For the majority of us, losing weight has been a goal we have had at one time or another. however, the idea of quickly shedding those extra pounds has lead too many of us to try out that new “quick fix diet” that turned out to be a crash diet that caused our hormones and body to fluctuate until we couldn’t take it anymore and quit, but there seems to be no pain lost when we see others who get roped into the more extreme fix of getting surgically snipped and tucked to get rid of those unwanted pounds.

We have all been there, or, are there now. But there is no need to run to your phone to order the next “miracle pill” this time around! Shedding those extra pounds can happen. And it doesn’t have to take you months or years to do it, and do it right.

While we all have different combinations of genetics, body structures, eating habits and exercise patterns there are a few small fixes that we all have to make to start to burn away that extra layer of unwanted fat. Here are a few of the most effective tips that are used in most every professional diet plan to help clients lose weight:

1. You have most likely heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen” and yes, this is actually true (partnered with a good exercise program, of course)! But what too many of us don’t hear is that “your dream body is made in the kitchen”. While we all might not want to have a ripped six pack or rock hard abs, the process of getting defined abs isn’t much different from the process your body needs to go through to effectively tighten and tone any-and-all areas of your body. You won’t need to eat a strict body builders diet, but if you want to lose weight fast and make it count, starting with what you put into your body is the best change you can make to start seeing the changes on the outside of your body that you want. Most of us aren’t able to suddenly cut out all the fatty, sugary, salty, or otherwise-unhealthy foods that we eat daily, but starting with changing 1 meal a day from processed/fast-food to a diet of lean protein, a vegetable and a small amount of natural carbs will make all the difference!
2. Many of us have schedules that have us in an office and our cars from the moment the sun comes up until the moment the sun has begun to set. It is no wonder that so many of us find ourselves snacking throughout the evening, all the way up until we fall asleep, but this must STOP. The problem is mostly what we are snacking on once we are finally finished with our days and are at home relaxing. Once our bodies are exhausted and begin losing steam, our bodies start sending us cravings for processed snacks that are made up of unnatural carbs, sugars and salts. If you’re going to snack in the evenings, switching to a piece of fruit, vegetables, or a healthy carb-alternative such as plain rice cakes with a little peanut butter on top, can make all the difference between gaining or losing a few extra pounds.
3. Questionably the easiest and most effective way to lose pounds fast- stick to water! sugar-filled sodas and drinks are responsible for lack of natural energy throughout your day, low immune health and ADDING ON POUNDS. Make the switch to only drinking water and within 1 week you will already begin to notice that your body has begun to transform.
4. CARDIO! what more do I need to say. Cardio is kind of the ‘Hail Mary’ when it comes to dropping weight fast. By our own government regulated health standards it is suggested that adults should be getting AT LEAST 150min. of exercise per week! Well, here is your chance to kill two birds with one stone and make sure you are not only on the track to living up to a the health standard of physical activity but to lose weight in the process. Spend 30minutes a day, 5 days a week hitting the gym and getting your heart rate up and you will not be able to keep the pounds from fall off!

Finding the right diet that is built to lead you on the victorious path of success to the body of your dreams seems like a pretty big feat in itself, but sadly it is only half the battle. All too often we spend all of our energy focused on making the changes themselves but don’t set up the necessary steps to keep the changes sustainable in our day-to-day lives once we have successfully jumpstarted our plans.

No matter how much willpower any of us may have, there will come a time where we can’t help but feel the urge to reward ourselves with a snack/meal that doesn’t fit the requirements for our guided meal selections. Suddenly, we feel trapped by our diets because we never set up proper “cheat meals” for moments such as this.

So the question we all are asking is, what are some “cheat meal” options that wont completely derail us from our diet plans?

Lets start with breaking down some simple ways to keep on track with your diet, even with the occasional cheat meal

It is important to keep in mind the adage “everything in moderation”. While you’re giving yourself a ‘hall pass’ for eating something that doesn’t fit into your meal plan, you don’t want to go overboard. At the end of the day, forcing yourself to strictly live by any diet plan isn’t going to be pleasant and eventually you will get sick of the restrictions and throw in the towel, but if you’re going to “cheat” don’t stuff yourself full of carbs and sugar to the point of no-return, after all you don’t want to find yourself regretting overeating or worse; over eating poorly and having to re-start your nutrition plan from ground up.

Now for the good stuff; cheat meals that will help curb your cravings without hurting your progress:

Sweet Tooth Cravings

1. Large- plain rice cakes with peanut butter & honey on top
2. Acai Berry shakes
3. Dark chocolate covered strawberries
4. Granola bars

Carbs Cravings

1. Sweet potato fries
2. A plain hamburger
3. Protein pancakes
4. Sushi

… Just to name a few

The idea is to curb your cravings without sending your body into complete shock! After as little as only two weeks of slowly cutting down or possible cutting-out things such as carbohydrates, sugars, grease and salts from your diet can cause your body to have an adverse reaction to you suddenly drowning in the unnatural foods you have chosen to “cheat” with. To avoid possible stomach discomfort or even completely falling off the wagon from your diet… Pick foods that lie somewhere between unhealthy & are still beneficial and eat your “cheat meals” in moderation.

It comes as no surprise that ever since the emergence of Kim K. and the rest of the voluptuous Kardashian clan we have all been wondering how to get bigger, perkier and more toned booties!

While the majority of us have heard time-and-again “JUST SQUAT” it is important to inform you that there is a very particular way to squat to be working the glute muscles. Generally, the majority of the time, people are squatting away not realizing that they’re building their quad muscles and aren’t hitting their booty hardly at all.

When it comes to building the perfectly shaped glutes, your form and stance while doing each exercise is vital!

So get ready to throw away all that you have heard about how TO/NOT TO get the perfect booty. Chances are what I am about to tell you is going to completely blow your mind and be the opposite of everything you have come to know about building your glutes. But if you want the perfect butt by summer time, I suggest giving these exercises a try.

1. How to do a squat to that will get your booty burning without building massive thighs: most of us are used to the form of a squat, but tend to be distributing our weight improperly and in the wrong form for what we are focusing on- our glutes.

You are going to want to start standing in a comfortable stance with your feet no more then slightly beyond shoulder width apart and your feet pointing forward. When you go to squat down, the depth of your squat shouldn’t be the focus. In fact, if you’re pushing yourself to squat as low as possible, you’re inevitably going to be breaking your good form and are entering into a movement that has a great potential to cause injury. You want to keep in mind while you’re squatting that you want to be feeling the muscles that are at work throughout the exercise; in this case, you should feel your glutes working throughout the movement. As you lower your torso down into a squat you will only need to go as far as to have your hips and thighs parallel with the floor/ creating a 90degree angle.

Another tip that will help you squat for your glutes is to push your hips back and out while you’re squatting. This is a different action then the usually “push down/lower into your squat”. By pushing your hips back and out you’re putting all your weight into the back of your heels and distributing the majority of your weight into the glutes, forcing your glutes to be the main working muscle throughout the movement.

2. I have personally heard people saying, “DON’T DO ANY CARDIO, YOU WILL BURN OFF WHAT BUTT YOU DO HAVE” an uncountable amount of times, to no avail. Here is the thing, just like with your squat, there is a definite difference in the way you do cardio to burn off weight then you do when you’re trying to tone and shape your lower body.

If you want to tone your lower body and lose fat while simultaneously keeping the butt you already have and even gaining a more-shapely butt, here is how you do it:

Choose the Stair Master over the Treadmill. The Stair Master gives you all the benefit of getting in your cardio and still focusing on your glutes and legs to be working and perking throughout the exercise.

If you’re going to choose the Treadmill and don’t want to watch your hard work to get the butt of your dreams, go straight out the window, make sure to keep the resistance level higher then normal. If you’re walking: walk up hill. If you’re running: run at an incline that is attainable for your skill level (I would suggest between .5-3.0 range).