Solve The Problem
Lighting
I had a young client with severe PMS, depression and weight loss resistance. Her doctor "solved" these problems with birth control pills and Prozac. Her problems actually began a year earlier after she moved into a new house with bedrooms that had a skylight over her bed.
Light streaming into her bedroom from the skylight disrupted her sleep, which stressed her body and triggered mood swings, PMS, fatigue and food cravings. She also became insulin resistant, which stymied fast fat loss. Covering the skylight and removing all light sources in her room guaranteed total darkness while she slept, solving her numerous problems.
Solve the problem:
- Check your bedroom for natural and artificial lighting that could affect your sleep. You need total darkness for your pineal gland to create adequate melatonin levels.
- When you awake, open your drapes and let natural light in. Invest in full-spectrum lighting if you live in an overcast winter environment or building with limited lighting. Natural light keeps your circadian rhythm balanced and your mood sunny.
Noise
I recently got upgraded to an executive suite. I quickly discovered why no one wanted this room: The bedroom backed up to an ice machine. Ticking clocks, noisy appliances, loud neighbors, snoring husbands and noisy pets all destroy your sleep quality, lead to weight loss resistance, age you and make you cranky and craving an everything bagel slathered in cream cheese.
Solve the problem:
- Identify sources of bedroom noise and eliminate everything possible. Use earplugs, a white noise machine and any other device that drowns out noise and helps you sleep.
Convenience and clutter
Your home's luxuries and conveniences could be stalling fast fat loss. Self-propelled vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers, remote controls and numerous other 21st century conveniences provide less work for your body. And how many people use elliptical machines and other exercise equipment as storage or a second closet?
Solve the problem:
- Designate an area of your house as the exercise area. Make it inviting. Set a goal to use it at least five minutes each day and gradually increase that time.
- Wear a pedometer and stop making your home a complete comfort zone. Move more. Carry groceries in yourself, park farther away and dump the remotes (or better yet, the TV). Journal your daily total steps each week and divide by seven to average. Try to increase that number 10 percent each week by looking for opportunities to move more.
- Create a designated eating area where you and your family can enjoy your meals together. Your house isn't a movie theater, so don't make your couch a sitting area to engulf bags of microwave popcorn.
Your Kitchen
If you don't keep it in your kitchen, you have no risk of succumbing to the enemy during an 11 p.m. half asleep Haagen-Dazs moment. But don't keep bare cupboards. Let's be honest. An empty kitchen will encourage you to hop into the car at 11 p.m. Restock your kitchen with veggies, fruit, clean lean protein and raw nuts and seeds.
Solve the problem:
- Clean out your junk and don't hold back. Thoroughly clean your refrigerator, pantry, nightstand drawers, the glove box in your car and anywhere else you've stashed your sugar loot.
- Restock. Stock your kitchen and pantry with healthy choices so balanced meals will be easy and you'll avoid succumbing to your late night culinary enemy.
Toxicity
Studies show environmental toxicity contributes to obesity because toxins disrupt your hormone messenger systems, which negatively impacts your body's ability to burn fat and build muscle.
Toxic overload can also slow down your metabolism as much as 30 percent. Your fat cells often store toxins that make your body cling harder to toxin-protecting fat and prevent fast fat loss. Unfortunately, your environment continually bombards you with toxins on a daily basis. Begin the fight against toxins in your home with "green" cleaning supplies, live green plants and air and water purifiers. Move electric devices away from the beds. Whenever possible, buy organic foods. Use safe pesticides.
Solve the problem:
- Detoxify daily and "green" up your house.
Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food allergies. She is the bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout and co-star of TLC's Freaky Eaters. Visit her at www.jjvirgin.com to take the quiz and find out if your "healthy" habits are making you tired, bloated and age faster.
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