There are messages everywhere today about the importance of diet
and exercise for achieving and maintaining optimal health. Excess fat
can lead to a long list of health problems that disrupt our quality of
life and shorten our life spans. But as most everyone knows, putting on
weight seems to be much easier than getting it off. The trick to losing
weight is to get started with a plan that is easy to integrate into your
everyday life. There are a lot of simple choices you can make that
result in big benefits for your health and weight.
1) Break down your goals into small steps
One of the biggest challenges to starting and sticking with a weight loss plan is motivation. Oftentimes, we set too high of goals for ourselves and then feel like failures when we don't achieve them. This leads us to give up altogether and quit. Worse yet, sometimes we feel so bad that we end up eating even more! The best way to motivate yourself and ensure you stick with a weight loss plan is to set small, achievable goals. For example, instead of setting a goal of losing 10 pounds in a week, decide to stop evening snacking - a good first step in losing weight. Then reward yourself with something you enjoy that is non-food related when you achieve that first step. These small celebrations will motivate you to keep moving forward toward your bigger goals.
2) Choose smaller portion sizes
Food is a big part of our everyday lives. We need it to exist and it is an integral part of our social lives, whether it involves going out to a restaurant with friends or celebrating a birthday or other happy event. Making better food choices is an important part of losing weight. But deciding to eat healthier doesn't have to mean giving up every food that you enjoy. The trick is to choose smaller portions. If you really want a piece of birthday cake, then have it! Just make it a small piece, so the calories can fit within your healthy eating plan. You will still get to enjoy the taste and won't feel deprived and excluded at the birthday party.
3) Drink more water
If you are a regular soda drinker, water can sound tasteless and boring. But it is a key and easy to add ingredient to any weight loss plan. Water is important for hydrating your body and it makes you feel fuller, resulting in less of a chance of overeating. If you still need more flavor, there are lots of different low calorie flavorings on the market that can make drinking water more appealing. Some are even packaged in small, take along sizes. Keep a reusable water bottle in your car and you can fill your body up with healthy water just about anywhere.
4) Start adding exercise - gym memberships not required!
Start moving your body more and you will not only burn more calories, but also strengthen your muscles, making you both look and feel better. Adding exercise to your lifestyle does not have to mean getting an expensive gym membership. Start simple - even a walk around the block is great if you haven't been doing any exercise. Consider getting some inexpensive, low weight dumbbells, and look up some easy exercises on the web that you can do in the comfort of your own home. There are lots of new exercise tools to choose from, from exercise bands to yoga balls. Aim to find something that looks like fun and then set a small, achievable goal, say 15-20 minutes of exercise a day. The improvements you see in your body will keep you motivated to continue pursuing your weight loss goals.
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