Want to lose weight but don’t know where to start? Our quick and easy top ten tips for losing weight can be your starting point. Whether you’re starting a brand new lease of life and want to get fit and healthy or have been struggling to lose weight for years. This page could point you in the direction of an improved healthier lifestyle.
- Set SMART Goals! - Goals are the driving force behind anything you set your mind to. Without goals you find yourself falling off track. Make sure your goals are Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-scaled.
- Eliminate Temptation! – Take away all the junk food from your cupboards! Having a treat every now and again is fine although storing these high calorie treats around the house can lead you to having that treat a little too often!
- Drink Water! – Substitute your hot chocolate for water! Water is calorie free and is the best way to hydrate your body. Keep your water cold and it will also burn some extra calories as your body has to use energy in order to adjust the water to body temperature!
- Be prepared! – Leaving your day’s nutrition to chance is a risky business in weight loss, especially with people with hectic lifestyles. Leaving your meals to the last minute will usually result in settling for fast food from the vending machine or the McDonalds up the road. Prepare your meals in advance so you can be in control of what you are eating.
- Exercise regularly – The benefits to exercise are almost endless and are an absolute must in your weight loss campaign. Regular exercise will increase your metabolism and will burn calories for a while even after you have stopped exercising! It improves your mood by releasing the feel good endorphins in the brain which are the same chemicals that are released when you are in love or eating chocolate! And of course it helps to prevent many nasty diseases such as heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, high blood pressure or hypertension, breast cancer, osteoporosis and colon cancer. It also helps to combat stress and depression.
- Lift Weights! - A lot of people, especially women, think that lifting weights is for people who want to get big muscles. Weight training is actually a great contributor to weight loss! Weight training actually raises your metabolism and burns more calories during the day. This is because trained muscle has an increased amount of muscle fibres which all require energy. So get in the gym and burn those calories!
- Be patient! – Patience definitely is a virtue in the fitness world. According to the research 50% of people quit their exercise program after 6 months! This could be due to many reasons such as boredom, unrealistic goals, financial reasons and many more. You will experience plateaus in your training where it seems that you are stuck in a rut but you must persevere. Try adjusting your training program to further challenge your body or re-evaluate your goals.
- Get the balance right: REST! - The common assumption for exercise beginners is that resting is a sign of weakness and that training 7 days a week is the best way to lose weight. Although this view on training is detrimental to achieving your weight loss goals. In order for your body to train at its optimum level you must be well rested. Overtraining will eventually lead to injuries, loss in motivation, low energy levels which all will negatively affect your training goals. So take a break once in a while, your body will thank you in the long run!
- Be active! - Aside from your exercise program there are still calories to be burned! Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walk instead of using your car whenever possible! Every little bit counts over the course of the week and the latter will also save you petrol!
- Tell your friends! - If your not motivated enough then try making a public announcment about your weight loss goals. This could be at work/school or on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter so that you have an added incentive to go out an achieve your goals! If a public announcement ins't your style, tell your closest friends and family about your goals.
- Redefine your goals! - A bonus top tip! When you have achieved your goals you need move the goal posts and alter your goals so that they are more challenging. If you have reached your desired weight then that isn't the end of it. Why not set yourself a challenge of improving your running time or increasing your strength in the gym! Constantly move the bar so that you are always working for something so you can live a long and healthy life!
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