If you’re trying to get in shape (specifically an hourglass figure) and you aren’t getting the results you want, chances are there are some things about your lifestyle that you need to reevaluate and change.
If you’re only waist training and not making sure that you’re leading a healthy lifestyle, chances are you’re not going to get or maintain the figure that you want.
Waist trainers do some wonderful work for you, but they can’t magically give you the body you want if you don’t help them help you. Along with a regular exercise regime, you need to be cooking up your figure in the kitchen as well. You can’t out exercise a poor diet.
So what are the things that you should avoid putting into your body?
SODA
Yes, this means even diet soda. No soda is really “diet” if you think about it. Regular and diet sodas both contain immense amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners per serving. Excess amounts of sugar can be used by your body to generate fat, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame have been linked to causing migraines and nervous system damage. Aside from the long term health risks, all of the carbonation in soda leads to abdominal bloat which can prevent you from seeing a change in your figure.
HIGH SODIUM
Though we need sodium in our diet for our bodies to function properly, too much of a good thing isn’t good at all. Ingesting too much sodium can not only cause water retention (which will bloat you), but causes high blood pressure, and people with high blood pressure can have an increased chance of heart disease and even stroke. According to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes roughly 3,400mg of sodium per day which is more than twice the recommended 1,500mg that we should be consuming daily. It might surprise you what foods are hiding a lot of sodium containing compounds in them. Those nuts that are packed with healthy fats? They’re also packed with sodium unless you get nuts that aren’t salted or seasoned. Condiments such as mayonnaise also have quite a bit of sodium in them as do the cold cuts that are on the sandwich you’re probably putting those condiments on.
TAKEOUT
It’s hard to pass up a quick meal when life gets busy and you don’t have time to cook a three course meal for yourself, but when you choose fast food or takeout, you’re really passing up a healthier you. Not only is fast food and takeout packed with sodium (one serving of the soy sauce in your Chinese food alone carries 879 mg of sodium!), but it’s loaded with fats, and we’re not talking the good omega fatty acids either.
ALCOHOL
Drinking alcohol, especially after your workout, can impede your progress and prevent you from seeing results. If you drink alcohol shortly after working out, Livestrong tells us that alcohol reduces the secretion of Human Growth Hormone which can negate some of the progress you’ve made at the gym. Not only will alcohol affect your muscle growth, but most cocktails are packed with unnecessary calories and a lot of sugar. Now I know you’re still going to have a drink here and there anyway, so if you’re of legal drinking age where you try something with low calories and little to no grenadine (which is essentially saturated sugar water) such as a vodka and tonic, gin and tonic, or a skinny cosmo (using low sugar or sugar free cranberry juice).
While most things are okay here and there in moderation, none of these foods should be a part of your daily life. With the help of a regular workout routine, healthy eating, and waist training, you can mold your figure into the shape you want it to be.
