3 Easy Fat Loss Habits After 35 (Even During Holidays, Spring Break, and Busy Weeks)

0:11 And welcome back to the Body Recomposition podcast. This is Robin and if you are listening during the holiday season, you are just in time and I can already pinpoint the things that you're going through because if it's the, if it's the holiday season, I know yourself care is starting to slide and your workouts are starting to diminish and your intentional eating is probably on its way out the door, just like mine has been in many years past. But for the past few years, I have been able to pretty much stay on track during the holidays.

0:43 And if you would have told me that about myself years ago, I would have laughed in your face because during the holidays I almost just assumed I would be putting on at least 5 lbs. I kind of expected it because I thought, well I can't work out and I can't prep my food and I can't I can't practice self-control around the cookies And it's supposed to be about love and family and snuggling and comfy, cozy and elastic is the vibe. So it was almost OK with me. I would always tell myself, well, I'll just get control of this in January or my New Year's resolution is, and there's nothing wrong with having a January goal or a New Year's resolution.

1:30 But what's wrong with the situation I just described is you are setting yourself back so much further than you would be if you just maintain. Because between now and New Year's, you don't need to move the needle, you just need to maintain. You don't need to move the needle. You don't need to make huge progress. You just want to maintain. So you're not setting yourself back come January, because that's defeating. And then it's even harder to start in January. And when it's that much harder, you are that much more discouraged and likely to quit.

2:07 So today, I'm going to go over 3 holiday habits, we'll call them, that are going to help you stay on track during the holidays. And these are the three habits I have been practicing for the last three years. And they're totally doable. They're totally doable. I know that because I have my RAC Elite Ladies. And a couple weeks ago, maybe a week and a half ago, I started a competition inside my group for I think it was a month of free rack coaching. So within my group, I started pinning these habits throughout the week leading up to the competition.

2:41 You know, I think 1 is drink 100 ounces of water. I think another one is to hit your lift for the day. I think another one is to hit your macro target 10,000 steps. And everyone has these habits within their profile that were added. And each habit is worth a different amount of points. And ultimately, my reasoning behind adding these habits individually leading up to the competition was so that they felt like it was doable. They felt like it was doable. And they knew that when the competition started that they had it they had in the bag.

3:16 And these habits are habits that I try to instill in my ladies anyway. But to have it in a setup where they can physically check the box within the app, like yes, I finished my water. Yes, I hit 10,000 steps. Yes, I was within 100 calories of my macro target. That's rewarding. And we're going to talk about your own little simplified checklist that you can utilize during the holiday season if you so choose. Or if you'd like to just mentally note which habit 1-2 or three you're going to implement.

3:48 Great. Prior to this holiday habit episode, I have actually posted two other episodes all about habits and what spurred me to do that was because I had read the book Atomic Habits during COVID. So years ago I read that book and that book changed my life. Honestly, it truly changed my life because when I read that I started implementing these tiny doable habits, hence the title atomic habits because atomic means small. So if you are somebody, and I was that somebody who says I'll start in January, you are looking at fitness from the completely wrong perspective because you're seeing it as a destination, right?

4:31 You're seeing your fitness, your health, your wanted physique as a destination. And that is the opposite of how anybody who is living with the fitness, the physique that you want views it. It is because if you see someone on Instagram or if you have somebody in your life who you are admiring, you admire the way they look. You admire how well they take care of themselves. You just admire them. I promise you that was not built overnight and it didn't stop when they got there. That is their lifestyle.

5:05 That is my lifestyle. That is the ladies eye coach. That's their lifestyle. They might not believe it now, but that's something they're switching inside, which is altering their identity. They have to view themselves in that way. They need to view that lifestyle as being their own. They're women who live. They are women who prep their food. They are women who take care of themselves. Your identity shift is everything. So that's why we're going to go through these three habits quickly. And I want you to pick one, just one.

5:34 You don't have to do all three, but just pick one. And if you want to do 2 or even 3, great. And do them throughout the holiday. Maintain those habits, maintain them because your body thrives on momentum and not a massive overhaul. You're building momentum, you're building confidence. We're going to make it easy, therefore pleasant. And the tiny wins you're experiencing along the way throughout your holiday are just repeated promises that you keep to yourself on a normal basis. And that is what's going to build your confidence and that's what's going to build your momentum.

6:07 And ultimately that's going to build your body into exactly what you want it to be. So let's start with habit number one or holiday. OK, habit number one. We're going to call this one the 10 minute rule something instead of nothing. OK, habit #1 the 10 minute rule something instead of nothing. And the reason I'm calling it that is because during the holidays, we are all busy. We are tight on time, we are running around, we are cooking, we are shopping, we are doing all the things. And that just means you are all the more likely to be inconsistent with your workouts.

6:43 And I, I don't even need to describe the mindset you have during the holidays with your workouts because I've had it. But you know how it is. You're busy and these things are important. These family events, these last minute shopping trips, they have to happen. So when you have the choice of, oh, do I go to the gym or do I run my errands? Yes, you're going to choose the errands. But here's what you're going to do differently this year. Go in for 20 minutes instead of 60 or go in for 10 minutes instead of 45.

7:12 Do something, do anything. Because every time you do something that triggers the habit loop in your head and that solidifies this as part of your, your internal system. So remember, if you listen to the last episodes, we talked about the queue craving response reward. When you do that habit, even if it's going into the gym for legitimately 2 seconds and picking up a weight and leaving your brain completes the habit loop that is completing the habit loop. It is reaffirming that notion of, yes, this is who we are, this is what we do.

7:49 And that reinforcement is called identity reinforcement and it is the number one factor in long term consistency is your identity reinforcement. That's who you are. You go to the gym, even if it's for 10 minutes, you're still going in there. And the people at my gym, if they see me run in and sweatpants looking like a wreck and I do some quick sprints on the Trent, nobody's surprised because that would be me. I would run in for 10 minutes and do some sprints and then run out the door and not acknowledge anybody it because that's who I am.

8:23 Not the I actually talk way too much. But if you see me doing that, it's not a shock because I'm not going to miss my workout. If I am going to do 10 minutes of sprints instead of nothing, I'll do 10 minutes of sprints. I'm completing the habit loop. I am reinforcing that identity. It's not weird because that's who I am. I would do that and so would you if you keep doing that. So when you do that tiny version of your habit, the 10 minute workout or a high protein breakfast or a 5 minute walk or logging your water, whatever, you are activating the loop and you are protecting your maybe new identity because you are a woman who takes care of herself.

9:01 That's who you are. You're not doing the habit for the outcome. You're doing it to keep your new identity alive. Don't let it die because that's what happens in December. That dies. Don't let at it, just keep nourishing it, even if it's for 10 minutes a day. And this, this is ultimately this is the trap I fall into or used to fall into now. No, but I used to fall into it because I would have these planned out workouts and they would take an hour. And I don't know why, but I am very systematic. Even when I'm at my worst, I still run at the worst possible.

9:36 You still run with the worst possible systems. So I would have these 60 minute workouts and I thought, well, if I even skip one exercise, I might as well not go in and I'll just do it later or I'll just do it tomorrow. Then what happens? You skip the loop breaks and then you quit because you have this shame like, well, now that I've skipped it, I might as well just not do it tomorrow. It is a vicious cycle. But if you do a tiny doable action that is reinforcing the identity you want, you're completing the loop, you're keeping your system running.

10:08 And that's why that that phrase of something instead of nothing, That's how you build momentum. You're not training your body, you're training your brain. OK, So it's not about putting that work out into your body. It's truly about training your brain. Remember that when I used to tell one of my clients that all the time she was, I just can't go in the gym. And I know you know who you are if you're listening. And I would tell her, I just want you to go in and put your finger on a dumbbell. And then if you want to leave, leave, leave.

10:35 But at least you walked your butt in there and you put your finger on a dumbbell. You don't have to put any stress on your body. But you already trained your brain in doing that, that this is what you do, this is where you go, and this is the time you go there. Habit #2 habit #2 this is my favorite habit because I love food. Habit #2 the non negotiable protein meal, 25 to 40 grams. That's your non negotiable 25 to 40 grams of protein. OK. That single habit is a metabolic anchor in every sense of the word.

11:08 It stabilizes your Physiology for the entire day. What does that mean? It stabilizes your appetite. You reduce your cravings, your energies up, your blood sugar stabilize your fat oxidation is pumping and you are even keeping your muscle because you started your day with enough protein. And I used to be a chronic morning faster until I started following Doctor Stacey Sims work. And she would always talk about the importance for women above the age of 35 to eat 25 to 40 grams of protein. And I teach my own clients.

11:42 If that's not doable, start with 15. That's on the very, very minimum end. But as a broad scope, 25 to 40 grams of protein for women, that really did wonders in terms of my cravings because when I start my day with that amount of protein, I'm good. I am good for at least a couple more hours and I'm not craving anything and I am energized and I have the best workouts. I'm not kidding you. When I started actually fueling my body upon waking, I'm good. And I have actually been able to maintain my muscle mass while being in a deficit, which is unheard of for me because, well, I can put on muscle relatively easy.

12:24 It just runs away from me, I swear. OK so your one non negotiable protein meal, the 25 to 40 grams at breakfast is one of the most powerful tools you have for preventing holiday weight gain. A while back I did an episode on the top habits. I think it was by research done from the National Weight Control Registry. It was and they had listed all the habits that their participants who had successfully maintained their weight loss for years and years and years. They listed those habits and their research showed that people who eat breakfast, a balanced breakfast, balanced breakfast with protein as the anchor, people who eat breakfast experience fewer cravings and better long term weight maintenance.

13:10 And studies show that that high protein in the morning that reduces your hunger hormones, stabilizes your blood sugar, and it cuts your nighttime snacking by up to 400 calories. And for women who are 35 and above, that is a game changer because it improves your cortisol rhythm. It supports your muscle maintenance. It means you can hold on to your muscle. You don't need a perfect day during the holidays. You don't. But at least throw that anchor in the beginning so that all of those things I just mentioned are stable and your metabolism is pumping as efficiently as possible.

13:44 You might be thinking, what does that look like? For me that looks like this. So if I'm at home I I have my non negotiable prepped meal no matter what and it's my breakfast. I have equal parts cottage cheese, rolled oats and egg whites blended up with a food emulsifier and some vanilla and cinnamon to taste. And I make that as a little protein pancake in the morning. And if I'm going somewhere, if I'm traveling, yeah, it's it's really not unheard of for me to bring some of those ingredients with.

14:17 OK, who am I kidding? Yeah, I will bring those with because I love them so much. I do. I love them. I bring them in a cooler. But if I'm going to be polite and not shock everybody with my ridiculousness, then I will bring whey protein powder with me. I will bring. I'll bring protein bars. David bars are my favorite. I will bring those types of more easily accessible proteins, beef jerky sticks wherever I go. I'm pretty much tracking down a grocery store. I just don't make it anybody's problem. You know, I'm not going to be the squeaky wheel like I have to get to a grocery store.

14:50 I just say I'll be right back. I'm heading to the store one second. Nobody cares. Don't make it a big deal and it won't be a big deal. Don't call attention to it and it won't be the center of attention, OK? Just focus on your goals. Focus on what you do to maintain them and if you can get that breakfast in which you will, you will run to the store, not a big deal. Or pack your food, pack your food. If you need ideas on that, I have a million to zip lock bags. I will throw in a scoop of protein powder in each zip lock bag.

15:18 So I know that in these little zip locks there is 30 grams of protein. There's lots of different things you can do. And on my Instagram I have travel hacks. I was just remembering I have travel hacks, a little reel I posted on all my travel hacks that I use while traveling and also trying to maintain my macros and making sure that I get my workouts in. So if you go to my Instagram, RAC Fitness under Dash, so RAC Fitness under Dash, there is a reel that shows all of that stuff. And if you are kind of just starting out, you'll probably think I'm crazy, but it's fine.

15:55 That's who I am. I also know this when you are trying to embrace this new identity and make it who you are during the holiday season, you're primarily with people who love you. And if you let them know, hey, I'm going to run to the store or hey, can I borrow your microwave or excuse me, I'm going to go shake up a protein shake. Those people either already know that you're on this journey and they should be supporting you. And if they don't then that's that's their problem. Don't make it, don't make it your own.

16:28 But most likely if they're your family or people who love you, they are going to support you so you don't need to worry about that. I have been maintaining my physique. That sounds obnoxious but I have been for quite a few years now and my family is just so used to me. They know me and they will call me ahead of time and say, Hey, what can I have in the fridge when you arrive? I appreciate that. I really do. They they will ask and say, what can I have for you? Do you want egg whites? Do you want spinach?

17:01 What? And that is speaking my love language. It's so intentional. So there's a tip for your family if you want to directly let them know so they don't have to read your mind. You can just say, hey, if you want to support me this holiday season, I'm trying to, you know, maintain my health goals, know that I'm going to use your microwave or don't make fun of me when I take out my rolled oats. OK, That some people need those reminders. Lastly, we have, I keep saying these are my favorite habits, but all three of them are my favorite habits.

17:32 Lastly, habit #3 we have M&M. Just remember that M&M&M stands for morning movement or meal movement M&M. So totally understandable if you can't get a lift in and you're running short on time or energy or equipment and you just aren't prepared in that capacity. Remember Eminem, you don't need more workouts, you just need more movements. So what that means is start your day with at least 10 minutes of some morning movement. It doesn't have to be anything super intense. And I will tell you this, I have gone so far as to just walk in place for my morning movement while traveling.

18:15 If my space is an issue, I will walk in place. Not that hard. I just listen to a podcast and I kind of just walk in place. Sometimes when I get really moving, I will start doing some what are those called there? You raise your knees in there and you're kind of jogging and I forgot what they're called, but I will do things like walk around the kitchen or do lunges around the living room. I'll get some movement in. Whether anyone likes it or not. I'm going to move my body because that's what I do.

18:47 That's my identity. It might not be super effective when I walk in circles around the kitchen, but at least I am instilling the habit loop. I am reinforcing that identity of I move my body in the morning. Today it was just 10 minutes, but I moved my brain, checked a box. Now that is the morning movement component or the other M&M. You can have not the candy, actually have the candy. The other M&M is meal movement. So after you eat a meal, go move for 5-10 minutes. This is what I do during the holidays because if you're in my family, we sit a lot.

19:26 We sit a lot, we joke a lot, we cackle and it's just a lot of sitting. It's a lot of sitting and eating and watching TV and snickering. It's just it's a lot of sitting though. So I have a meal movement rule. I don't make anybody elses problem and I don't really even announce it. After I eat a meal, I go move for 10 minutes. I either go downstairs and walk on my parents treadmill or I go outside depending on my surroundings. I go outside and walk for 10 minutes. I might have to throw on my boots and trudge through the snow, but I am going to move for five to 10 minutes.

19:56 Now I want to introduce you. If you haven't heard of this acronym, I'm introducing you to a new acronym called Neat NEAT, Super neat. Neat. The NEAT stands for non exercise activity Thermogenesis. What does that mean? Basically, it is all the calories you burn from movement. That isn't workouts, it's walking around the house, it's running your errands, it's going out to the mailbox, it's going up the stairs, it's picking up the toys, putting away the dishes. All those movements that you have throughout the day.

20:29 That is what's making up your NEAT. And NEAT is the biggest hidden driver of your daily calorie burn. And it will make you, it'll make or break you when it comes to your fat loss. Because I have so many clients who are like, Oh my gosh, I'm eating, you know, at a calorie deficit and lifting weights and I just can't seem to drop any fat. Let's look at how sedentary you are. Oh, you have three 4000 steps a day. We're going to bump that up bit by bit because that's actually where a lot of your calorie burn is coming from.

21:03 It's not coming from your lifts. It's coming from your knee and it's coming from being in a deficit. A deficit just means you're eating less than what you burn on a daily basis. And I like to say this story because this is when I really realized how impactful my own need was. And I remember I was tracking my food and I was, I think I was student teaching at the time. But in this particular placement, it was a lot of sitting at a desk. It wasn't moving around. It was a different component of my educational background.

21:35 It was sitting at a desk and doing a lot of that type of activities with the kiddos. But once I started my actual teaching career, this is what did not change my food. I continued to pack the same meals every day. I ate the same amount of food every day, but it was different in my actual teaching job, teaching kindergarten, is that I was running around that classroom. I was getting there early, climbing up ladders, hanging things up, passing papers out, bringing the kids to music, bringing the kids back, playing on the floor, reading books, quickly picking up centers, organizing the kids, constantly moving.

22:12 And all of a sudden this has never happened to me in my life until this point. And he was kind of wasting away. I remember every day I would come home just exhausted and at the time I don't think Apple Watches were a thing or really Fitbit's but I would just crash. And every day I was just wasting away. I could not figure it out until I realized I am moving a lot more in this job. Which then prompted me to start tracking my steps with a Fitbit. It was so archaic looking too. Oh my gosh. I think there was 3 dots on it, no screen.

22:44 And then I saw I was getting upwards of 15 to 18,000 steps a day where I'm sure I was probably getting half of that in my old placement. But I remember thinking that was interesting. And then as the years went on and I started having kids, every time I was pregnant I became immobile. I'm not kidding you. I would sit in my really desk chair and I would roll around the classroom and try not to hurl, but I would keep a trash can with me because I usually did. But my steps went way down. And for my first pregnancy, those pounds just boom came on.

23:18 But I was looking at my steps and I'm like, I'm down like 8000 steps a day. That has a huge impact on your body's ability to keep the fat off. It does. So when I say things like just move a little bit in the morning, move after your meal, get your M&M's in, that's going to have an impact on you. Plus, if you just leave the room during these family, you get a little social break, get a little time to decompress and breathe a bit. But that's what I enjoy. I mean, I love my family, but I do enjoy going for a walk and having some time to myself to just, I don't know, zone out.

23:56 And I wanted to give you because I like numbers and I like that I wanted to give you these numbers and do with it what you will. So 2000 plus steps a day, that's your number. You are burning about 80 to 120 extra calories. OK, 5000 plus steps a day you are burning an extra 2 to 300 calories. 8000 steps a day you are burning an extra 320 to 480 and so on and so forth. That's actually quite a bit. And for a quick fat loss translation on that, if you burn an extra 250 calories every day just by moving more, you know, increasing your NEAT, that adds up to 1700 calories per week, which is roughly about a half pound of fat per week.

24:41 As long as you're not eating extra food and rewarding yourself, removing more and more subconsciously becoming lazier the rest of the day, that actually does improve your fat loss efforts quite profoundly and easily. So think about it this way. If you add an extra 2000 steps a day, you're going to get about .2 lbs of fat loss per week just from that added steps. Now, if you had 4000 steps a day, you're going to lose about .4 lbs per week just from the added 4000 steps. 5000 steps added to your day, you're losing about a half pound per week.

25:14 That's a lot. And when there's times that I'm doing a cut, you better believe I'm not missing a beat when it comes to my steps. I will do zone 2:00 every single morning to make sure that I'm at least at 10,000 steps per day, which is not hard for me because I naturally I am always moving and grooving. I don't sit still much and when I do, I pass out. So I am always getting my steps in. That's one of the main things I do to just maintain in my brain. I have these little rules that force me to get my steps in.

25:47 Not that I need forcing, but if I am on the phone, I'm walking. I'm walking and I'm talking if I feel like my steps are behind, if I look at my watch, I'm like, Oh my goodness, usually I'm at about, you know, 8000 at this point in the day. I start cleaning. I start cleaning. That's my penance for being lazy. I have to clean. So I will start doing dishes. I'll go grab a load of laundry and what do you know that my house is spotless because I will pair that those two habits together so you can find your own little micro burst activities ideas.

26:19 Like I said, movement after meals. You can do the phone call rule that I just said. If you didn't get your morning movement in, do an evening walk. I've been doing those lately. Do an evening walk. It's great. It's a nice way to unwind, but don't go too fast because otherwise your heart rate's elevated and you don't want that before bed. All right, let's wrap it up. So today, ladies, I talked you through it. I talked you through the three holiday habits that will keep you on track without dieting, without restricting.

26:45 Restriction is not the name of the game we're playing. And without trying to overhaul your entire life during the busiest, most emotional month of the year. So if you take anything away from today's episode, remember this. Your body thrives on momentum, not perfection. Your identity is shaped by what you do consistently, those atomic habits, not what you do intensely. So as I said, one of my old clients, I would tell her to just go into the gym and touch a weight because that completes the habit loop that reaffirms the identity that you are shifting yourself into.

27:21 You have to complete the habit loop to actually change the way you view yourself. So let's recap. Habit number one was the 10 minute rule something instead of nothing. This is your identity anchor. When you show up for even 2:00 to 10 minutes, you're activating the habit loop. So even if you just do some dumbbell lunges and then some air squats, great, you did it. Your brain says this is who we are. We lift, we do this. You're not training your body, you're training your brain. And that tiny action keeps your identity alive.

27:53 It prevents that shame spiral the I'll restart in January trap. Do not do that. That habit works every time. Habit number one was the 10 minute rule. Habit #2 the non negotiable protein meal, you need it to be 25 to 40 grams of protein. You do. That's what Doctor Stacey Sims recommends. That's what all the research points to is if you were a woman above the age of 35, you need 25 to 40 grams of protein to really blunt that cortisol spike in the morning. That's what we're going for. One meal, non negotiable.

28:22 Make it be your breakfast, always have it ready no matter what. And it's ideally breakfast because we had talked about how the National Weight Loss Research Institute pointed to breakfast as being one of the most impactful habits of lasting weight loss. And I speak to that. I can speak to that wholeheartedly. So habit number 2 was the non negotiable breakfast meal habit #3 M&M. Either get your morning movement or your meal movement, your post meal movement that really helps with digestion. Just choose one, choose 10 minutes of movement in the morning or just get that three to 10 minutes of movements after your biggest meal.

29:00 It lowers your blood sugar, reduces your cravings, helps your digestion, studies your cortisol, keeps your inflammation down. When you pair that with your NEAT member, the non exercise activity, thermogenesis, all those tiny easy movements throughout your day, your metabolism is through the roof and it stays stable even if you never make it to the gym. Just those M&M movements, the morning movement and the meal movement that keeps your metabolism running hot. That combos exactly what you need to stay consistent without relying on your willpower, your discipline, or needing to hit the gym for an hour.

29:35 It's just it's a staple. It can be your staple. So your homework, your December strategy. Pick one habit. Pick one habit. If you've been overwhelmed, December's chaotic. If you're someone who's always like starting January, don't do that this year, this holiday season, you're going to pick one holiday habit, master it, and then add one. So not all three at once. Not perfection, Not to punish yourself, just to reinforce that identity, to keep your momentum rolling. Just one small action that says I, I am this person.

30:05 I take care of myself even in the busiest of busy seasons. Because when January comes, you will either feel empowered or you will feel remorseful. And the difference is not in your weight, it's not in your macros or your workout. The difference is whether you kept those small promises to yourself this month. So these three habits, those are your blueprint for doing exactly that. And you deserve to enjoy the holidays without, without losing yourself. You deserve to feel comfortable and confident and cared for in every single photo, in every moment, every memory.

30:36 So just pick one habit, build momentum, feel proud of yourself in January, and I'm here with you every step of the way. If you want any of the resources I mentioned in this episode or other episodes, you can find those resources on my Instagram, which I mentioned a little bit earlier in this episode. Rack Fitness under Dash, so RAC Fitness under Dash. That's my Instagram handle. You can e-mail me. I have been getting a lot of emails lately and you know the holiday season is busy, so I will try my best to e-mail you back within 48 hours.

31:09 As of now for the holiday season, I won't be doing mini custom macro formulations, but if you do have a question, my e-mail address is RAC Fitness MN. So RAC Fitness MN for [email protected] Again ladies, thank you for listening and I hope you have the happiest holidays.