Healthy tummy? Inside and out?

Fed up feeling bloated and your tummy ‘being in your way?’

After three caesareans I know exactly how you feel – having to lift my tummy to feel more comfortable and less sweaty. YUCK! gross.  I was used to feeling conscious of the way I looked even as a fitness instructor.

Even as a fitness instructor I still had a ‘pappy’ tummy, overhang. Or whatever descriptive word comes to your mind, but I guess you know what I mean?

I have been a Pilates teacher for over 20 years and exercise alone did not give me a flat tummy or anywhere near a flat tummy!  I have adapted my diet and my exercise programme and have improved my internal digestive system and created a wall of muscle from Pilates 😉

Okay, wall of muscle is a bit far fetched 🙂

There are ways to get a stronger tummy – inside and out.

Infact if you have a 5-pronged attack, you WILL get the tummy you have always wanted.  I am going to outline those 5 approaches here in this blog. Feel free to comment on the bottom of the blog, if you have something to add or want to discuss further.

I appreciate that having the tummy you have always wanted sounds like a stupid ‘6 weeks bikini’ fit crazy statement, but I know from experience that you can get stronger abs and a better functioning digestive system with just a few changes. If you make these changes into a permanent habit, the gorgeous way. Then your tummy will feel the benefit.

Reduce your ‘meno’ tummy by:

1. Paying attention to your hormones
2. Eating starchy carbs after exercise
3. Avoid probiotic drinks
4. Increase probiotic foods
5. Pilates twice a week – my favourite subject 🙂

Pay attention to your hormones 

The menopause and the perimenopause can be a challenging time for many women, especially when it comes to weight gain. Meno-middle (weight gain in the abdomen) is one of the most common complaints of perimenopausal women and most have been told that an extra couple of pounds is simply what happens at 40 +

That is rubbish!

You don’t have to have a middle age spread, I don’t.  You will be glad to know that it’s not down to willpower or counting calories. I don’t want to get too specific here about but know that your hormones play an important part in gaining weight around the middle.  You need to consider how much stress you have in your daily life.  The stress hormone cortisol can really upset your entire body.  There are simple things you can do, but I know that it is easier said than done.  So for the moment, I am just going to suggest that you chillax and will spend some more time in another blog going into this further.

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Be aware, be mindful reduce your stress levels and reduce your Cortisol hormone. Reduce anxiety with the use relaxation techniques.  Relaxing will allow your body to reduce the amount of production of the cortisol hormone and that will have a direct effect on the weight gain around your tummy.  REALLY?  yes, but I will talk about that another time.

Increase your endorphins – the pleasure hormones are produced in the brain and digestive system. The simple act of eating raises your levels of endorphins. Endorphins tell you that eating is an inherently pleasurable experience. They also stimulate fat to be burned as fuel. The greater the endorphin release in your digestive tract, the more blood and oxygen will be delivered there, which means greater metabolic efficiency.

So don’t go hungry, don’t skip breakfast or lunch, not only will your metabolism slow down, but you won’t be increasing your happy hormone.  You will get grumpy!

Flat tummy secrets … well they are not such much secrets as practical advice 🙂

Flat tummy secrets, I do love a headline grabber, a sensational teaser, the trouble is you are jaded by these statements.

I want you to feel gorgeous and show off your beautiful amazing body. And feel grateful for what your fabulous body does for you every day. Before I tell you the two big secrets, can I tell you what a flat tummy doesn’t need?

Pills and potions!

I am not a great fan of meal replacements in any form. It worries me what is going into your lovely body without really knowing what effect it is having on you internally either now or in the future. At the end of the day, powders and pills are highly processed and generally not good for you. That doesn’t mean to say I don’t agree with pro-biotics. They rock! Do you remember watching Angela Rippon working with Michael Mosley on ‘Trust me I am a Dr’?  She found out that whilst her gorgeous and lovely body was fabulous on the outside she had fatty deposits inside her body?

Angela was advised that to reduce her fatty deposits around her inner organs she was encouraged to take Inulin.  Inulin is a nutritional component that occurs naturally in many plants but can also be taken in powder form. Do you know what inulin is? It is basically a probiotic that helps with the healthy bacteria in the gut called bifidobacteria and lactobacilli – you might not be able to pronounce them (I can’t) but you have definitely heard of them from the Yakult adverts.

Do you know what inulin is in laymen’s terms? It is basically a probiotic that helps with the healthy bacteria in the gut called bifidobacteria and lactobacilli – you might not be able to pronounce them (I can’t) but you have definitely heard of them from the Yakult adverts.

Don’t miss: Meet weight loss and health coach UK

DON’T DRINK YAKULT or any other little drink – they are full of sugar and feed the demon bacteria – the baddies, the sugar in these drinks feeds the bacteria in the gut that make you feel like you have ‘gut rot’ and the bloated feeling.

You can easily eat probiotic foods like:

• Yoghurt – no sugar or fruit
• Saukeraut (gotta be honest, not keen on this one!)
• Cottage cheese – oh yes easy one
• Pickled gherkins – pickled in water & salt (NOT VINEGAR)
• Mozzarella
• Cheddar

To be honest I have just picked out the easy foods that you can find and put into your diet. There are more probiotic foods, but I wanted to start you off gently.Don’t let cheese intimidate you.

Pilates and Practice

Any way here is the 2 big secrets to a flat tummy – the two Ps……

• Pilates
• Practice

Sorry, no corners cut here that is the answer 2 Ps – Pilates and practice.

My favourite subject Pilates. I love it and I am going to make it fun and exciting and exhilarating. Oh okay maybe not all of the above, but I will have a go at trying to help you fall in love with Pilates.

I do think that Pilates is underrated, even though ‘core strength’ has been bantered the health and fitness industry FOREVER, it is still not fully understood and practised badly.

Together on my wee 10 minutes a day for 10-day challenge you are going to do both Practising using your Pilates techniques

Practice like crazy and then you will see results. In the challenge, you will receive more nutritional information and lots and lots of Pilates plus a full Pilates class and a separate meditation video to help with those increased stress hormones.  Enjoy

10 day tummy challenge including food tips, exercise and of course PILATES 🙂

Find out more click here

You can redo the challenge when you want, just let me know.

Speak soon much love