Whip Yourself Into Shape With These Cool Fitness And Wellness Trends For 2020

 Top Cool Fitness And Wellness Trends For 2020

Every January, most of us set new goals to make our lives better. Whether stepping stones, short term, or long term goals, most of us place some aspirations for the upcoming year.

And with this goal-setting can come fitness and wellness targets, some that shouldn't even be considered. While others may be worthwhile adding to your fitness and wellness routine.

So if you want to see my top ways to Whip Yourself Into Shape With The Cool Fitness Trends Of 2020, continue reading.

Your Diet
Calories in and calories out are essential. However, I do not want you to confuse the word diet with dieting. Instead, imagine a healthier life focused on nutrition, knowledge, and with the right mindset.

To me, when I focus on the word dieting, it is restrictive, short-lived with an outcome based on losing weight. But when I think of healthy eating, I think of a lifestyle choice, choosing high-quality foods that can nourish the body, mind, and soul; while maintaining a healthy weight with a focus on nutrition and self-care, not self-control.

With that being said, there are some things you should be considering when it comes to creating a nutritional plan. For instance...

• Portion control.
• Enjoy foods high in antioxidants: Leafy Greens, Vegetables, Berries, Nuts, Whole Grains, and Fish.
• Instead of grabbing those prepackaged foods between work and life that contain too many refined ingredients enjoy foods that are rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids.
• Create prepared meals you can eat throughout the week and take to work with you.
• Dining out? Share the meal.
• Have a realistic plan you can follow and enjoy.

Eating Breakfast
While all meals are important, breakfast sets the day for success or failure. This is why having breakfast is a must, and skipping this meal is bad news. Studies have found that people who don’t eat breakfast tend to overeat during the day and have more overall body fat. Our body is drained of its fuel sources, due to overnight fasting and sleeping.  Hence to wake the body up, it must be refueled with food.

Also, research has shown that eating breakfast determines how well your metabolism functions for the rest of the day. The benefits of breakfast are just too good to pass up. See some of them below.

• Helps you to perform and concentrate throughout the day.
• It gives you energy.
• It helps to keep blood sugar stabilized, which helps control your appetite and urges.

As busy people, there may seem to be no time for breakfast. However, breakfast can be as simple as a quick piece of fruit, protein, or a high fiber snack! Which brings me to my next tip, which is a snack between meals.

The Importance Of Snacking Between Meals
Yes, I said snacking. Unfortunately, the word snack has a bad rap. But, a healthy fiber snack between your meals, can give you energy while decreasing your hunger, helping you to keep from overeating at mealtime.

Snacks High In Fiber
One New Cool Diet Trend is yellow pea fiber snacks or pea fiber cookies! What the?? Yes, pea cookies, like these from Belly Crush for weight management! And the best part is they taste great, coming in two yummy flavors. (Oatmeal Hemp and Ginger Flax).

Aside from the great taste, these cookies remind me of homemade cookies. As they are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and deliver a burst of natural flavor with each bite! Plus...

• Assists in maintaining a healthy body weight.
• It helps decrease unhealthy fatty acids that are aligned with weight gain.
• Promotes a healthy gut.
• It lowers your LDL cholesterol.
• Elevate ketone bodies that help to suppress appetite. 
• And Much More!

Add Lemon Water To Your Diet
We’ve all heard it “Drink at least eight glasses a water a day,” while there is no magic number, the magic is that you have to drink plenty of water.

I am first to admit I am horrible at this, as I only drink when I am thirsty, which is not good. One fundamental way to increase your water intake is to add lemon to it.

Fitness
Now that we've gone over our diet let's dive into some of the fun, cool fitness trends.  One of the reasons I like some of these is because lifting weights every day can be tedious. Hence tying in some fun physical activities can help us to stay on track.

Fitness Drumming
Move over Tommy Lee; the '80s are back in session!

Yep, here is your chance to channel your inner Rockstar with this full-body cardio-jam session inspired by the infectious, energizing, and sweat-dripping fun of playing the AIR fitness drums.

High-tech Fitness At Home
Meet the fitness mirror. The world’s first nearly invisible, interactive home gym, in the form of a mirror! It's everything in one:

• A cardio class
• Yoga studio
• Boxing ring
• Personal trainer
• And so much more

Virtual Training
Having a personal trainer on your schedule with either a fitness app., program, or online trainer can be convenient and encouraging. Also, if you are a person who struggles with being consistent, lacks will power, or feels overwhelmed or “stuck” and just need help staying committed and focused on your goal, the virtual approach may be the way to go.

Red Light Therapy For Weight-loss
Sometimes exercise and eating healthy are not enough to reshape your body the way you want it.

But what if there was another way to get rid of some of that unwanted stubborn fat while toning? Well, there is with Red Light Therapy For Weight-loss. 

Many of you have heard of CoolSculpting, a procedure that cools fat cells to freezing temperatures that trigger their natural death. But the time involved, the number of sessions, risks of Coolsculpting gone bad, and let's not forget about the costs (which are determined on how many areas of your body need the treatment), can be an expensive reality check. 

That is why many people are now turning to advanced body fat loss options, like Red Light Therapy that can eradicate stubborn body fat quickly. There’s no freezing or bruising, and you could lose up to 2 dress sizes in 30 days!   

BONUS
You mean, there is more? Well, yes, there is! Not tips but some discounts to give you a kickstart for 2020.

1. 10% OFF your purchase at Bellycrush use code: BARBIESBEAUTYBITS
2. 40% OFF Greens (five servings of fruits and vegetables without the calories or carbohydrates) use code: BARBIESBEAUTYBITS
3. 20% OFF Red Light Therapy at Sunday's Sun Spa
4. Complimentary Phone Consultation with John Carr Fitness
5. FREE Copy Of Big Fat Lies 

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CoolSculpting Gone Bad

CoolSculpting Gone Bad...Yes, gone really bad as instead of reducing the size of my stomach it made it bigger! Now before I get into this, I want to share that if you are new to Barbie's Beauty Bits, that 99% of the content I provide is positive as I feel opinions are just that and not facts. Hence, when I talk about a product, I am only telling you about the ones I like, the ones I hate, you will rarely hear about those.

However, this is a different circumstance, as I feel it is essential to share with you a side effect of CoolSculpting that I was unaware of, primarily as it is claimed to be rare, but it is not. So, what the heck am I talking about? I am talking about a complication called "paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH)." Where instead of the fat shrinking, in the area that is treated with CoolSculpting, it gets bigger, and over time it gets hard and can be painful. WTF?? Yes, you read correctly, I now have a large permanent bulge on my stomach that resembles the CoolSculpting applicator shape!

CoolSculpting Gone From Bad To Worse; My Entire Experience
If you do not want to read my story, you can skip to "What is paradoxical adipose hyperplasia." If not, continue reading. 

Please note, I mention two doctors, Dr. A, where I had CoolSculpting, Dr. B is the plastic surgeon I went to for a second opinion.

Now, I know you are probably thinking well when you decide to have an elective procedure you are taking risks. Well, in this case, yes and no, as I agreed to promote Dr. A’s  total body bundle, that includes red light therapy first and to finish with CoolSculpting. In turn, I would share my progress on my blog and social media as the company had no marketing or testimonials from anyone.

Before And After For Red Light Therapy And Where My Stomach Was For The Start Of CoolSculpting

The first procedure in my fat reduction journey,  which was red light therapy was amazing. I lost weight, and you can see the results from the image above. You can also see in this picture what my stomach looked like prior to CoolSculpting from the AFTER photo. While that experience was successful and I would highly recommend Red Light Therapy for weight loss, the body contouring with Coolsculpting was a downhill nightmare.

Butter Stick After CoolSculping, This Is Normal

The Risks Of CoolSculpting

For the most part, CoolSculpting has an excellent safety record. During the procedure you will get the butter stick effect, which is supposed to be massaged out, this is normal. After the procedure, most patients experience mild side effects such as redness, tingling, and numbness, which goes away after a few weeks. Mine, however, was much longer.  About the 2nd week in, I still had no feeling in the area in which I had the procedure done, and it was still very red and swollen. Because of the concern, I called Dr. A’s office in which I had the procedure, and they said for some people it takes longer to get the feeling back and for me to wait about two more weeks and check back in.

Click here to order your own at home red light therapy device SAVE $50 with code: SAVE50

My Follow Up With The Practice
When I called back, I was able to schedule an appt. With the owner of the practice, he (Dr. A) looked at me and told me, I was fine, and that the area still appeared to be swollen and to check back with him in another month, in which I did.  Two-plus months in and while the numbness eventually went away; I started to notice a bulge, that was getting harder, that too me looked like the CoolSculpting applicator.

Dr. A claimed that sometimes you must have more than one process done to remove the fat. Since he was not the one to do the procedure (a licensed Aesthetician did it) he had no idea what I looked like prior.  So, I told him with all due respect, my stomach is larger than before, and it's not fat, it's very hard, and I did not gain weight. And that I don't think having another CoolSculpting series is what I need. The spot is not soft fat; it is hard and feels like it did after it was frozen (cryolipolysis) during the procedure. And more importantly, the mark is the exact size of the CoolSculpting device, in the exact place it was used.

Dr. A repeatedly told me that if I wanted the bulge to go away, I needed more CoolScultping treatments. Frustrated as Dr. A was not listening, I left and went home. Once I got back, I looked through all my photos to see if I had a before and after to share with him.  I know you are probably thinking; well, didn't the practice have a before and after? NO, they did not, as this is one area there were horrible at.

None the less, the photos I did have were the ones I took of the procedure. And if you compared my current state with the picture you could visibly see the bulge was from the CoolSculpting device and looking back now, it was clearly PAH.

What Is PAH And Why Can It Happen After CoolSculpting?

I was not aware of PAH. I only found out about it, after my frustrations with my stomach, I decided to go to a plastic surgeon (Dr. B) to get a second opinion. It was at that appointment that I was told it was PAH. I was like what the heck is that?

The Plastic Surgeon explained the technology behind CoolSculpting, which I already knew but will share with you. You see, a CoolSculpting procedure cools fat cells to temperatures that trigger their natural death.  Those cells are then eliminated naturally by the body over the following weeks and months.

During the procedure, a non-surgical applicator delivers precisely controlled cooling to the treatment area to selectively target treated fat cells, slimming you down, and leaving the surrounding tissue unaffected. Usually, this is what happens.  However,  a side effect is that the fat in the treated area, instead of shrinking expands and hardens into an unnaturally shaped lump in response to the extreme cold (WTF, wish someone would have explained this too me).

This is called paradoxical (abnormal) adipose (fat) hyperplasia (unusual increase in a structure), or PAH for short. Instead of the area shrinking, the bulge after CoolSculpting gets larger and usually becomes firmer than surrounding tissues and resembles the shape of the CoolSculpting applicator.

Needless to say, I was frustrated, but that wasn't the worst. Dr. B told me the only way to fix this was with Liposuction. WTH, you mean I must have an invasive procedure now and pay for it out of pocket to fix this?

Click Here To Watch Video

The Only Way To Treat PAH Is With Liposuction
Yep, that is right while PAH is treatable, the treatment of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia is with Liposuction, not another CoolSculpting procedure like Dr. A told me. Furthermore, this is not something I can get right away, as I have to wait about nine months until the bulge softens enough to remove safely.

This entire ordeal has been both emotionally and physically draining, especially considering I did the procedure to help market the practice and secondly to address an already bothersome area on my stomach that now appears worse.

The Doctor Told Me He Would Not Help Me
After finding out that I had PAH, I proceeded to contact Dr. A directly via email. This was a fail as I got no response. About two weeks later, when I acquired his cell phone number, I called him and left him a voicemail telling him I needed to speak with him. When the doctor finally called me back, he was very nonchalant. He said that he was closing his weight loss practice and couldn't help me. He agreed that if it were truly PAH, I would have to get plastic surgery and have Liposuction done to fix it and that I should make an appointment with a plastic surgeon as he could not help me. I was like, so let me get this right, you are telling me that I have to fork out $8000 plus to be put under anesthesia and have lipo done to fix this, and you have nothing to say about it but, you can't help you're closing your practice. He said yes. And that was the end of our conversation.

Liposuction VS CoolSculpting To Lose Fat
In hindsight, I would not have CoolSculpting done. While it is promoted as a noninvasive procedure, it costs more as most have to do 2-3 treatments and you don't even get the benefit of detailed sculpting.

On the other hand, assisted Liposuction or can end up costing less than some non-surgical alternatives in the long run. A plastic surgeon can determine precisely how much excess fat to remove to achieve the desired results in only one procedure unlike me, who now has to pay twice.  And if there is an issue, even a side effect, most Dr's offer to help fix and rectify the situation. Not tell you, sorry, I can't help you, and by the way, we suck so bad we are closing our practice!

Takeaway
Do your research on any cosmetic procedure and always ask about possible complications.  While I did do research, I did not read anything on PAH, nor did the practice, tell me this was a possible side effect.  Otherwise, I may have reconsidered the procedure, since I was only about 15 lbs. overweight.

In conclusion, I hope my story will give some insight to know that while CoolSculpting is marketed as a noninvasive way to lose subcutaneous fat. It is costly, and you should way out your options. And lastly, go to a plastic surgeon, not a spa with an aesthetician to perform, as they can't fix any mistakes or assist with adverse side effects. Otherwise, you will end up like me, stuck as because this was a side effect, there isn’t anything legally I can do about.

Need to contact me regarding my experience or want to share your experience? 

Please email me at barbie@barbiesbeautybits.com

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