Changing our lifestyles slightly can make a big difference if you want to shed extra weight. These are pretty simple once you get into the habit and routine of doing them.
Check out these 7 tiny changes you can make to your day to help lose some extra pounds:
Spend 5 minutes stretching when you wake up
By taking a few minutes each morning when you wake up to stretch and get your mind and body in a good physical and mental place, you can seriously reduce your stress. As we know stress in a main contributing factor to weight gain, so taking a simple 5 minutes in the morning can really help to combat the stress levels.
Don’t drink anything but water, and drink a glass first thing in the morning
This is a tougher one to graduate to right away, but this will shed pounds like no other. Nixing the sugary beverages, whether they are sodas, lattes, juice, etc will cut out the sugars which are well known to cause weight gain. You will also speed up your metabolism by having your body constantly hydrated. This is why it’s smart to drink a glass right when you wake up in the morning. Try lemon water, it’s amazing for you!
Take the stairs when you can instead of escalators and elevators
I know, everyone says this one… But, if you can get in the habit and routine of simply walking more steps vs. the escalators and elevators, you can burn off extra calories you weren’t burning off before. You just have to do it! You can also choose to walk more by perhaps parking a bit further away from places, or getting off the bus earlier if you have the time.
Stand instead of sit
This is simple, but very effective. Instead of sitting all the time at work, or at home – stand! Investing in a standing desk is all the rage these days and for good reason. Sitting too often and living a sedentary lifestyle takes a serious toll on our health, and is now one of the main concerns for slow metabolism and even more serious issues like heart attacks and stroke. An additional 20-50 calories can be burned by standing instead of sitting.
Use more spices when you cook
in place of sugars, fats, and salt, use more natural food spices. Not only will this increase your cooking acumen, but it will also reduce your waistline in the process. Sugars are obviously weight gain magnets, and salt can give you a lot of water retention, and both is bad if you’re trying to keep off the extra pounds. So spice up your life, and add them into your cooking.
Eat slower
By taking your time while eating, enjoying the savory flavors and perhaps nice conversation, you will end up eating less. Our stomachs take about 15 minutes to alert our brains we’re getting full, so if you wolf down all your food too fast you can overeat without even knowing it. Slow down, enjoy your meal, and watch the calories lessen.
Go to bed a half-hour earlier than normal, or basically, just get more sleep
Many know that too little sleep causes issues with weight gain, and it’s true. We often crave unhealthy foods such as refined flours, refined sugars when we don’t get enough sleep. Our stress levels can also get out of control without the proper amount of sleep. So 1)make sure you are getting enough rest and 2) try to head to be just a bit earlier so you can ensure a more rested day. This will certainly keep your body where it needs to be, and in turn your lean body mass.
Doing these 7 simple lifestyle tweaks can shed extra weight in no time!
