You might consider weight loss or improving your health as one of your top aspirations.
But, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your last attempt at healthy living or weight loss? If the first word that comes to your mind is “failure”, let’s start with changing that.
If you can maintain your healthy regimen for a week or two, you might just require minor adjustments to achieve your target.
Weight Loss Tips
Incorporate these tips along with a sensible diet and lifestyle, to create habits that will make a big difference in the long-term.
1. Motivate Yourself
When you start a new health journey, you’re full of motivation. But, that motivation can wane at times. Before you go to bed at night, write down why you’re making these positive changes. Then, read what you wrote when you wake up in the morning. Being clear of the rewards in change will help you keep your promise to yourself throughout the day.
2. Relax
You need to handle stress to achieve weight loss. Excess stress hormones can put your body in fat storing mode. Develop a meditation practice, take a yoga class or just pen down your thoughts while taking a bubble bath. Do what you need to do to keep your stress level down!
3. Drink Lots Of Water
Being properly hydrated can help with weight loss and your overall health. Firstly, thirst is often confused with hunger which leads to overeating. Next, dehydration creates inflammation in the body which makes weight loss difficult.
So, how much water should you drink daily? Divide your weight in pounds by 2. That number is the number of ounces you should drink daily.
4. Fitness Buddies
A group is always stronger than its individual members. And for weight loss, getting advice from others can be invaluable. Hit a roadblock? Need a great diet-approved recipe? Advice from someone who has successfully made it through the same obstacle can be helpful. You can also find support in online forums.
5. Slow And Steady
It feels great to drop 5 or 6 pounds in a week. However, not only is this unhealthy, but the results usually don’t last. Slow and steady is the way to go. Sudden weight loss can compromise your health and create a stress induced imbalance, leading to weight gain. If you want results to last, exercise with patience and connect with the mind and body. Lose a pound or two a week and those pounds are most likely to be lost forever.
6. Enjoy The Journey
You could look at your weight loss journey as a dreadful task or a new opportunity! This is actually a time in your life, where you get to focus on yourself. It could be the best way to nurture yourself in new ways. Take time to focus on your hopes and dreams. Without food to camouflage your feelings, you can discover what you find really valuable.
7. Nourish Yourself
Eat regularly and nourish your body. Calorie counting is a thing of the past. If you want permanent weight loss, your attitude should be to nourish, not to deprive. Avoid saving your calories for the evening or skipping meals. When you wake up in the morning, have a plan for when you’ll be eating during the day. Skipping meals can make your blood sugar plunge which will often be followed by unhealthy binging.
8. Find A New Hobby
Does the thought of going to the gym make you want to run into bed and hide? That’s exactly where you’re going wrong. Working out doesn’t have to mean running on a treadmill or heavy weight training. You could try ice-skating lessons at the community college. Or, enjoy a tai chi class from YouTube. Perhaps, you’ve always secretly wanted to tap-dance. Find something you enjoy and that’ll be a reason to help you stick to your exercise routine.
9. Forget Your Weighing Scale
The scale can be the worst thing for those trying to lose weight. It doesn’t distinguish between fat, muscle and even water weight. And while it’s super exciting to see that you’ve lost 5 pounds, it can be equally discouraging to see you’ve gained a single pound. And that extra pound can derail you if you’re easily discouraged. So, put the scale away and focus on how your clothes fit and more importantly, how you feel.
10. Understand Your Hunger
There is no healthy regimen in the world that will help if there is an unresolved emotional hunger issue. If you’re eating the wrong foods to help comfort uncomfortable feelings, it might surprise you that your real problem isn’t your diet, but those unresolved feelings. Work through them with a psychologist or a trusted friend. This is one of the most important daily steps for your journey towards a healthy future.
