This week's question: Q. How do I stop sabotaging myself?



A. If you find yourself starting a program with the best of intentions to lose the belly fat, or just be healthier then somehow you find yourself over indulging in foods that aren't the best for you, or skipping your workouts then I suggest you reevaluate exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish.

What I find most women struggle with, is that they have the desire to get into shape, yet they always seem to get distracted from life's little challenges.

It could be that you feel overwhelmed with your work, family, or you are in a relationship that is making you feel stressed. Or you are having inner conflicts within yourself, that you will never accomplish your goals, you are not good enough, or you feel alone and not supported.

Whatever your reason is, you need to face it and stop giving yourself excuses as to why you are sabotaging what it is your heart truly wants

Make a list of reasons why you want to achieve the body & health that are specific to you and how it will impact every area of your life.

Until you come up with enough reasons why, then you will keep finding yourself acting out the role of the saboteur.

Q. Is there a way to get a firm belly that doesn't include sit-ups?

A. Doing sit-ups and crunches will never firm your belly. Forget about doing 100 crunches during your workouts to get rid of the belly fat.

When you reduce your body fat, then you will reduce your belly fat. The best way to put together a program that will slash the belly fat and create a lean stomach are these top 3 things:

1. A solid nutrition plan- I don't mean dieting, but give yourself a program that your body will be able to lose the unwanted body fat. Simply reduce the amount of calories your are taking in, is a good start.

However, if you are on a low calorie diet, then you want to actually increase your calories. Too many women are lowering the caloric intake and complain about not seeing results.

You need to feed your muscles to burn off stubborn belly fat. When you go too low, your metabolism is likely to bottom out, and results in a sub optimal thyroid and other hormonal imbalances.

You may think you eat good, but it's the total amount of calories you are eating and what they are made of that counts. If you diet was that great, then you would be seeing results, so don't make it harder on yourself.

2. Full body workouts- when you do workouts that include legs, chest, and back they burn more calories. The more calories you burn, the more body fat you will burn.

Spend time on workouts that burn the most calories, intensity, and changing your routines around.

3. Mindset- spend more time on thinking about the outcome, instead of what you don't want.

If you find your dominant thoughts during the day are thoughts like "I hate my stomach and I hate my legs" then you will certainly find ways to stop yourself from achieving the results you want.