Losing weight is hard. Maintaining it can seem even harder. So, what’s the secret to maintaining the weight you’ve worked so hard to lose?

Despite what the media wants you to think, you DON’T have to do a cleanse once per month or get in a high-intensity sweaty cardio session every day to avoid re-gaining the weight you’ve lost or maintained. There are much simpler and healthier ways to keep the weight off and continue to enjoy the benefits of your wellness practices.

At Alexandria Wellness, our community practices eight foundational tools to maintain their weight and continue to improve their wellness. These strategies are simple, sustainable, and best of all, they WORK. They also meet the criteria for our SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound)

We call them the “87654321” Foundational practices.  When we practice these strategies eighty percent of the time, our wellness is a success - and we maintain our weight.

• 8 hours of sleep every night. Quality and adequate sleep is VITAL to our health. Most of us don’t get enough, and it is wreaking havoc on our weight, our inability to respond to stress, and our overall wellness suffers without it. The three ways I hear that sleep suffers among corporate and concierge clients are A) waking up in the middle of the night, B) staying up too late, and C) suffering with unaddressed Menopause symptoms. Lack of (quality and ample) sleep can increase our cravings and disrupt our hormones, leading to weight gain, stress, and burnout. The long-term implications for poor sleep health are detrimental to our health. Develop a consistent bedtime routine and stick to it!

• 7 conscious deep belly breaths every day. Breathing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce stress, and it can act as a “reset” when things don’t go as planned. I often call conscious breathing the best first step for weight loss. Less stress = more sleep = fewer cravings = more motivation to exercise. When we are counting breaths, we can’t be emailing, scrolling social media, or talking on the phone. It is a way to purposefully pause. It is a sneaky way to monotask - yet another strategy we aim to practice at Alexandria Wellness. You can add in deep breaths anywhere, even stop signs and traffic lights.

• 6 walks every week. It’s no secret that movement is key when trying to maintain our weight. Walking is a great way to get outside in the fresh air and get our daily dose of vitamin D from the sun, and the stress relief it brings is also excellent for our health and weight maintenance. Natural sunlight boosts serotonin and vitamin D. Research shows that walking outside also boosts your immune system. Walking after dinner is a favorite practice of mine, and I encourage you to try it out. Our meal digests better, and we even stay away from post-dinner dessert cravings!

•  5 homemade meals every week. Cooking our meals ensures us we are using healthy ingredients, and it also helps to control our portions. We can also plan and make enough for a healthy lunch of leftovers the next day. When we know what is in our food, we are better equipped to include high-quality protein, colorful vegetables, and food the way it grows!

•  4 meditations every week. Meditation is proven to improve our mindfulness and reduce stress. Meditation can look like conscious breathing for two to five minutes. Meditation can be prayer. Meditation can mean you pull out your favorite meditation app and pause to focus on the present.

• 3 strength training sessions every week. Building muscle increases our metabolism and burns fat. There are many other benefits as well, like improving balance, posture, and bone density. Muscle depletes as we age, and it takes resistance training to build them back. When we strength train, we stimulate all our muscle fibers, triggering higher levels of protein synthesis. Muscle mass is one of the key factors that contributes to our metabolism. So, building muscle is essential for weight maintenance and weight loss. Additionally, full-body movements mimic daily functional movements and utilize larger muscles.

• 2 liters of water every day. Staying hydrated is essential. Water can help us get to the next meal, distract us from satisfying cravings for the afternoon sugary snack, and make our skin healthier. Aim to have a water bottle with you everywhere you go - at your desk, in the car, running errands, etc.  

• 1 self-care experience every day. We all need at least a few minutes per day to focus on ourselves. Many of us tend to care for children, parents, colleagues, and friends more than we care for ourselves. Find small things that can bring you joy every day and make them a priority. It can be as simple as enjoying a coffee on the patio or reading a book in the bath.

We want to help you (and your team!) take charge of your health and wellness. Here are two ways you can get started today: https://alexandriawellness.com/#takecharge. If you’re interested in joining our Small Group Concierge program, email us at contact@alexandriawellness.com.  We have almost filled our 6am session and are quickly filling our lunchtime group. You’ll have a built-in community of others seeking holistic wellness!