Lose Weight Without Exercising
Losing weight should not be a dreadful experience. Unfortunately, for many people this is exactly what it is. Weight loss means dieting, and that means that you can no longer eat your favorite food right? Wrong! We are going to review some little ways that you can change your daily routine and lose weight without feeling like you are being forbidden from anything.
Sleep!
Yes, you heard me right being rested can help you in your battle against your weight. Why can sleeping more help, when it is pretty much the opposite of exercising? Your body needs energy to be able to function properly. If you are someone who is continuously robbing their body of much-needed rest it is going to work against you. When you are sleep deprived your body will start shutting down certain functions in order to save energy. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you are getting the proper amount of sleep your body needs!
Talk!
Many people indulge in food when they have had a bad day or are depressed about something. Have you ever found yourself eating even though you were not hungry? Do you notice your chocolate intake soars when you are upset? It is actually a scientific fact that chocolate releases chemicals in our brain that make us happy. Well okay, that is my excuse for visiting my best friend Ben and Jerry when I am upset, and I am upset a lot! However, there are many other ways to feel better, which do not involve food. Talking to a close friend about why you are feeling upset or angry could help just as much. Furthermore, anyone who has ever tried eating and talking knows it is nearly impossible to do both. If you spend time talking to someone, that is time that has not been spent eating!
- Do you enjoy playing video games and find yourself spending hours a day doing just that? Guess what, you can still play video games and get a workout! The companies that make the games have started to catch onto a pretty brilliant idea, making interactive games that you can play at home. Pretty much any system that has been designed in the last few years has this option now. The Wii is a great one since most all of its games get you up and moving. X-box and Playstation both have add-ones that you can get that will allow you to play them in the same way as you would with a Wii. The games are a lot of fun and a great way to get moving and sneak some exercise into your normal daily routine!
So those were the fun ways that you can help yourself lose weight, now we will get into the more despised aspects of weight-loss success.
Lose Weight By Eating Right
Yeah I said the D word, and you thought this was supposed to be easy ways to lose weight right? There are actually some very small ways that you can change your typical behavior, which could help you enormously in achieving your goal. Let's take a look at a few things you should do if you want to lose weight effectively while staying healthy.
- Do not starve yourself or try to eat less than your body needs to survive. You will only end up being unhealthy and in most cases, it will be unsuccessful any ways because it will lead to binge.
- Cutting back on little things like pasta, soda, and junk food does not mean that you cannot snack during the day. If you are a snack-er, which I am guilty of being, replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. You don't have to do this all at once. Start by replacing just one of your daily snacks with something healthy. Eventually once you have tried enough healthy choices you will find yourself reaching for them automatically over your normal candy bar.
- Before you eat anything stop and ask yourself why? Are you eating because you are hungry, bored, or depressed? When you answer yourself, you will know whether or not you should be eating, or if you are craving something more than food. You might be craving attention, or you might be longing for some way to fill your time. If this is the case, put the food down and motivate yourself to find other ways to satisfy those cravings!
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT neglect your sugar craving completely. You will only make yourself miserable which we already learned leads to eating! You can still indulge in your favorite guilty pleasure food but there are a couple of ways of doing this that is healthier than sitting down to a tub of ice cream. Eat a normal portion of your favorite snack in little bits throughout the day. This way, you are satisfying your sweet tooth multiple times, but still eating a correct amount. If you can't do this, then go ahead and eat it all at once, but make sure it is a healthy portion and don't over-do it. By the way, it is actually a bad idea to cut sugar and fat from your diet completely. Your body needs the nutrients that it provides it to survive, just saying!
- Drink plenty of water during the day. I know this is an old one, but it is one of the best tools to use when trying to lose weight. Keeping your body hydrated is never a bad idea and has many great health benefits. Furthermore, if you drink the required amount of water, each day, which is about two liters, you will be less likely to snack throughout the day as you will feel full.
- Be sure to eat three healthy meals a day. This can be difficult because it is often times hard for people to prepare three healthy meals a day Let's face it, it is easier to grab a burger from a fast-food chain then it is to make a salad to take to work with you. Plus it really is different is it? However, you can find ways around this as many of these fast-food places are offering healthy alternatives to their giant burgers.
Exercise ..... Triple Dun Dun Dun
So I said the D word, I might as well say the E word now! That's right exercise, as much as we hate to admit it is necessary for an effective weight-loss plan. There are very few people who would say they enjoy working out each day, and those who do say it are probably lying! However, there is hope for those of us who hate spending hours of precious time on exercise! Here are some small ways you can get exercise throughout the day without having to join a gym!
- If you are serious about wanting to work out but really do not want to go to a gym, cannot afford a membership, or do not like working out in front of other people, there are several other options available to you. You can find a variety of fitness routines that you can do in the comfort of your own home. With so many different ones to choose from you are bound to find at least one that you can struggle through each day. Try picking up a DVD that will instruct you on how to do Yoga, Piliates, or Tae-bo. You might surprise yourself and find one that you even enjoy doing!
- Going for a short but brisk walk after you eat will not only help you combat the calories you just ingested, but it can help your body digest the food as well. If you really want to get serious you can amp up your pace to a jog! The thought of running, jogging, or even taking a long walk is undesirable to many people. However, you would be surprised at how relaxing a walk by yourself can be. If you live in a city where it might not be relaxing look for a local park or trail system that you can utilize. Walking can help you to relieve stress and clear your mind, which will help you emotionally as well.
- What if you do not like working out everyday or going to long walks? Well, there are several things that you can do during the day that will even out your missed workout! Take some time to ponder what an average day is like for you. Are there moments during your day when you could walk somewhere instead of driving? Maybe you could bike there instead? Are there times that you find you could use the stairs instead of getting onto the elevator?
- Do you have periods of down time during your day that you could spend doing something simple like jogging in place or a series of squats? You can break up a normal workout routine into several pieces that you can do throughout your day. Did you know that you can do crunches while sitting at your desk? It's true! There are several wonderful ways that you can use your spare time to exercise in short bursts. You might find that doing this allows you to work out more than if you tried to do it all at once!
- There is no diet in the world that will target one area of the body. You can't go on a butt diet or a thigh diet. Although, I'm sure, we could all agree how amazing that would be! If you have a problem area that normal diet and exercise are not helping you may have to do targeted exercises.
- There are many household chores that could be considered working out as well. Do you have laundry that needs to be done? Do it all in one day, all the bending over, squatting, carrying, and walking to and from is comparable to a small workout? Cleaning can be a great workout when done for a couple of hours. Do you have wood that needs to be chopped and stacked? Yep, considered working out! Think of all the ways you could avoid the gym by doing things around your home that provide the same type of exercise!
- To get the most out of your exercise you should preform them in the morning. If you go to the gym try to get there before going to work. Exercise will increase your heart rate and get your blood pumping to all of those much-needed places. This will energize you and help you to feel more alert. It also boosts your metabolism, which will help you to burn calories throughout the rest of the day. It is never a good idea to exercise strenuously at night or right before bed.
Do Not Give Up!
There are several great tips that can be found all over the world. You can find some amazing diet tips online, in books or even by talking to people at your local gym. A fitness instructor will be able to give you some great pointers as well. If you are in extreme need of losing weight because it has become hazardous to your health, there are surgeries that can be preformed. However, you should never contemplate these as a first option. If you find yourself slacking or have fallen off the wagon, it is ok! Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and try again!
.jpg)
