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They say that somewhere in your late 20s/early 30s your metabolism starts to slow down. It’s true–at least that’s what I figured was happening a few months ago when I gained a couple extra pounds (and received some unkind comments about it), despite maintaining a fairly healthy diet and reasonable level of physical activity that had worked for me for years. Some things clearly had to change, so I set out to figure out the quickest way to get my sexy back, and found these three small changes helped me get my body back in just 8 weeks.
- Kettlebell Workouts
I decided to replace my usual cycling and yoga routines with kettlebell workouts. A well executed kettlebell session is an incredibly efficient way to exercise–by combining weightlifting and cardio all in one dynamic session, you can workout for a shorter amount of time but still get the same benefits as from more traditional forms of exercise. According to a study by the American Council on Exercise, a 20-minute kettlebell workout can burn about 400 calories, which is similar to the burn rate from running a 6-minute mile! As a busy person, the allure of a shorter workout time without sacrificing results is what swayed me the most into investing in a kettlebell of my own. You can get a 15lb kettlebell for about $15 from Walmart.
I started off with this simple routine three times a week. The routine may look deceptively simple but trust me, after just 10 minutes I was drenched in sweat, out of breath, and my heart was beating like it was going to explode through my chest.
As you can see from the video, a kettlebell workout is a full-body workout. Kettlebell swings really get the abs firing, even all the way down to that troublesome lower-belly pooch area, as the abs need to work hard to maintain the body’s stability during swings. In addition to working the abs, the muscles in the arms, legs and butt all get their fair share of use during a kettlebell workout.
After only 8 weeks of consistent kettlebell practice, my arms started to look like they could rival Michelle Obama’s, my butt got a slight lift, and most importantly, my pants started to fit properly again — hooray! The kettlebell is bada–. Period.
A word of caution: correct form is essential to get the results that you want and to avoid injury. If you don’t know how to swing a kettlebell properly (yes, there is actual technique involved similar to deadlifting) then you might want to get a personal training session in to learn the correct form before venturing on your own.
- More Fiber
I noticed that most of the weight that I’d gained was localized in the hip, thigh and lower-belly region, which according to some sources, might indicate that there is excess estrogen present in the body. Fiber is key to getting rid of waste substances in the body, so I upped my fiber intake by making my dinner a vegetarian meal loaded with vegetables and legumes. As a self-professed meat lover, it took me a while to adjust to this change but over time I’ve learned the art of quickly identifying suspicious vegetarian recipes that promise satisfaction but would undoubtedly leave me nothing but hungry.
I also now cook most of my vegetables and potatoes with the skin on, and add chia seeds and nuts to my breakfast cereals.
- Alcohol Reduction
It’s the most obvious thing to eliminate from a diet to lose weight since we all know that alcohol is bad for weight loss, but there is the slight issue that cocktails are absolutely delicious. I certainly could not go cold turkey so I cut back my alcohol consumption by 50%, which even that required an unprecedented level of self-discipline that I had not known I could possess. As a result, my alcohol tolerance has declined rapidly and I’ve discovered, much to my delight, that being a lightweight is also quite economical. Win-win.
