5 Lifestyle Changes To Help Lose Weight

Everywhere you look there are people joining gyms and yoga classes to get fit. When you are working and travelling all day, there is no time to do anything except eat and sleep. Yet, there is that unsettling feeling when looking at the reflection in the mirror. We would feel so much better if we lost some weight. Whether you are trying to lose weight to feel more confident, fit better into your clothes, attain an ideal weight or all of these, you can do it by making some simple lifestyle changes. You don’t even have to hit the gym or start any crash diet, just make the following changes:

Choice of snacks and drinks

Whenever you feel like grabbing a drink, take 5 large gulps of water instead. Do the same when you get hunger cravings during the day. This means replacing tea, coffee, fizzy drinks, alcohol and juice with good old water. Water helps you quench your thirst and stay hydrated and after drinking it, you may find that your cravings simply vanish. If you are going to work or heading out, you can keep a couple carrot sticks, apple slices or pomegranate seeds to munch on through the day.

Use smaller plates

One effective way of losing weight is through portion control. But implementing portion control by consciously reducing the quantity you eat can be difficult. You can instead replace your plates with smaller ones. This way, you put a lesser amount of food on your plate a time. Take your time to enjoy the meal – chew your food properly. You will find yourself feeling full this way.

Never skip breakfast

As they always say – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You must have breakfast like a king so that you have enough energy to get through the day. Subsequent meals should be lighter and lighter with dinner being the lightest meal of the day.

Early to bed and early to rise…

You should get enough sleep every night so that you don’t get overly tired during the day. If at all you do miss out on your sleep, make it a point to catch some Z’s later on. Even a 30-minute nap is enough to give you a bit of energy. When you don’t get enough sleep, it makes your body very irritable and tired and this can make unhealthy fast food sound very tempting. Instead, take a nap and then plan out what you are going to have. Even if you don’t have the energy to cook anything, just order something healthy and homely.

Get active

No matter how busy your life gets, you should always try and sneak in some exercise. If you are relaxing at home after work in front of the TV, make use of the commercial breaks. They are usually 2-5 minutes long giving you enough time to do a set of jumping jacks, lunges or squats during each break. When you are heading out, always take the stairs. Pick a hobby/sport – swimming, dancing, tennis, basketball – and make it a habit to get active during the weekends.