Let’s keep it real! If I was a contestant on Family Feud with Steve Harvey and I needed to “Name the number one new year’s resolution most people have,” I would bet the entire $4.17 in my checking account that the number one answer would be “to lose weight/fat.” But, even with that seemingly universal goal, we all tend not to get the results we long for. So let’s talk about why you’re not burning fat and how to change that.

Nora Tobin, performance enhancement and executive coach, nutrition specialist, and CEO of Nora’s Naturals Coffee, shares with HOLA! USA five reasons why you’re not burning fat and how to change that.

©Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Reason #1: High levels of stress

Resolution: Start by first acknowledging what is causing the stress and that stress is a biological thing that you can control. Once identified, you can move on to practices such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises. All of these can help bring the production of the cortisol hormone back down to normal levels within the body. Cortisol is the body’s stress hormone and literally prevents people from burning fat.

Reason #2: Eating whenever

Resolution: Implement an 8-hour eating window. By shifting the time in which you eat to 8 hours. For example, starting eating at 11 am and ending at 7 pm. But you can choose any 8 hour period. Start with three days per week and move up to five or six once you feel comfortable with this style. You can drink coffee or tea during the fasting window. This leads to speedier weight loss, lower risk of chronic disease, and create hormonal homeostasis with intermittent fasting

Reason #3: Doing the same workout routine

Resolution: Doing the same workout repeatedly actually stops your body from burning more fat. Try to change up your routine! Perform an interval workout three days per week. On alternate days, perform low-intensity exercises., such as Pilates, yoga, or walking. High-intensity interval training increases metabolism for 24 hours after the workout, known as excess post oxygen consumption. The movement also changes cellular makeup to be much more efficient. Interval workouts trigger a metabolic process at the cellular level within the tiny organelles called the mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell). Mitochondria provide our body and brain with sufficient energy to perform all tasks.

Find a sample schedule below:

• Monday: Upper Body Workout
• Tuesday: Lower Body Workout
• Wednesday: Yoga Flow to Negate Effects of Sitting
• Thursday: Interval Workout
• Friday: Core Conditioning
• Saturday: Yoga Flow to Revamp Energy
• Sunday: Day Off

Reason #4: Excessive beer drinking

Resolution: Any alcohol consumed in excess can limit your ability to burn fat. Fear not, though, because you can still enjoy your alcoholic beverages and burn fat! Clean cocktails are a great way to enjoy your adult beverage while still being health conscious. The Vacay Ready clean cocktail has fat-burning fiber from the blood oranges that slow down blood sugar spikes and help regulate digestion.

Ingredients: (One large batch)

• 2 bottles of cabernet or pinot noir
• 2 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 cups apple juice
• 4 cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors seep into the wine.

Reason #5: Not enough sleep

Resolution: Set an alarm for when it’s time to go to sleep, just like the one when it’s time to wake up. This keeps you accountable and discourages the endless hours of scrolling through social media that happens once you’re in bed. Once the alarm goes off, that’s it; the phone is down. Because without 7-9 hours of sleep, muscle recovery is hindered. Which then affects how efficient your body is at burning calories, resulting in stubborn fat that just doesn’t seem to go away.