Things You Didn’t Realize That Cause Weight Gain

Don’t get mad at me, I’m just sharing info I know with you—science tells us there are a few things we do that can lead to extra pounds.

Charging your phone at night: I’m totally guilty of this one. The short-wavelength blue light emitted by your phone or computer can disrupt the release of melatonin, disturbing your sleep and slowing your metabolism. Put your phone on DO NOT DISTURB so that only people that you assign to let calls come in, can. Everything else will go either to voicemail or in your email inbox. It’s like setting your phone to AIRPLANE MODE. Also, flip your phone so that it is face down. That way if a call or an email comes in your phone won't light up and disturb your slumber.

Your job: A study found that women who work more than 35 hours a week were more likely to gain weight than those putting in fewer hours. Women working more than 48 hours a week packed on the most weight. This one is pretty simple to figure out, if you are consistently working loooong days, chances are you a. aren’t eating right and b. are not working out.

Having friends who don't watch what they eat: How many times has this happened to you? Your friend eats unhealthy food and encourages you to do the same, so you do. Most people are more inclined to throw their diet rules out the window when dining with someone heavier who eats bigger portions of unhealthy food.

Scream For Ice Cream

Did someone say ice cream? I’m a fan. I mean, who isn’t? The ingredients in most commercial ice cream is not exactly conducive to fat loss though. Sigh. Eating fat, on the other hand will put you on the fast track to fat loss. Imagine eating ice cream, and staying in your fat-torching zone. Sounds like a dream, huh?

The idea is all-fat ice cream, with little sugar and ingredients you can pronounce! Son of a biscuit is it tasty. 

You will need an ice cream maker.

Recipe:

◦   2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream

◦   2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

◦   1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

◦   * 1 Tbsp WHITE sugar (not RAW sugar but WHITE)

◦   * 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

◦   * 1-2 shots of espresso, or 1-2 Tbsp ground espresso powder (not ground coffee)

Mix everything together well, and then put it in the ice cream maker for however long it takes to freeze and set up. I *stared* the flavoring ingredients, because you’ll definitely want to play around with the ratios to find something you like. You could probably try fruit flavorings, but I think the more liquid you add the harder it will be to get it to set up. I’ll be playing around with this more, I know that for sure. Let me know what you think.

Resistance To Change

Change is hard. Most people resist it at all costs. If you’ve ever tried to change a habit, you’ve probably felt the gravitational pull of the resistance to that change. Regardless of the source this resistance can be incredibly inconvenient to our goals, and sometimes, painful to our lives.

When we lose momentum that we are harnessing for the change and fall back into old habits it leaves an awareness in our mind where we know that there is better, but we become frustrated that we are stuck with where we are. Sound familiar? Yeah, me too. This brings about unhappiness, and over time, a level of cynicism about trying new or different ways to change.

I got to thinking….Why do so many diet books and programs fail? 

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Go to your local bookstore and pick up any diet book and flip to the index. Now find the page where they mention how to manage diet changes while trying to care for a sick child that doesn’t let you sleep. If you couldn’t find that, find the page that details how to manage exercise during times of extreme stress when you have work projects on a deadline. Chances are, you weren’t able to find those pages. Strange, huh? I can’t imagine why it would be hard to find a chapter like this. Your overall lifestyle can make or break your efforts in the change you are trying to make. On the other hand, if you take the changes are you trying to make into account – diet, exercise, sleep, stress, etc – and put them back into the context of your larger lifestyle, you have a far greater chance of success. Change without context is not possible because the behaviors don’t exist without the context. Imagine for a moment you are a movie star with a dedicated chef and nothing to do but get in Hollywood shape for the next three months. How easy would it be for you to eat nutritious and healthy meals three times per day?

Change takes work and an honest commitment. It will be uncomfortable at times. It will be effortless at times. The more comfortable you become with responsibility, the more joy you will receive from the process.

With this skill, when circumstances change – and they will it is a guarantee of life – you will be able to adapt to any situation.

Sparkly Soul: A Sassy Girl Staple +Giveaway+Discount

Over 2 years ago I saw a product at a studio I taught at and I knew it was love. This product is one that most women who partake in any sort of fitness routine will most definitely appreciate. Whether your fitness routine includes walking, running, aerobics, weight-lifting – or a combination of all of these – I think it is safe to assume that one of the first things we do to prepare is to get the hair up and out of our way. That being said, I cannot tell you how many times I have pulled my hair back with a headband only to have my hair slip loose during the workout or the headband itself move out of place or fall off altogether. How can such a small thing be so irritating, I wonder?

Needless to say, I was quite glad to try out the headbands from Sparkly Soul. Their claim is that they make a headband that will absolutely not slip out of place. And, what’s more, they guarantee no headache! I wondered how a company could make such a claim when there are so many different sports levels and fitness activities out there. How could they make such a guarantee when the intensity of each workout varies so much?

When you visit their site, www.sparklysoul.com, you will be surprised to find that the headbands are made entirely of elastic. The design is continuous with no break in the band and no piece of black elastic in the back. It’s not what I was expecting when I thought of a “no-slip” headband. And, yet, the truly amazing thing about these headbands is that they actually work!

The headbands are one size fits all (from kids aged 5 years old and up). Believe me when I say that, once you try this headband, it will become your new favorite accessory! Not only for how it fits and feels but because they come in so many different colors and patterns. There are Satin bands or Sparkle bands – and the finish is sparkle or satin all the way around – 360 degrees. You choose whether you prefer thin or wide bands in those finishes. They also have a line of charity headbands so, whether you are doing a walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society or running a marathon to raise money for cancer awareness, you can find a band to fit the cause.

Sparkly Soul Headbands are truly awesome! I personally own almost every color and wear them every single day! And, they really hold up well over time. To maintain your headband, simply rinse it in cold water occasionally then let it drip dry – super easy!

Order one today and give it a try because, if you are anything like me, you will become addicted to these headbands!  And, you could win my contest! Just snap a pic of yourself with your new Sparkly Soul headband on and tell me how you love to wear your headband in the comments section. Be sure to tag @sassygirlfit and @sparklysoulinc (and like on both Twitter and Instagram) in order to win! There will be 5 winners and each winner will receive 1 headband in the color and width of their choice! AND everyone get’s a discount of 20% off these great headbands. Go to  www.sparklysoul.com from 10/4 - 10/11 use the code SASSYGIRLFIT.