Right now, you are probably thinking one of two things:
1. Yeah, right.
2. Yet another crash diet.
Allow me to change your mind. Fad diets are more often than not, detrimental to both your weight and overall health. Let me also say that nothing can replace a good workout, but we can become busy and often overwhelmed.
The kicker? It’s not just about what you eat. Take a look at a few things you can do every day to keep your built-in fat burners revving at high speed.
1. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Why? When you eat a good meal, first thing in the morning, your body restores leptin to the brain. Leptin is a crucial hormone for controlling your appetite. Start the day with a good amount of protein and fat. Make breakfast your daily “cheat meal”.
2. Eat real food.
If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. It really is that easy. Shop at your local farmer’s market. Eat seasonal fresh foods and grass fed meats. If it is processed or preserved, it is not helping.
3. Eat just three meals a day.
This means no snacking. If you eat a hearty breakfast, you will easily make it to lunch. If you get hungry, that is fine. There is nothing wrong with feeling hungry. By not snacking, you can allow yourself to indulge more at each meal.
4. Water, water, water.
Drink plenty of water. Water is essential to literally everything. Energy production, cleansing the body of toxins, flushing out the junk that you inevitably encounter, every day. Shoot for at least 2 ½ liters per day, or about 5, 16 ounce bottles.
5. Go outside.
Benefits of exposure to the sun cannot be overstated. The sun can actually give you energy both physically and as a mental boost.
6. No more late-night snacks.
Eat dinner at least 4 hours before bed, and make that your last meal of the day. This will give your body plenty of time to digest while you are awake, which will allow your body to rest when you hit the sack, making for a better night’s sleep.
Bonus: Turn off everything at bedtime. This means the lights, the tv and the radio. By doing this, your brain sends signals to your body that it is time to shut down and refresh. If you want a light in your room, switch to an amber colored light, or a candle.
Making a few small tweaks in your routine can lead to huge results in weight loss.
A little exercise, even a walk around the neighborhood is still something to shoot for.