[00:00:00] Welcome to episode seven of the dream body alchemy podcast. My name is Melissa Valentine. And today we are going to be talking about the metabolism magic nine power moves for your dream body unleashed. I wanted this podcast to be no BS, no fluff. I've been talking a lot about intuition and all of these other things, I wanted to bring it back to the basics. So in Dream, Body, Alchemy, one of my programs, we talk about Reality creation. I get really hyped up to talk about the emotions, the energy, thoughts, beliefs, and identity, the higher parts of the pyramid.
But you know what? What resonates with a lot of people is they want to know what are the strategy, what do I need to do? And the most magic thing I can think about is straight up metabolism. I [00:01:00] wanted to throw nine facts. I have a few extra because number nine is the mistakes, but I wanted to just bring this to you so you know exactly what you need to do.
What are the major mistakes so that you can have this magic metabolism where it doesn't really slow down as you age. I would say my metabolism is faster than it was when I was in high school, which is well over 20 years ago, it is not about eating as little as possible to stay lean.
It's eating as much as possible while releasing the weight you want to release. I have an offer at the end that I'm going to be introducing, but let's get into it. Number one,
You want to be eating as much as you can while still losing weight. So that should be your primary goal, not eating as little as you can. We still want to obviously burn more calories than we're consuming.
But it's not eating as [00:02:00] little as possible to get there because that will backfire on you.
So, that's number one. I want you to focus on how much can you eat while still releasing weight, not as little as possible. In the long run, this is going to benefit you if you want to maintain the weight loss and keep your metabolism up high.
Number two, a tiny bit makes a really big impact, specifically long term. So when we're thinking about metabolism, when we're thinking about Creating this dream body, this body that we feel really good in, that we have a lot of energy, where we're not restricting,
you're nourishing it. You want to do things that are going to last a long time. Not falling for all the quick fixes, it drives me nuts. I still have to bring this up, but still in my Facebook feed on Instagram, I'm still seeing all of these advertisements for these pills, this shake, this [00:03:00] detox, these.
Secret exercises. I'm inviting you, I'm hoping for you to think about this as a long term habit, ritual that you will get into, I want you to have that love relationship with your body, I want you to admire your body, I want you to be able to look into the mirror, and appreciate what you see, and that's hard to do when you're not treating your body well.
Whether it's under eating, over eating, eating processed foods, not moving your body, it's about how are you taking care of your body that is going to translate in how maintainable is this, and more importantly, how are you feeling about. this process and yourself while you're on it.
We want to love ourselves, the process, but also have a really great foundation for health and wellness. It does take rituals and a [00:04:00] little bit of discipline, but it's not about white knuckling. It's not about doing the most. It's really going to be about finding what is best for you, your energy, your lifestyle, your preferences, and really ignore what everyone else is doing.
Number three, lifting weights. If we're talking about metabolism, You'd be hard pressed to have anyone have this conversation and not bring up weights. This is so much more important than cardio. I'm not going to say it's more important than what you're eating, but when it comes to long term results.
Lifting weights is going to be important. Why is that? One, because muscle is going to burn more calories. So the more muscle you put on, the faster your metabolism is. Another thing about your muscle is that the reason why you want to focus on lifting weights is that it is denser. Muscle takes up three [00:05:00] fourths the amount of space that fat does.
So if you are a 150 pound woman and you have a lot of muscle versus more fat, the person who has more muscle, is probably going to be eating a lot more. But you're also going to be toned.
And I know some fitness people don't like the word tone, but basically what we mean is you're going to be tighter, right? You're not going to be as much Oedipus tissue. You're going to be more lean mass. So you're going to take up less space. You're going to be tighter toned because of the muscle. And you don't really have to worry about this because you're not going to get bulky.
Let's say you eat 2, 000 calories, if you're eating 2, 000 calories and it is going to fat, then yes, you're going to get bulkier. You might get bigger, if you're eating the same amount and it's going to muscle, you are going to take up less space. So the only way to really.[00:06:00]
Get bulkier. Is if you are eating more than you are burning. So if we go back to point one, you need to burn more than you consume. If you're not overeating, you're not going to gain weight. You're not going to get bulkier,
\ You can lift as much as you want, but if you're under eating, you're not going to get bulkier.
you might get something called the pump where blood rushes to the muscle. People who have been lifting for a really long time are usually, that's something that they love.
They want to the gym and they'll have layers on and they'll wait until they get that. Pump and then they'll shed their layers because they're showing off all their muscles that are all juiced up with blood from lifting. But again, that is something that happens in the gym and then it goes away, after you're done lifting.
If you might be a little concerned that when you lift, maybe your legs get a little bit bigger, your arms are feeling a little bit bigger. Realize that is something that happens in that moment and it does go away.
If you have any questions [00:07:00] on this Please you can always leave them below whether you're watching on YouTube or you are listening to the podcast you can always send in my questions to me or you can definitely join my free community, the DreamBody Alchemy Facebook group.
When I launched this program that is going to be accessible to everyone called the Feminine Fit Food Flow and Frequency Codes, in there is where I will be available to answer any and all questions on that program. And I have such an incredible deal, but I don't want to get into that quite yet. So, Lifting weights.
You're going to burn more calories. You're going to be denser, which means you're going to take up less space, which means you're going to look tone, which a lot of us are looking for. And you're not going to get bulky. Bulky is what happens when you are eating more than you are burning and it is turning to fat.[00:08:00]
One other thing I would say when it comes to lifting, there are a thousand different exercises you can do. I suggest, especially if you don't have a lot of time, if you can stick to compound moves like squats and lunges and presses. Things that are using a lot of muscle. You are going to hit the smaller muscles.
You're going to hit the bigger muscles. You're going to burn more calories. You're just going to be able to get a lot more done in less time. I have, I think there's the seven main. Main movements that I added in the feminine fit codes because it's shorter But in there I show the progression of those moves instead of giving you all the fluffy things I would prefer you focus on the major compound moves that i've been doing ever since I started Back when I was like 19 and then I was a yoga and pilates instructor I learned lifting from all like the gym bros before I would go in I was a lifeguard
But I still [00:09:00] stick to those main compounds. Now I add in some other accessory moves. That I like to share with people new technology and new ways to tweak things.
So if there are certain muscles you want to spend a little more time on, definitely do that. But in the beginning, or even if you've been doing this a long time, it's always. great to go back to those compound moves. Number four, if you can, I do suggest you track calories. Is it necessary to release weight?
Can you get away with not doing it? You can. But the thing is, is that this is going to be the most efficient way to really see where you might have some weaknesses. So being able to check things like macros, are you getting enough protein? Are you getting enough healthy fats?
Healthy fats are so incredibly important for women's health, especially their hormones. And as you might know, one of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance can be making it more challenging [00:10:00] for women to release weight. So we do want to make sure when it comes to our food, if we are not tracking at least making sure we're focusing on quality foods.
And I like to track that because I want to get an overall view of what I'm doing. Do I track all the time? No, but if I have a specific goal, it can be motivating to see. what I'm getting in to see like where my protein goals are. I am not super strict on macros.
I'm just maintaining, enjoying the ride. Doesn't mean I don't have goals. It's just. My weight specifically and things around that nature is not something that I focus on so much, not that I won't ever sometimes I do to again motivate myself, but I feel like tracking calories, at least in some of my programs.
If you're not someone who wants to do that for an extended period of time. I also suggest doing it for at least three days. two days during the week, one on the weekend, so you can get a general idea [00:11:00] of where you are and what kind of tweaks you can make to get closer to your goals. Number five is I want to focus on protein.
If you're someone who eats more processed foods, you might not be getting, enough protein. If we wanted to throw out a general number, let's say you're taking notes and you're like, where am I with my protein?
It could be anywhere from 0. 6 to 1 gram of protein per body weight. And I wouldn't just stop there, because for some people, if they have a lot of weight to lose, that might be like one gram per pound might be too much. So for women, a lot of times I will say, if you're getting at least 100 grams of protein, you're in a good place.
But if you really want to get the metabolic effects of protein, because protein has more of a thermic effect on the body, which means. [00:12:00] when you eat protein, your body uses more energy to break it down. So not only do you use more energy to break it down, protein tends to keep you satisfied longer. .
Number six we do not necessarily want to focus on cardio for weight loss. When I am working with women, I find it really important to focus on cardio, but in a way where we are focusing on the health aspects of it and the energy that we get from it.
The reason why we don't want to focus on cardio for weight loss is one, our body does get more efficient. So the longer you're doing it, if you're doing the same things, you're going to get less and less efficient at it you're not going to burn as many calories when you're doing it. And so something you did six months ago is not going to give you the same benefits
as it did when you first started doing it. If you're someone who has been focusing on cardio for a really long time to release weight, you might notice that your weight [00:13:00] like gets stagnant or you begin to gain weight
there's a very specific rituals and routines that I use with my female clients that aligns with their hormonal cycles. Because there's different times of the month where we are able to work harder, where our body can process stress a little bit easier.
If we are doing the wrong type of exercises, if we're pushing ourselves too hard during certain times of the month, that is going to affect our hormones. And so, it becomes this cycle of our workouts negatively affecting our goals. So, cardio is about health, so aligning it with your hormones.
Doing it in a way that is going to help increase your VO2 max, which has been shown to have the most health benefits, lengthen your lifespan. Also, it can help with anti aging, having , healthy [00:14:00] skin to make you look younger. Healthier, glowier, something that is definitely a pretty good side effect that we want.
Some cardio though, the way people do it, can have the opposite effect. It can actually damage the collagen, making you look older. So more is definitely not better. Another thing when it comes to cardio, and I always talk about this when I am working with people, we focus on the energy, not just the physical energy.
You feel like, yes, when you work out on a day to day basis, you're going to be able to do more things. You're going to feel more energized. You're going to have more vitality. You'll probably have more energy to, do the things you want to do in your life. Clean the house. You might not want to clean your house, but It's a lot better when you have the energy to do it right, but even thinking on the frequency scale of consciousness and knowing that the lower energy actually resonates with lower energy emotions.
[00:15:00] Exercise can keep you out of those low energies that have negative emotional alignments. So fancy way of saying Exercise can keep you from feeling worried. fear sadness. Cravings. Cravings are something that we can measure in certain frequencies.
So exercise is in what I call the 200 range. And that's where the body lives. This is hard work. The body requires discipline to keep it functioning properly. And then below where the body is in these two hundreds, we have these low level energy that Relate to these low level emotions. I love exercise, especially when it is the exercise that aligns with your type of energy, your preferences, not what other people are doing, because that can actually negatively affect you, [00:16:00] even if it's healthy for them.
But Working out in a way that aligns with your energy can keep you from those low level energies and keep you up here thriving, help you increase your consciousness, your awareness, your presence. And that is probably one of the best effects, I would say, of energy. Number seven, okay, I gotta throw this in here, sleep.
If you're not sleeping, your metabolism is really being negatively affected. So get that room dark, get yourself a routine. Try not to drink caffeine in the second half of the day. Making sure it's cooler in the, room, mid to high sixties
sleep is really, really important. If your mind is racing, a good meditation, maybe journaling. I know ashwagandha is a supplement that I like to take that helps with the stress and can help you sleep better. [00:17:00] There's lots of different things look into it, but. That is one thing that can help with your metabolism is sleep.
Number eight is flow. The change in the hormones and how this affects how, how much weight you can lift, how much rest you require.
Should you be focusing more on yoga or should you be trying to lift as much as possible? Is it a good time for you to do high intensity intervals so that you can get your VO2 max up so that you can live a long time, have vitality, have beautiful glowing skin. It is going to matter when you do what in alignment with your cycle.
Now, if you are someone who is no longer getting your, period, then this doesn't necessarily have to line up. But what I would say is that when I have my girls following Their cycle more. [00:18:00] There's a time when I actually have them eat more because their metabolisms are faster, and they need those extra calories to support their hormonal health, and you don't want to necessarily be on a diet or be in a major calorie deficit, because it can cause disruptions in your hormones, especially if you have PCOS.
But if you don't have your period anymore, it's still beneficial to take what I call diet breaks. This would be, scheduling in times where you're increasing your calories has been shown to help long term lose more weight and keep your metabolism up so it's something that lasts for long term.
Because when we are in a calorie deficit, it is going to slow our metabolism no matter what, but there are things that we can do to negate that so that we can come out on the other side with a faster metabolism and that we can maintain these results. Number nine, we're gonna talk about some [00:19:00] mistakes.
One big mistake that I see all the time and we must put a stop to this, they lose weight before they lift weights. It is harder to build muscle. Then it is to lose body fat.
So what I would want to spotlight here is, you want to be doing whatever you can to not just build but maintain the muscle you have. So as you are in a calorie deficit and you are releasing weight, your body is going to release muscle along with the fat. Unless you are doing what you need to do to signal to the body that that muscle is priority.
And how do you do that? By using it, by lifting heavy, by signaling to the body that you are doing challenging things and making that muscle important. So if you're losing weight without lifting, then [00:20:00] you are going to be at higher risk of losing more muscle, which means your metabolism is going to It's much slower at the end of your weight loss journey.
And it is going to be that much harder to maintain that weight loss. If it's something you're able to do, is lift weights while you're releasing, while you're in a calorie deficit.
Number two, I would say is the exit strategy. Once you've reached your goal or you're within five pounds of your goal. Don't keep beating at that last 5 pounds and staying in a calorie deficit. I know some people who stay in a calorie deficit their whole lives, and they're always fighting that last 5 pounds, but what's really happening is they're slowing their metabolism down more.
We don't want to be slowing it down more. What we want to do is get close to that goal. And if you have a really big goal, you might want to do this in chunks, but you want to do what's called an exit strategy, where you bring those calories back [00:21:00] slowly, so that you can help stabilize your hormones and your metabolism.
Otherwise your body is going to be in a place where it is going to try to get back to homeostasis. So, your hormones are going to be actively trying to get you to gain that weight back. And also, who wants to be on a diet for the rest of their lives? Get to a decent goal. Work with someone if you need to, to go, what would be a good goal?
If it starts getting really hard for you to release weight, Even if you're not at your goal, it might be best to do an exit strategy, do a little reverse dieting, bring your calories back up, hang out there for a little bit, let your metabolism and your hormones kind of go back to a healthy place. I've Brought in people through an exit strategy where they've continued to lose weight because reintroducing those calories, they were still in a calorie deficit.
I would say The best way to keep that weight off is by doing an exit strategy and bringing some calories [00:22:00] back in so you're at a more maintainable spot. And the last thing I would say is you should get The Feminine Fitness Codes, which is really the Feminine Fit, Food, Flow, and Frequency Codes. This is the beginning part of my program, the Aligned Body Awakening.
In the Feminine Fit Codes, we talk about the food the exercises that are going to be important to igniting your metabolism, staying lean all year round, what you want to be eating to help with your hormones, to stay satisfied, to stop cravings, we incorporate the flow.
for females, it's about what do you want to be doing and focusing on each week of your cycle,
I talk about How you can incorporate this in your work too. I have certain times of the month where I will tape my podcast or go live, and I like to align those things with my cycle. And then [00:23:00] frequency, I start to introduce the topic of your energy types.
your frequency is going to be all about your human design and you are meant to eat and move in line with your energy.
The feminine fit codes, it's originally 1, 111. And I'm bringing all the way down to 97 so that you can get this first glimpse, this first part of the aligned body awakening for a little while, I'm going to be offering it for only 47. I'm really excited because I want to get it in people's hands.
If you're interested, I will leave the link below or you can reach out to me. It's called the Feminine Fit Food Flow and Frequency Codes, join the DreamBody Alchemy community because I will be in there to answer any questions you have. If you want my book, The Dream Body Method, that is absolutely free.
And I dive deeper [00:24:00] into the science of the dream body. alchemy method. I will talk to you guys next time. Reach out if you have any questions. Bye guys.
