Tag: Fitness Tips

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

10 Easy Ways to Lose Weight


Many people are skeptical when someone talks about easy ways to lose weight. For most of us, losing extra weight is one of the hardest things to do. It takes a lot of willpower, motivation, and hard work to achieve a trim and toned body. This may be true but there are ways to help you shed pounds painlessly. The secret to a successful weight loss program is to make small lifestyle changes that reduce your caloric intake and increase your physical activity. Here are 10 easy ways to help you lose weight and keep it off permanently

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

10 Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Easy Ways to Lose Weight

Eat more fruits and vegetables – Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrition but low in calories. If you want to lose weight easily, substitute high-calorie foods with fruits and vegetables. Don’t make the mistake of eating fruits or vegetables in addition to what you usually eat. It will only add more calories and make you gain weight. So instead of having a doughnut for your snack, eat an apple or a cup of carrot sticks.

Stop drinking high-calorie beverages – Carbonated drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and alcoholic drinks deliver calories that you may not even be aware of. Even your morning latte can pack a whopping 200 calories. If you’re thirsty, drink water instead.

Keep a food journal – Keep a small notebook where you write down everything you eat for the day. Use the journal to help you control your caloric intake for the day. Studies have shown that people who maintain a food journal are more likely to consume fewer calories than those who don’t.

Join fitness tips for Life on Facebook

Get a Free Get Fit ebook and health and fitness tips in your feed everyday.

Control portion size – Find out the correct portion size for different kinds of foods and don’t eat more than you should. Use a smaller plate to help you control your portions.

Eat more slowly – It takes up to 20 minutes for the brain to recognize that your body is full. If you eat too quickly, your stomach may already be full but you’ll still want to eat. Put your fork down between bites and chew your food properly. This is an easy way to keep you from over-eating so you can lose weight.

Walk every day – Get into the habit of walking every day to help burn calories and reduce body fat. Even a 15-minute or 30-minute walk will help you lose weight over time.

Get active – Just because you’re watching television does not mean you can’t burn more calories. During commercial breaks, try doing crunches, stretching, or lifting dumbbells.

Walk or bike to your destination – Consider biking or walking to your destination instead of driving, especially if it’s only a few blocks away. You’ll save on gas, help protect the environment, and have a healthier body too.

Take the stairs – Instead of the elevator, walk up (or down) the stairs. You can burn a lot of calories this way. Best of all, you’ll improve your cardiovascular health. While you’re at it, complete your tasks while standing or walking instead of sitting all the time.

Do strength training – Strength training is an easy way to lose weight. The muscles you build will allow your body to burn more calories even when you are resting.

These easy ways to lose weight should get you started. Once you are moving well and eating right you will start to pick up even moreeasy ways to lose weight

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Alcoholic Drinks
  • Related Blogs on Caloric Intake
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

8 Simple Steps to Lose Weight

Everyone is looking for the Steps to lose weight. It is a well-known fact that diets are not effective for permanent weight loss. Fad diets may help you lose weight initially but when you reach your ideal weight and end your diet, the pounds you lost often come back with a vengeance. Losing weight takes discipline and hard work but it all boils down to how much you eat and how much you exercise.

There are simple steps you can take to lose weight. If you follow these steps to lose weight religiously, you’ll be able to achieve your goal and keep your body trim and toned.

Steps to Lose Weight

8 Simple Steps to Lose Weight

Steps to Lose Weight

1. Find time to exercise regularly – If you can, make it a point to workout every day. Walk, jog, bike or swim for at least 30 minutes a day. Get your heart rate going with cardio exercise and burn more calories. Strength training is also necessary to develop muscle mass and tone your body.

2. Be sure to eat a healthy breakfast – Never skip breakfast because it is the most important meal of the day. A good breakfast provides the nutrients and energy you need to get your work done all morning. It also jump starts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day. Include protein and some amount of fat in your morning meal. You will feel full longer and avoid over-eating later in the day.

Join fitness tips for Life on Facebook

Get a Free Get Fit ebook and health and fitness tips in your feed everyday.

3. Keep a record of everything you eat – A food journal helps you keep track of how much food you are actually eating. Studies show that people who record their caloric intake consume up to 15% less calories than people who don’t. At the very least, keeping track of your progress will help you stick to your weight loss program.

4. Plan your meals ahead of time – This simple step to lose weight can make or break your weight loss program. Having a meal plan ensures that you are able to consume only the amount of calories allotted for the day. If you have no idea what you’re going to eat for your next meal you’re likely to eat anything you can lay your hands on, and there’s no guarantee that it will be healthy and low-calorie.

5. Control food portions – Make sure you know how much is in one serving of a particular food. By controlling food portions, you will also control the number of calories you consume. This is a simple yet effective step to lose weight.

6. Cut out carbonated drinks and high-calorie beverages – Soft drinks contain a lot of sugar and can make you fat, so eliminate or reduce your intake of carbonated drinks. High-calorie beverages such as sweetened fruit juices, milkshakes, lattes and alcoholic drinks should also be avoided if you want to lose weight quickly.

7. Drink plenty of water – The body needs water for proper metabolism. Drink a glass of water before each meal to help you feel full more quickly and avoid eating too much.

8. Eat wholesome and natural foods – Choose foods that are fresh and as close to their natural state as possible. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, beans, nuts and seeds. Foods that are unprocessed contain more nutrients and fiber to fill you up without adding too many calories to your diet, thus helping you to lose weight.

Following these steps to lose weight will help you to lose weight consistently and easily.

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Caloric Intake
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

How to Stay Fit While Traveling

We all travel and I am always asking myself how to stay fit while traveling. Well trainer Jon Gallo has written this great article full of tips and I hope you find these travel fitness tips as great as I did

How to Stay Fit While Traveling

How to Stay Fit While Traveling

How to Stay Fit While Traveling – By Jon Gallo

Many fitness enthusiasts find it difficult to follow their normal exercise plan while traveling. Unfamiliar environments, tightly-scheduled business meetings, or lack of exercise equipment may hamper even a fitness fanatic’s best intentions for staying fit while on the road. Jon Gallo is a certified fitness trainer. When planning your next business trip or vacation, he offers the following tips for putting together an exercise program that travels with you.

If you’ve worked hard to establish a good fitness routine, going on a business trip doesn’t have to mean your healthy habits will be derailed. Here are some tips on how to stay fit while traveling. You can keep your momentum and endorphins flowing and maintain your fitness level when traveling. How? For one thing, keep moving. “Drink a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. Airport food, sitting on a plane, jet lag – all contribute to bloat. The best way to fight it is to stay hydrated,” says Jon Gallo.

  • Use good body mechanics when you lift your suitcases up to the check-in counter.
  • Lift from your knees, not your back.
  • Be aware of your posture as you carry your bags.
  • Even though you’ve left behind your daily routine, try to eat three meals a day, maintain a balanced diet and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.

How to Stay Fit While Traveling – Eating Tips

If you’re going to eat a high-fat meal, eat a smaller portion, or order an appetizer instead of a main course. Split desserts with a friend. Rest. If your schedule is shot and you’re not sleeping enough at night, take cat naps whenever you get the chance.  Stretch in the morning and evening, especially if you’ve been sitting all day. If you will be drinking alcohol at business mixers, drink a lot of water between events.  Pack snacks: bananas and apples, yogurt, protein bars. You can make meal replacement shakes in your room. You don’t need a blender, just a container with a tight fitting lid, large enough to shake the contents.

How to Stay Fit While Traveling – Workout Tips

To know how to stay fit while traveling it is critical to have a  workout plan. To find out if your gym reciprocates its membership with a gym where you’ll be traveling, log onto the International Physical Fitness Association’s Web site, http://www.ipfa.us/, or ask at your home health club before you leave town. Jon Gallo says that, “Three to five days off from a strength routine can give your muscles a rest. But you wouldn’t want to go a week or more without serious exercise and a short respite for your biceps doesn’t mean you should ever let your cardio workout go.”

  • Ask your travel agent about hotels that offer fully equipped gyms, pools, and/or other fitness facilities.
  • Bring along a CD or Ipod with your favorite music and work out in the privacy of your hotel room.
  • Pack a jump rope for a go-anywhere aerobic session. Invest in “travel weights” -inflatable weights that can be filled with water or sand when training, folded and stored while on the road.
  • Plan active recreation during vacations -check out the local golf course, riding stable, and so on.
  • When site-seeing, forget the tour bus and walk. You’ll not only see more, but you’ll be sneaking in some extra activity.

For more fitness options, place in your luggage a Resist-A-Tube or any of the home exercise tubing, a stability ball, jump rope or exercise video. ”If you like classes, make your own class in your room,” offers Jon Gallo. If you work with a personal trainer, ask him or her to design an exercise plan before you leave town. When you’re sitting on a plane or in a conference room, take deep breaths occasionally, tighten your stomach muscles, then relax.

How to Stay Fit While Traveling – On Transportation

Travelers need to periodically flex and stretch the hamstrings and hip flexors, the muscle at the upper part of the leg that connects into the pelvis. For women who spend the day in high heels, a walk around the room toe-up, heel-down will stretch the calf muscles. Or, do toe raises by putting the heels on the floor and stepping up onto a telephone book. “Men often complain of being cramped when traveling,” states Gallo. “They need to stretch their lower back and legs.” He recommends the cat stretch. Get up on your hands and knees, arch your back for 15 seconds, then release. Repeat.

Jon Gallo points out that the more comfortable you are with operating fitness machinery at your home gym, the easier it will be to set up unfamiliar equipment when you’re on the road. And consider Thera-Bands, which you can buy online and at most sporting goods stores. Thera-Bands are heavy-duty elastic tubing, graded by color according to elasticity and tightness that you can use in resistance exercises. They are easy to pack and you can do a complete maintenance workout with them.

FIT FLYING

Air travel may be fast and convenient, but for many of us, it can be uncomfortable and restrictive due to cramped cabins and sardine-like seating. The following tips can help you make the most of your next airplane trip by helping you stay flexible and fit while you fly.

  • DEEP BREATHING is an instant-relaxer and can be done anywhere at any time. Try taking 4-5 deep, cleansing breaths several times during your flight.
  • RELAX YOUR SHOULDERS by bending forward slightly, hands on knees and “rolling” your shoulders in a circular motion 5 or 6 times. Repeat the “roll” in the opposite direction, then finish up by “shrugging” your shoulders up and down 5 times.
  • RELAX YOUR BACK by reaching overhead, holding elbows, and bending side to side. Repeat 5 times in each direction.
  • STRETCH YOUR LEGS by alternately lifting your knees toward your chest and bringing your body toward your knee to the count of eight.
  • RELEASE YOUR FEET by “drawing” the alphabet with one foot then the other.

These are great How to Stay Fit While Traveling tips that I hope that you can use this summer.

How to Stay Fit While Traveling

Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Airport Food