Kick start your weight loss with these easy-to-follow
tweaks to your daily life derived from a forwarded email.
1. Use interval training to rev up your
workout. Walk for the same amount of time at
the same intensity day in and day out and your
body will get as bored with your workout as you
do. Throw in some variety with interval
training, which involves changing the intensity
of your workout throughout your exercise
session. Every 5 minutes of your walk, jog for 1
minute. Every 5 minutes of your bike ride, shift
into a higher gear and pedal hard for a minute.
If you swim, speed up every other length. You'll
burn more calories in the same amount of time.
2. Fidget. People who drum their
fingers or bounce their knees burn at
least 500 calories a day. That adds up
to losing 1 lb a week.
3. Keep a small squeeze ball
with you and grip and squeeze it
frequently during the day.
It's one of the few exercises
you can do at any time. You'll
build up the muscles in your
hands – and muscle, wherever it
is, burns a lot of calories.
4. Don't starve
yourself. Cutting
out too many calories
can backfire in more
ways than one. Try to
subsist on morsels and
your metabolism will
slow down so much that
you'll not only stop
losing weight, but
you'll be lucky if you
can peel yourself off
the couch.
5. Put five
rubber bands
around your
wrist every
morning.
That's how many
16-ounce bottles
of water you
should drink
during the day
to rev up your
metabolism,
helping to burn
more calories.
At least, that's
what German
researchers
found when they
got 14
participants to
drink about 500
ml of water.
The
volunteers'
metabolic rate –
or how quickly
they burned
calories –
jumped a third
within 10
minutes of
drinking the
water and
remained high
for another 30
or 40 minutes.
The researchers
estimated that,
over a year,
increasing your
water
consumption by
1.5 litres a day
would burn an
extra 17,400
calories, or
about 2.25 kg (5
lb) worth. Since
much of the
increased
metabolic rate
is due to the
body's efforts
to heat the
liquid, make
sure the water
you're drinking
is icy cold.
6.
Turn up
the heat
with hot
peppers.
Some
studies
show
that
very
spicy
foods
can
temporarily
increase
your
metabolism.
Specialist
grocers
often
stock
many
different
kinds of
peppers.
Buy one
type a
week and
add some
to
various
meals.
Spice up
your
scrambled
eggs
with
minced
jalapeño,
add a
little
fire to
beef
stew
with
half a
Scotch
bonnet
pepper.
7. Exercise outside. Maybe it's the fresh air, maybe it's the sunshine, but something about exercising out in the open makes you walk or run faster than doing the same exercise in the gym.
8. Eat five small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. You might think you should eat less often if you want to lose weight, but that's just not the case. By eating every few hours, you keep your metabolism fired up and ensure it doesn't slow down between meals in order to hang on to calories. A "meal" can be as small as a cup of soup.
9. Sip a couple of cups of coffee throughout the day. Studies find that the caffeine in coffee increases the rate at which your body burns calories. This does not mean, however, that you should order a fancy calorie-packed frappuccino. And skip the espresso if it makes you toss and turn at night.
10. Don't worry if you've been yo-yo dieting. There's a myth that if you've spent your life losing and gaining the same 10 to 20 lb, your metabolism gets out of kilter and ends up slowing right down. Don't believe it. When researchers reviewed 43 studies on the topic, they found no difference in the metabolic rates of yo-yo dieters compared to those of everyone else.
11. Walk with intent – and intensity. Burn more calories in the same amount of time with these strategies:
a. Swing your arms when you walk. You'll burn 5 to 10 per cent more calories.
b. Wear a weighted vest – another great way to burn calories. But leave the hand and ankle weights at home. They throw you off balance and could result in injury.
c. Walk on grass, sand or a gravel path instead of the road. It takes more muscle power to glide smoothly over these uneven surfaces (especially sand) than over asphalt.
d. Use walking poles. A U.S. study found that you get a much more intense workout than you would without the poles.
e. Walk along the shore of a river or lake with your ankles in the water. The resistance burns more calories and gives your muscles an added workout. |
12. Increase the protein in your diet. There is some evidence that if you increase your protein intake to the upper end of the recommended range (roughly 20 per cent of overall calories), the amount of energy you expend at rest will remain the same even while you're losing weight. Normally, as you lose weight, your body adjusts and you burn fewer calories at rest.
Knowing
is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe |
Tim
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