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There’s something super appealing about Quick, Easy and Free right?

That’s my focus for today’s FAQ show, I’m covering: 3 Natural Fat Loss Hacks… which are also Quick, Easy and Free.

Each of them have been on my mind recently. #1. I reckon I could do a lot better at. #2. Totally fell of the wagon recently and #3. Thankfully I’ve got this one covered – though you can never have enough of it!

Are you curious?

‘Waking up Exhausted’ is not the start that will see you easily choose your early am exercise session and best breakie  over extra sleep and that muffin and cappuccino combo.

Fat Loss HACK #1: Enough QUALITY Sleep.

The vital factors here:

=> Get to bed at least 7 hours before you need to get up.

=> Remove morning friction… by having your breakie planned (even assembled ready to cook if you’re an omelette person like me), your training clothes out and your alarm out of easy reach.

“Awake all night” is another common complaint I hear. Now, if that’s up with your kids multiple times a night then for sure ‘exhausted’ may be your natural state for this season of your life… however, if you’re simply lying awake, perhaps some advice my mum gave me as a kid will help!  I guess I was an uptight little thing because I remember getting really upset when I couldn’t sleep because I’d “be too tired tomorrow”.

Mum shared with me that just lying there was almost as good as actually sleeping and whether that’s valid or not, it sunk in… it relaxed me and that probably allowed me to actually fall asleep. Now if I’m awake multiple times in the middle of the night I just feel grateful that Hey, at least I’m in a nice warm bed getting to chillax!

However when we’re really talking QUALITY here are a couple more considerations:

=> Ensure your room is completely blacked out and remove all devices… for 1,000’s of years our bodies have been programmed to sleep when it’s dark. Lights, even the hint of a flashing light from a computer monitor, or your glowing alarm clock screen can inhibit the production of melatonin a hormone your body secretes to naturally induce sleep. So, yep I need to buy an old fashioned alarm clock instead of sleeping with my iPhone and iPad centimetres from my head.

=> While we’re talking quality sleep, ensuring the fuel you feed your mind in the hour before bed is first class is also important… so no surfing aimlessly through your Facebook stream or late night T.V.

If this sounds like a little hard work here’s some further incentive:

• Studies have repeatedly found:
• Getting less than 6.5 hours of sleep and more than 8.5 hours of sleep was linked to higher body fat…the more than part is likely due to less overall activity, so if you’re getting your exercise in consistently and you need 9 hours, that’s just fine.
• High quality sleep was associated with lower body fat and poor sleep with higher body fat…so by ‘high quality’ that’s the complete black-out, no electronic devices, to bed by 10pm.
• Going to sleep at the same time and especially waking up at the same time is linked with lower body fat…now perhaps this is just because it also reflects waking up at the same time to get your exercise in. I know personally getting up at the same time is just easier, and I want it to be easy to get up!

So here’s a chance to hold myself accountable – I don’t have black-out curtains, do YOU?

I have blinds that very readily welcome in the bright kitchen, flourescent bathroom and flickering study lights of several neighbouring apartments right into my bedroom. This weekend I’m fixing it, are you with me?

Fat Loss HACK #2: Enough Water.

This one is so simple that I seem to keep relearning it!

A couple of years ago in the lead up to getting some photo’s taken I was curious to see if the old body-building tactic of

over-hydrating then dehydrating AND carb loading worked. It’s meant to help you look as lean and muscular as possible on the day…

Did it work?

Maybe. I did definitely learn to my great surprise that 500ml of water Every-Single-Waking-Hour the day before photo-time, was not too much. In fact I feel like I must get around UNDER-hydrated most of the time.

Why this is important to you? Well, I drink around 6-8 glasses a day anyway however when I up’ed the H2O anti I felt less hungry and even more alert.

=> If you drink 6-8 glasses of H2O a day or less I really recommend doubling it and seeing how you feel.

(only if you want to feel less hungry and more energetic though)

Yes, you’ll need to get your timing sorted. As you likely don’t want to be waking up Every-Single-NON-Sleeping-Hour overnight like I did. That’s going to interrupt your high quality sleep in your black-out-device-free-room right? 🙂

Again, I said easy and perhaps this too is sounding like a little hard work… well here are more incentives:

Less Hunger.  More Energy.  Great Skin.  

Oh also, did you know if you’re dehydrated your body will actually HOLD ONTO whatever water it does get? 

Like the starvation effect with food. The Bloated & Puffy Look = Worth Avoiding!

=> While we’re talking water lets amp up your intake of foods with a high water content & corresponding low caloric density… try some new ones, or old favs in a new way. I’m loving baby spinach, asparagus peels & grated zucchini in my salads.

Fat Loss HACK #3: Gratitude.

Is this one a surprise?

I genuinely belief gratitude will help you with anything and everything – absolutely including your body gain goal.

For a start Gratitude is the antidote to fear. You simple cannot feel both at the same time. So that more gratitude you feel the less fear you are able to feel…

=> Make a habit of focusing on what you are grateful for.

It may be in the form of a nightly gratitude diary or simply just acknowledging the little daily things that you appreciate. (waking up in a safe and warm bed, your 1st coffee, or 1st smile with a loved one or colleague or even that ‘stranger’ you just walked past)

=> Whenever you feel that ‘why me’ ‘I can’t be bothered’ mood coming on, snap yourself out of the downward spiral by asking “what are 3 things I am (or could be!) grateful for right now”

If you’re thinking some of this sounds slightly ‘manufactured’ – you’re right. It will seem that way – until, with practice, it starts to come naturally for you.

Is it worth that extra effort to choose your mood rather than live at the mercy of your emotions?

I guess that’s dependent on how highly you rate FUN? Perhaps also whether you’re content to be controlled or rather if you feel much more attracted to being in control.

Feel GRATEFUL for everything amazing in your life, your day, this minute and it’s amazing how much more you’ll have to feel grateful for.

There’s so much to be grateful for – it really doesn’t need to be the HUGE things – it’s your choice what you decide to be grateful for and what will make you happy.

If my first cup of coffee of the day is pure bliss – does that make me too easy to please – or someone who gets to experience a whole lot of happiness very frequently? I’m going to subscribe to the whole lot of happiness option thank you!

Your action step today is simple, What is one of the little things that you’re feeling grateful for today?

I’d love to hear via the comments below.

That brings us to the end of this week in Healthification and talking Gratitude, massive thanks to YOU for hanging with me this week. I’m also feeling big gratitude that this little podcast hit 20,000 total downloads this week. It may not be huge however it’s absolutely huge to me, so heartfelt thanks for making it happen!

If you liked this you’ll also like: A Day of Health Hacks to Help With Fat Loss.

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.