How do you lose weight in today’s busy world? Obesity is a sign of the times, as we munch on junk from the vending machine, sitting down all day at a desk just before we go and get stuck and stressed in traffic on the way home. It seems like an uphill battle at times.
However, there are simple, practical changes you can make to your routine that will set you on the right path to a healthy weight. Here are 6 of the best.
1. Change What You Drink
Modern life is thirsty work, and we often find ourselves reaching for a can of something sweet and fizzy to give us some refreshment. But sugar in soda is a leading cause of weight gain and obesity. Water is the key. It’s on tap, it’s cheap, and it’s what you were designed to drink. It also has the added benefit of increasing your body’s ability to burn calories by 24-30% in the hour following consumption of a 500ml (17oz) glass of water. (1)
2. Unsweetened Coffee and Teas Work Too
The trick is to not add sugar, otherwise you just end up with hot soda. These drinks are also packed with antioxidants which deliver other health benefits. Just remember not to overdo it.
3. Spice is Nice
Add some spice to your food to get your metabolism going. Chili peppers contain a compound known as capsaicin which encourages your body to burn fat at a higher rate. This is particularly useful for fat which has stubbornly accumulated in problem areas like the belly.
4. Ensure You Sleep Well
When we don’t sleep well, not only do we diminish our willpower in the face of junk food, but we also interfere with how our appetite is regulated. At different times of the day, your body produces hormones that tell your brain it’s time to eat. If your sleep pattern is out of kilter, however, this can affect the timing of these hormones. Invest in some blackout curtains for your bedroom so the early dawn does not disturb you, and ensure where you sleep is used for that purpose only. No playing with your phone or watching TV in bed.
5. Don’t Just Diet, Change Your Diet
Short-term dieting is essentially a boom and bust cycle. Studies show that a more gradual transition to a healthier diet and lifestyle is more effective in the long run because it comes as less of a shock to the system, and in turn results in less resistance. It’s much easier to maintain smaller changes than big ones.
6. You Can Always Use Help
A problem shared is a problem solved, so goes the saying. Your initial reaction here might be to go down to your local gym and sign up for a personal trainer. But remember point #5, it’s much easier to maintain smaller changes than big ones. Try and get into a routine of doing something at home first. Help can come in all shapes and sizes, however, and big things can come in small packages. We recommend an all-natural supplement by the name of Garcinia Cambogia as a first step to weight loss. What Garcinia Cambogia does is encourage your body to use up fat reserves, which is essentially what obesity is. Taking a supplement is also a small, manageable change you can make right now.
7. Portion Sizes
Years ago pasta, pizza, and other heavy meals were considered side dishes to more healthful mains such as vegetable sticks and bakes. Now that’s completely reversed, and in some cases, the only vegetables in the meal are in the sauce – tomatoes and onions!
When dishing up, take a moment to consider the size of each portion on your plate and give yourself bigger portions of healthier foods – and then eat these first before eating the less healthy ones.
8. 42 Chews Before Swallowing
My grandma always said, “Chew your food 42 times before swallowing.” It’s been drilled into my head since I was a child, but this old wives tale might have some use to it (other than annoying the grandkids).
Research has shown that people who chew their food more tend to eat slower, and slower eaters eat fewer calories per meal. And fewer calories in general over the course of the day. Scientists have found that it takes your stomach 20 minutes to realize it has had enough food and is full. So if you eat your whole meal in less than 20 minutes, your stomach doesn’t have time to signal the brain to feel satiated and you’ll overeat.
Summary
Simple, small, practical steps are the way to get started. Take on too much, too fast, and the odds are against you.
Jenny Michelle is a blogger, writer, and content creator at Researchverified .She has been passionate about health, nutrition and sports since a young age. She is a firm believer that a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet combined is key to live a long and a happy life. Previously, Jenny worked as a content writer for a Marketing company.