August 16, 2017nutrition

Banish the bloat

It’s summer. Still battling the bulging belly? You might think dieting could reduce the bloat but in fact when people go to extreme lengths, they actually do everything that could keep them from their ultimate goal of having a flat belly. Sometimes it’s not just what you eat but how you manage stress and rest that’s out of whack.

Many people aren’t just adding fat to their body but basic bloat. Bloating is basically toxicity in your connective tissue or extracellular matrix (aka, the fluid stability system outside of your cells).

Here’s some simple things to try before you decide you have to eat nothing but rice cakes and celery to lean out your belly.

Turn your smartphones, tablets, computers, and LED screens off 1 hour before you go to bed. The light from these devices alters your melatonin production and can increase how much time it takes for you to finally get to sleep.
Sleep in a pitch-black room. This simple tip will help you go to sleep and stay asleep. And although waking up to sunlight sounds like a wonderful idea, unless you are getting up at 5am, the sun is coming through your windows before you are ready to get up. This can make serotonin production begin too quickly and again, decrease melatonin. This can mess up your hormonal balance and increase issues that are related to aging.
Work out first thing in the morning. A British study found that you can burn an additional 20 percent of calories if you do your workout in the morning before you eat breakfast. Don’t overdo it: A 30- to 45-minute cardio/interval workout is plenty to increase your body’s metabolism.
Take care of you. Your body mirrors your lifestyle. If you are dealing with high stress levels, constantly checking your texts and emails, and worrying about everyone and thing around you, your belly will appear bloated because your stress levels aren’t managed well. You have to help your body’s natural regulators of stress, repair, and digestion go back to balance. And there’s a simple way to help this happen:
MELT! This simple self-care tool can help aid in bloat elimination by stimulating the fluid state of your connective tissue system. In just 10 minutes, you can apply the techniques of MELT to make local changes in pain symptoms and global changes in stuck stress. For more information on 10-minute self treatments you can do at home, on your own, find a MELT instructor near you or check out the MELT Method book or companion DVD at meltmethod.com. This easy-to-learn technique restores natural balance, improves a body’s efficiency and repair potential, and keeps you feeling grounded and stable all day.