strength training are also essential for weight loss and decreasing fat mass.

Not only do these muscle-building sessions burn calories, but they also increase your lean muscle and boost your metabolism.

Having a higher fat-free, or lean muscle mass is essential to keeping your metabolism up.

This keeps your body burning calories throughout the day, adding to your weight loss potential.

Find out why strength training for women over 40 is important to combat muscle loss and promote longevity!

Importance of Cardio For Long Term Health

Cardio helps with weight loss, and it is also a vital component for overall health.

Research has shown that even moderate weight loss can decrease your risk for chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.

Looking great isn’t the only perk!

Combined training with both cardio and resistance exercise not only improves fitness but can also prevent or lessen the impact of chronic health problems.

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How Does Cardio Help You Lose Weight?

Cardiovascular exercises burn loads of calories both during and after your workout.

The intensity and the duration of the exercise both determine how well your body continues to burn calories throughout the day.

Most people are familiar with traditional cardio workouts, like running, biking, swimming, or the numerous other fitness machines that are available at the gym.

Usually, these exercises are done as longer endurance workouts, typically at a lower intensity for a longer duration of time.

But what if you don’t have the time, or simply get bored and want to stop halfway through a longer cardio workout?

That is where mixing up your endurance workouts with High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) comes into play to give you great weight loss cardio sessions.

Studies have found that HIIT can produce similar 24-hour calorie-burning benefits as traditional endurance activities (like running or biking), but with a lower time commitment.

This is great news for the busy mom looking to use cardio to lose weight!

Learn about the best types of cardio for fat loss and the science behind cardio for WOMEN!

Is HIIT Better Than Traditional Cardio?

Both high-intensity cardio and lower endurance cardio are great, and one type of exercise isn’t necessarily “better” than another.

But since you can get similar weight loss benefits from HIIT in a shorter period of time, this can help on days when you are really crunched for time.

It also means that you can tailor your cardio workout to what you enjoy, and what fits into your schedule!

You can look at it this way: If you are looking to do something lower intensity you want to pick activities that you enjoy and that you will be able to sustain for at least 45 minutes or so.

If you hate running, it’s unlikely that you'll stick with it long enough to gain any health benefits.

That is why it is so important to find activities you like doing so that you are motivated to keep going!

Now, if time is a limiting factor, lower-intensity cardio exercises aren’t going to be as effective over just 20 minutes.

But you can up the intensity and do a shorter workout with high-intensity intervals to gain similar benefits as longer, lower intensity workouts.

This is where workouts like HIIT and Tabata are beneficial.

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You Need to Do Strength Training Too!

As mentioned above, strength training is also essential for fat burning.

For one, while you may burn slightly fewer calories during the workout as compared to cardio training, you still are burning a substantial amount of calories.

Plus, adding lean body mass to your frame increases your metabolic rate and allows you to burn more calories throughout the day!

In addition, increasing muscle mass will give you a lean, fit physique.

Strength training will give your body muscular definition in areas that you once could only find that stubborn, hard to lose fat.

And, strength training will help you maintain muscle mass while you are trying to lose weight in other areas.

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So, How Much Cardio to Lose Weight?

Answering how much cardio to lose weight will depend on your specific goals.

Many sources will cite that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat.

This means you would need to burn 500 extra calories a day to lose one pound a week.

So in theory, you could aim for cardio and strength training workouts that would burn these extra calories based on your weight loss goals.

While this “3,500 calorie rule” may be pretty close for short-term weight loss, there are some caveats to this.

Over time, your metabolism will change based on your body composition, which will also affect how your body burns calories.

The more weight you lose, the harder it may be to lose additional pounds — something many people know as the dreaded weight loss plateau.

There are mathematical models to help predict weight loss, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to burn more calories than you consume.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has developed a great calculator to help you determine your calorie needs based on your activity level, age, and sex.

You can use models like this to guide you on how to adjust your physical activity and calorie consumption based on your weight loss goals.

Over time you will find that the best way to gauge how much cardio to lose weight will be to track your progress over time based on your activity levels.

Your diet also plays a big role here! You can’t out-exercise bad nutrition choices!

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Cardio Recommendations

The American Heart Association recommends a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week.

However, they also note that you will have even more health benefits by being active at least 300 minutes, or 5 hours a week.

In addition, you should also add muscle-strengthening workouts at least 2 days per week.

This can include activities like biking, running, swimming, or any type of endurance activity!

You want to perform these exercises for around 45 minutes at a time if you are doing lower intensity activity and are looking to use cardio for weight loss.

However, if you are time-crunched, you can also do higher intensity workouts in shorter periods of time and still get the same weight loss and cardiovascular benefits.

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High-Intensity Intervals

Any workout is going to burn calories to help you lose weight.

However, the higher the intensity of the workout, the more calories you will continue to burn, even after the workout has ended.

This is called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or EPOC for short.

So if you are short on time, the key is to really up the intensity. This ensures that even a workout that is low in minutes will be high in fat burning and strength building.

It should be noted that both lower intensity continuous cardio and high-intensity intervals both produce EPOC, but intervals can produce the same amount of EPOC in a shorter period of time.

For example, one study showed that two minutes of sprint intervals produced similar post-exercise oxygen consumption to 30 minutes of continuous running at a lower intensity.

So if you want to substitute a 45 minute lower intensity workout with a 20-25 minute HIIT workout, this is a great way to use cardio for weight loss.

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Metabolic Resistance Training

Another way to lose weight and get more bang for your buck is to incorporate metabolic resistance training workouts.

These workouts use both cardio and resistance training to burn major calories so that you can shed that excess fat.

Metabolic resistance training basically uses weight training or resistance workouts combined in a circuit format to keep your heart rate up and your muscles firing.

In a way, it is similar to HIIT in that you are moving from one exercise to the next.

But you will be incorporating more strength training exercises as compared to purely cardio exercises.

Some great examples of metabolic resistance training workouts can be found at the Fit Mother Project.

The free Fit Mom Jumpstart is one example of using metabolic resistance training for weight loss.

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How to Schedule Cardio For Weight Loss

The best way to use cardio for weight loss is to incorporate a mix of high intensity and lower intensity cardio along with metabolic resistance training.

While HIIT and Tabata workouts are a great way to fit in an efficient cardio workout, they also put a lot of stress on the body.

And if you solely do high-intensity exercises you will be putting yourself at a higher risk of injury.

By alternating days with lower intensity cardio, your body will have more time to recover between workouts.

For lower intensity workouts like jogging or walking, you want to spend at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Your higher intensity workouts can be shorter in duration, around 20-30 minutes.

You will want to stagger these workouts to not overstress your body with consecutive days of high-intensity cardio.

Aim to do cardio 3-5 times a week, with half of the days being lower intensity endurance activities, and the other days using high-intensity workouts.

As mentioned above, you also want to add 2-3 days of strength training to maximize your weight loss potential.

If you are able to, you could do strength training on the same days as your lower-intensity cardio, or swap out a cardio day for a metabolic resistance training day.

For example, your week could look something like this:

Monday: High-intensity cardio
Tuesday: Low-intensity cardio plus metabolic resistance training
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: High-intensity cardio
Friday: Metabolic resistance training
Saturday: Low-intensity cardio
Sunday: Rest

Always remember to listen to your body, and if you feel like you need an extra rest day take it!

Especially early on in your fitness journey, you want to be sure that you slowly increase the intensity to avoid injury.

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Using Cardio for Weight Loss

Cardio is a great way to stay in shape but is important to find the proper balance and to figure out how much cardio to lose weight.

Obviously, everyone will have their own specific weight loss goals, but there are general recommendations you can follow to reach your fitness goals.

By incorporating a mix of low- and high-intensity cardio along with strength training, you will be able to effectively and efficiently lose weight and get into the best shape of your life!

Holly Smith, M.D.

B.S. Dietetics, NASM-PES Certified Trainer

Writer, Fit Mother Project

Holly is an osteopathic physician, runner, triathlete, and fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine, has a bachelors degree in dietetics and is a certified personal trainer with NASM-PES certification.

Holly has completed four full ironmans, twelve marathons, countless half ironmans, olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and numerous other road races.

Holly joined the Fit Father Project in May 2019 as a regular writer, contributing articles on health, wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

She has also recently qualified for the 2020 World Championships for Ironman 70.3, in New Zealand!

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post How Much Cardio To Lose Weight? appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Menopause Weight Gain: How To Lose It and Keep It Off

Holly Smith, M.D. — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 01:00:44 +0000

Maintaining a healthy weight is important to stave off chronic medical conditions. But, as women age, this becomes more of a challenge due to menopause weight gain.

For women over age 50, weight gain is a major health concern.

It is around this age that the hormone fluctuations that contribute to menopause occur.

Perimenopause, or the menopause transition, begins when menstrual irregularities start and ends with the last menstrual period.

Unfortunately, this transition is associated with changes in body composition, including increased abdominal (visceral) fat and a higher risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

This is due to hormonal changes, chiefly the decrease in estrogen levels associated with menopause.

Low estrogen levels associated with menopause tend to lead to increased fat deposition in the abdominal region.

This abdominal obesity is a key factor not just in weight gain, but also in insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and the development of Type 2 diabetes.

In addition to increasing abdominal fat, aging and menopause also appear to change the way that fat is metabolized.

This further contributes to the accumulation of body fat after menopause.

Here's what you need to know about menopause weight gain — and what you can do about it.

Dealing with a meno-pot belly? Here’s how to combat it!

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Weight Gain and Psychological Health

Not only does weight gain associated with menopause cause physical health issues, but it can also significantly impact mental and emotional health as well.

Putting on extra pounds can decrease self-esteem and general well-being, which can make it harder to stay motivated to continue an active lifestyle.

Fortunately, weight gain does not have to be an inevitable outcome once menopause hits.

Incorporating a combination of healthy nutrition choices and exercise can improve physical and psychological health.

Plus, weight loss through diet and exercise can even decrease symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flashes.

Just one more reason to stay committed to a fitness routine!

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Exercise and Menopause

No matter what your age, exercise is important for maintaining a healthy weight.

This means that if you enter menopause already leading an active lifestyle you are already at an advantage.

The American Heart Association recommends a total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week.

However, they also note that you will have even more health benefits by being active at least 300 minutes, or five hours a week.

It may sound like a lot at first glance, but this time can easily be broken down into 50 minutes of daily activity.

This can be divided throughout the day as well if you don’t have time to dedicate to 50-minute workouts.

A couple of 20-minute walks, or interval workouts throughout the day all add up.

In addition, women will lose muscle and bone mass during menopause. However, resistance exercise will help preserve lean muscle mass and enhance bone strength.

Plus, a full-body resistance workout will burn a significant amount of calories.

By building lean body mass you will be increasing your metabolic rate at rest so that you are burning more calories throughout the entire day as well.

All of this will help minimize menopause weight gain.

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Yoga

Not only does yoga promote flexibility and balance, but it also improves hormone fluctuations, cholesterol levels, and metabolic syndrome risk factors in obese postmenopausal women.

Studies have shown that practicing yoga may also be effective in preventing cardiovascular disease caused by obesity.

This is important since weight gain and cardiovascular disease risk are increased in postmenopausal women.

In addition, yoga promotes positive mental health changes in post-menopausal women.

In a study from Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 12 weeks of yoga training decreased menopausal symptoms and promoted positive physical and psychological changes in women.

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A Healthy Diet

While exercise plays a key role in maintaining a healthy weight during menopause, you still can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

Making smart nutritional choices throughout the day is essential in avoiding a big weight gain during menopause.

To avoid this weight gain, especially gaining abdominal fat, you need to limit foods with high amounts of simple carbs and added sugars.

These foods increase insulin levels and your body’s potential to store fat.

Shopping around the perimeter of a grocery store is a good rule of thumb.

This means sticking to fresh, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, and avoiding processed foods that you find down the aisles.

You also want to be sure to get an adequate amount of protein during the day and after workouts.

Choosing leaner protein sources, like chicken and fish, will give you a great protein boost without a lot of saturated fat.

However, you also don’t want to deprive yourself.

It’s not helpful to think of foods as “bad” or “off-limits” or you won’t be able to stick to a healthy eating pattern long term.

This should be a lifestyle change, not a “diet.”

In the end, it’s all about smart nutrition decisions.

Simple things like drinking water instead of soft drinks and eating fresh whole foods instead of processed, packaged foods are little things that can make a big difference.

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Improve Your Physical and Mental Health to Overcome Menopause Weight Gain

Staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight can be tough, especially as women get older.

But you can combat weight gain that comes with menopause by staying active and paying close attention to your dietary choices.

Maintaining a healthy weight is increasingly important in menopause to decrease the risk of chronic health issues.

By committing to a fitness and dietary regimen early on in this transition you can minimize the weight gain that often comes with decreasing estrogen levels.

Weight loss through diet and increased physical activity has been shown to help prevent obesity, metabolic syndrome, and to alleviate menopausal symptoms.

In addition to making smart nutrition choices and increasing activity, other exercises like yoga may also be beneficial for weight loss during menopause.

Committing to alternative activities like yoga can also improve emotional health and overall feelings of well-being, which is crucial during menopause.

Aging is inevitable.

However, weight gain and a decreased quality of life don't have to be just because you've hit menopause.

Staying committed to an active lifestyle and making healthy dietary choices can help you continue to live a fit, healthy, and happy life for many years to come.

Holly Smith, M.D.

B.S. Dietetics, NASM-PES Certified Trainer

Writer, Fit Mother Project

Holly is an osteopathic physician, runner, triathlete, and fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine, has a bachelors degree in dietetics and is a certified personal trainer with NASM-PES certification.

Holly has completed four full ironmans, twelve marathons, countless half ironmans, olympic distance triathlons, half marathons and numerous other road races.

Holly joined the Fit Father Project in May 2019 as a regular writer, contributing articles on health, wellness, exercise, and nutrition.

She has also recently qualified for the 2020 World Championships for Ironman 70.3, in New Zealand!

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post Menopause Weight Gain: How To Lose It and Keep It Off appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Fat Loss Tips for Women: 12 Ways to Life-Long Success!

Erin Coleman — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 01:00:29 +0000

No matter where you are in your health and fitness journey, you've surely looked for fat loss tips for women at some point.

Believe it or not, but fat loss can be achieved!

If you've struggled in the past, the 12 fat loss tips for women we lay out below will definitely help you.

Make sure to begin slowly and choose lifestyle changes you can stick with to burn unwanted body fat and maintain your new figure indefinitely.

Use the 12 fat loss tips for women below to begin your journey toward a healthier life and leaner body!

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12 Fat Loss Tips for Women

1. Change Your Mindset

Get into the right mindset before you begin your quest for fat loss.

Make the commitment to drop body fat by getting regular exercise, changing up your diet, and improving other lifestyle habits.

Keep a positive attitude and know you can reach any goal when you put your mind to it.

Stay committed to your end goal and realize if you veer off track once in a while, that's OK!

Find lifestyle habit changes you can maintain for good, but begin making changes slowly.

Choose one or two habit changes initially and build on that progress until you reach your desired weight and fat loss goals.

2. Set Goals

Studies show that goal setting is one of the best ways to increase your chance of effective weight loss and maintaining it long term.

Even if you don't achieve every goal, have targets in place to give you healthy habits to strive for.

In addition to developing a goal weight, set body fat goals.

Strive to lose inches off your arms, thighs, hips, or waist, and take weekly measurements.

Weigh yourself daily at the same time each morning.

Consider adding some of the following general healthy lifestyle goals to your list:

Work out at least 30 minutes most days of the week
Lift weights at least three times weekly
Drink at least 12 cups of water daily
Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night
Eat vegetables at each meal
Eliminate soda and other sugary drinks
Consider meditation or other stress-relieving strategies
Lose 1-2 pounds of body fat weekly

These goals are simply examples. Set your own targets based on your lifestyle, habits, and desired outcome.

Find out how to achieve a fitness goal by doing these 3 overlooked things!

3. Reduce or Eliminate Alcohol

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which can pack on unwanted weight or body fat quickly.

In comparison, fat provides 9 calories per gram, and carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories in each gram.

Heavy alcohol consumption doesn't just increase your risk of certain cancers, it can also make weight and fat loss difficult.

Mixing alcohol with soda, lemonade, juice, or other high-sugar mixers further increases your overall calorie intake.

Cutting alcohol from your diet can drastically decrease your waistline.

Even if you're unable or unwilling to give up alcohol entirely, cutting back on it can enhance weight loss and fat loss for women.

To lower the calorie content of alcoholic drinks you might consume in moderation, choose light beer instead of regular beer and club soda, water, or ice in place of sugary mixers.

4. Increase Protein and Vegetables

If fat loss is your goal, a good rule of thumb is to increase protein and your non-starchy vegetable intake.

Protein helps boost your metabolism, allows you to maintain muscle mass during weight loss, and keeps you full for longer time periods.

Non-starchy vegetables also help fill you up because of their rich fiber content, and these veggies are very low in calories.

Many contain just 40 calories or less in each 1-cup portion.

Non-Starchy Vegetables

When planning fat-loss meals, aim to fill about half of each plate with non-starchy vegetables. Examples include:

Spinach, kale, Romain lettuce, and other leafy greens
Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery
Mushrooms, zucchini, and onions
Asparagus, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower

Increasing non-starchy veggies in your diet can drastically increase your energy and disease-fighting antioxidants, in addition to enhancing fat loss for women.

Healthy Protein Foods

To reduce unwanted body fat, aim to fill each plate about one-fourth full of nutritious protein foods, such as:

Chicken, turkey, or duck
Very lean cuts of organic red meat
Fish, shrimp, scallops, crab, or other seafood
Eggs or egg whites
Tofu, tempeh, or seitan

Dairy foods and plant-based equivalents are also rich in protein.

Examples include cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, plain kefir, reduced-fat cheese, and protein-fortified almond milk.

Aim to consume 2-3 cups of these foods daily if you can.

Other good sources of protein include protein shakes, peas, dried beans, lentils, other legumes, nuts, seeds, and nut butter.

You can count beans and peas as starches and nuts, seeds, and nut butter as dietary fat.

Fill about one-fourth of each plate with fiber-rich starches and consume healthy fats at each meal or snack.

Watch this video to learn how to calculate how much protein YOU should consume each day!

5. Increase Your Daily Fiber Intake

Many women don't consume as much fiber as they should to optimize health, lose weight, burn fat, and reduce cholesterol and other chronic disease risks.

Aim to consume a least 25 grams of fiber every day (or more) if you can.

Examples of fiber-rich foods to consider include:

1/2 cup of cooked legumes: 7-8 grams
1 cup of fresh fruit: 4-8 grams
1 cup of non-starchy vegetables: 2-4 grams
1/2 medium avocado: 5 grams
1/2 cup of cooked whole grains: 3 grams
1 ounce of nuts or seeds: 3-4 grams

In addition to increasing your intake of fiber-rich whole foods and eating plant foods at each meal, ask your doctor if taking a fiber supplement is right for you.

Studies show that fiber supplementation helps reduce food intake and enhances weight and fat loss for women.

6. Think Twice About White Foods

Not all white foods are bad for you as onions, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, white beans, and other whole foods are loaded with essential nutrients.

However, think twice about consuming other white foods that can diminish fat loss.

For example, steer clear of the following white foods when you can:

White bread, white rice, and regular pasta
Cream-based soups
Butter, cream, and whole milk
Yogurt or kefir containing added sugar
Ice cream and white chocolate
Gravy and other white sauces
Mashed potatoes without the skin
Regular pizza crust
French fries
Regular cheeses
Mozzarella sticks

Instead choose whole grains, sweet potatoes with the skin, low-sodium broth-based soups with vegetables, reduced-fat cheeses, olive oil, and other plant-based oils whenever possible.

As a rule, pick whole foods over highly processed foods so you can burn unwanted body fat and achieve the figure of your dreams.

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7. Say No to Processed Meats

Processed meats do contain protein, but they're also loaded with sodium, preservatives, and often animal fat and calories.

Processed meats are linked with developing certain forms of cancer.

Examples include:

Hot dogs
Brats
Sausage
Pepperoni
Bacon
Many deli meats
High-fat ground beef
Ham
Salami

Instead of choosing processed meats as your protein food of choice, pick skinless poultry, very lean cuts of organic steak, fish, shrimp, eggs, or other fresh, whole protein food sources.

8. Try Fat-Burning Workouts

If you're new to working out or you simply need to change up your routine, consider trying new fat-burning workouts.

Examples of effective exercises to try include:

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Consider HIIT if you aren't already doing this high-intensity, fat-burning workout.

During HIIT training, you alternate sprinting with lower-intensity exercises continuously.

For example, you might warm up by jogging for 3-5 minutes and alternate 30-60 seconds of sprinting with 30-60 seconds of low-intensity jogging or walking.

You should continue these intervals for a total workout time of around 20-30minutes.

Doing so enhances fat burning and helps you get excess weight off and keep it off for life.

Weightlifting

You might not think of weightlifting as a weight-loss workout, but you can indeed burn inches of fat while sculpting your body.

Work each major muscle group, including your arms, shoulders, back, chest, abdominal muscles, thighs, and calves, at least once or twice weekly.

Aim to complete a least three sets of 10-20 reps for each exercise you choose.

Long Continuous Cardiovascular Exercise

Long, continuous cardiovascular exercise can get your body in the fat-burning zone to reduce undesirable body fat in the absence of high-intensity training.

Complete jogging, cycling, rowing, elliptical machine workouts, stair climbing, or walking at a moderate intensity for at least 45-60 minutes.

Doing so helps your body switch from using primarily carbohydrates as fuel to a fat-burning zone.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is an excellent way to sculpt your body and get lean.

It uses a series of cardiovascular and strength exercises you can complete in a circuit format.

For example, you might do jump squats for 1-2 minutes and switch to push-ups, rope jumping, and plank exercises for the same amount of time during the first circuit.

Repeat the same circuit or switch to a second circuit containing additional fat-burning exercises.

Yoga

Try yoga once or twice weekly to boost strength, flexibility, and balance, and work different muscle groups than what you're used to.

Yoga is an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety in addition to burning calories for fat loss in women.

This video will help you create your own home workout plan for weight loss and toning!

9. Consider Protein Shakes

Studies show that meal replacements can reduce body weight and improve body composition, including reductions in waist circumference and overall body fat percentage.

Consuming protein shakes is beneficial for fat loss for women for numerous reasons.

Protein helps you feel full for longer time periods without extra calories.

Protein promotes muscle mass maintenance and keeps your metabolism going strong.

Drinking protein shakes in place of meals can help you eat fewer calories throughout the day.

Shakes make convenient pre- or post-workout fuel for your body as you can take them to work, the gym, or when you're out and about.

Check out these great shake recipes to get you started!

Or, simply combine whey, casein, egg, or plant-based protein powder with almond milk, regular milk, or water plus ice.

Add your favorite fresh fruit or nut butter and blend the mixture until it's smooth.

You can also mix protein powder with milk or water in a shaker cup when you're on the go!

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10. Increase Activities of Daily Living

Exercise isn't the only type of physical activity that aids in fat loss for women.

Stay active throughout the entire day to help you drop fat and achieve the figure of your dreams.

Ways to increase the number of calories you burn, in addition to getting daily exercise, include:

Go for walks with your family or dog
Take the stairs as often as you can
Stand up instead of sitting down whenever possible
Getting a standing computer desk
Participate in active outdoor activities with your family
Jump on a small trampoline while watching TV
Go bowling, rollerblade skating, skiing, kayaking, swimming, or water skiing
Do yard work
Clean the floors, wash windows, paint, vacuum, or do laundry

Avoid sitting down for more than an hour or two at a time to keep your metabolism going strong and achieve fat loss goals.

Aim to complete activities of daily living at least 45 minutes every day.

11. Complete Self-Monitoring

Studies show that self-monitoring, including tracking food intake, minutes of physical activity, inches lost, and body weight daily, can enhance weight and fat loss for women.

After setting daily and weekly goals, track your progress in a journal or app to ensure you stay on track.

Step on the scale each morning when you wake up, measure your waist circumference and other body fat indicators weekly, record how much food you eat, or track your daily steps.

Join our 6-Week Program...
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In just 6-weeks on our FOUNDATIONS Program, you'll transform your health and body, for the rest of your life!

Lose Fat & Reach Your Ideal Weight
Build Muscle & Strength
Make healthy Eating Easy
Improve your mindset & Discipline
Effective Workouts for Women 40+
Daily Accountability & Coaching

12. Join a Weight Loss Program

If you struggle to stay motivated to get on track with healthy eating or exercise habits, consider joining an organized weight loss program designed just for women.

FM30X is designed with women's unique needs in mind.

Its proven success has helped thousands of busy moms achieve and maintain weight loss for life using custom meal plans, fat-burning workouts, motivational support, health coaching, nutritious recipes, and much more.

Try the free Fit Mom Jumpstart to get started on your journey toward a leaner body today!

Erin Coleman

B.S. Nutritional Science, R.D., L.D. Writer, Fit Mother Project

Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian with over 15 years of freelance writing experience.

She graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and completed her dietetic internship at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Prior to beginning her career in medical content writing, Erin worked as Health Educator for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Internal Medicine.

Her published work appears on hundreds of health and fitness websites, and she’s currently working on publishing her first book! Erin is a wife, and a Mom to two beautiful children.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

The FOUNDATIONS Program is created by Dr. Anthony Balduzzi for Women 40+ who want Lifelong Health.

In just 6-Weeks following FOUNDATIONS, you'll experience:

Rapid decrease in body fat
Dramatically improved energy levels
Greater mental sharpness & clarity
Muscle gains & better cardiovascular fitness
Decreased inflammation & pain
Renewed motivation & greater focus on health.

FOUNDATIONS has transformed 60,000 lives! Are you ready to experience true lasting health & results?

If you're tired of “fad diets” & “quick fixes” and you're ready for REAL TRANSFORMATION, then FOUNDATIONS is your answer (learn more) »

The post Fat Loss Tips for Women: 12 Ways to Life-Long Success! appeared first on The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+.

Weight Loss Archives - The Fit Mother Project - Weight Loss For Busy Moms 40+

How to Measure Your Progress Without Obsessing Over the Scale

First: When Weight Loss Stalls, Shift the Goal

Why Most People Stall (and How Our Members Don’t)

Why the Scale Messes With Your Head

7 Better Ways to Measure Real Progress

The Fit Mother Fundamentals (Do These and You Win)

The Mom Mindset Shift; Use The Scale as a Tool, Not a Judge

Quick-Start Checklist (Do These This Week)

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program. You'll Gain Foundational Health for the Rest of Life.

HIIT Workouts For Women: Strength Training and Cardio in One Quick Exercise Session

The Benefits of HIIT Workouts For Women

HIIT Workout Warmup

High Knees

Jumping Jacks

Butt Kickers

High Knee With Oblique Twist

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Beginner HIIT Workout

Burpees

Squat Jumps

Flutter Kicks

Push-Ups

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Intermediate HIIT Workout

Alternating Jump Lunges

Side to Side Push-Ups

Lateral Skaters

Mountain Climbers

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Advanced HIIT Workout

Tuck Jumps

Side to Side Plank Abs

V-Push-Ups

Russian Twist

Cool Down

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

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No More Excuses: How Fit Mother Tami Retrained Her Mind & Body to Get in The Best Shape of Her Life

Tami shares:

Tami's Advice – Just Do It

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Easy Resolutions: 40 Achievable Goals For the New Year!

15 Easy Resolutions for the New Year

1. Work Out at Least 4 Days a Week

2. Exercise at Least 20 Minutes Most Days

3. Walk Every Day, Especially After Meals

4. Eat 3 Servings of Vegetables Daily

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5. Drink 12 Cups of Fluids

6. Lose 1-2 Pounds per Week

7. Do at Least 2 House Chores Daily

8. Weigh Yourself Every Day

9. Eat Protein Foods During Every Meal

10. Eat Fiber-Rich Foods at Each Meal

11. Schedule Time for Relaxation

12. Sleep at Least 7 Hours Each Night

13. Take Vitamins

14. Take Care of Your Skin

15. Work Out Your Abs Daily

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25 Additional Easy Resolutions for the New Year

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Get Started with Easy Resolutions

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

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Tracking Weight Loss: Celebrating Non-Scale Victories (NSVs)!

You don’t have to starve yourself to reach and maintain a healthy weight! It’s time to start rethinking dieting. Here’s how!

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Join our 6-Week Doctor Designed Health Program.
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