Low self-esteem can cause negative self-talk. This can further lower your self-esteem causing a vicious cycle where you continually feel bad about yourself. The good news is that you can change the way you talk to and about yourself. When you conquer negative self-talk, your self-esteem will improve. You’ll gain more self-confidence and you’ll feel more optimistic about your life in general. 

If you’re ready to break the cycle of negativity, you need to understand these essential truths. 

Actions follow thoughts, so your thoughts are important. 

Your actions always begin with your thoughts. If you think that you’re destined to be overweight, then it doesn’t matter how many diet books you buy or how many nutritionists you talk to, you’re still going to be overweight. You’ll stay overweight because you haven’t changed your mindset. 

If you want to change your life, you have to change your thoughts first....

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As you age, you start to lose bone and muscle mass. But, there is 1 nutrient that is key to helping you retain muscle mass and bone density. 

Protein.

Every day you are faced with food choices. Some of those foods help your body and others simply don’t.

If you are in the throes of perimenopause or menopause, even in post menopause one of the best ways you can support your body is to pay attention to what is at the end of your fork. 

Your hormonal symptoms like inability to sleep, hot flashes, low-level anxiety, and stomach bloating are directly related to the foods you choose to eat. It is time to put on your big-girl panties and declare that your health will take priority over your desires and urges and choose foods to heal &...

So, what can you do about hormonal weight gain? 

Well, your plan of action will depend on what hormones are out of whack but these basic actions are a good place to start. 

CHILL OUT. 

When you are stressed, your body produces lots of cortisol to help alleviate the stress. That's why cortisol is called the stress hormone. Chronic stress can lead to weight gain insulin resistance, among other issues. Therefore, your first step to dealing with hormonal weight gain is to deal with the cause of your stress. Meditate, do yoga, practice mindfulness. Whatever you do, try to relax. The less stressed you feel, the better.   

GET SOME REST. 

If you have poor sleeping habits, it's time to work on that.  

People who sleep less have been shown to have higher BMIs. Try to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night. This will help regulate your hormones, returning your system to a healthy rhythm. Your body and your brain need to...

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Let’s talk about the factors that help you lose weight and those that keep you from losing weight.

Believe it or not the scale is not the best instrument to measure your fat loss. The scale is only one type of measurement, it’s just a piece of metal, it’s a tool that can give you data but it is only telling you one thing - pounds up, down or the same. Those numbers can be influenced by a number of factors so you can’t take this number too seriously.

Let me suggest 2 better ways to measure your actual weight or fat loss. Measuring your body and noticing how your clothes fit or using a smart scale will give you a more accurate picture or your weight. A smart scale, which I use, will tell you how much fat you have and how much lean muscle. Your goal is to increase your lean muscle and decrease your fat.

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