Think you have to join a gym and work in the time to get there regularly in order to lose weight? You don’t! It’s fine if you need the social interaction or that type of structure, but you can still lose weight just by using gravity and your body weight with simple exercise you can do at home and making the commitment to add some changes to your diet. Take a look at what some workout experts recommend for quick and easy exercise you can do at home to get fit.
Of course, you may need to check with your health care provider before starting on any exercise program to make sure it is right for you and safe for any medical conditions you may have, but if you are looking for a workout to fit into a busy schedule then the 7 minute workout (http://ow.ly/GW0sT) may be for you. This program has 12 exercises each done for 30 seconds with a 10 second break in between each one. It includes exercise moves that use your body weight and that you don’t need any special equipment for, such as jumping jacks, squats, running in place, push-ups, and lunges. Built into this workout are exercises that get your heart rate going and those for cooling down as well as exercises that trade off exercising opposing groups of muscles. If losing weight and wanting to get fit are priorities for you, then really who doesn’t have just 7 minutes?
Exercise physiologist Pete McCall, of the American Council on Exercise advises doing quick, short bursts of these types of exercises will increase weight loss and adding in some light weights will burn up even more calories. As you increase your muscles, you lose weight since muscles use up calories even when not working. If you spend a lot of your day sitting, start making a plan to get up periodically throughout the day and move around. Walk to the break room, stretch or just walk around your work area; whatever you can do to get your body in motion.
Weight Loss Nutrition
Besides getting in some good weight loss exercise, you do have to consider what you are eating to fuel your body. You may think this means avoiding all fats, but actually there are fats that are good for you and that your body needs. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats help support brain health and fill you up so that you aren’t as likely to overeat. Avocados, tofu, nuts, fatty coldwater fish, and olive oil are all good fats to have in your diet. Avoid foods with transfats and limit saturated fats however, especially if working on weight loss. Watch also how you cook foods and opt for methods like sautéing with olive oil instead of butter and grilling instead of frying. Experts also recommend drinking water before eating as a weight loss strategy. This will make you fill fuller so that you eat less at a meal. There have also been studies reporting that drinking cool water increases the metabolism which means more calories burned. Many people think when dieting that carbs are an enemy, but actually you need some carbohydrates to fuel the body. Stick with getting complex carbs though from foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables and avoid simple carbs. Complex carbs will not only keep you energized, but also help you fill fuller with less calories.
Another weight loss tip is to not skip meals. Many of us when dieting think if we eat a little more at one meal then we should skip the next one or we just get so busy that we put off eating regular meals. All this does is increase the probability of overeating later or grabbing a snack that usually isn’t a healthy one and causes us to have an energy drain later in the day. Feeling less energized also makes it harder to keep to an exercise schedule and gives us an excuse to put it off. If you don’t have the time to sit down to a good, healthy meal, that’s OK. Plan ahead and have healthy snacks like this bar fortified with sprouted grains, greens, and bluegreen algae on hand, or some fruit or raw veggies or a cup of yogurt.
How’s Your Gut Working For You?
Something else to consider when working on weight loss is your gut health. Because so much of the food we eat is lacking in digestive enzymes, we often don’t fully digest all our food. That causes it to build up in the intestines and show up as fat around the waistline. Adding probiotics, such as acidophilus and bifidus to your diet as well as a digestive enzyme supplement can help your body process and digest the foods you eat, moving them through the digestive system so that they don’t become stuck there. For those of you on the run a lot, these convenient packets of capsules are already pre-packaged with two types of AFA bluegreen algae to fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet, acidophilus, bifidus and a digestive enzyme. Perfect to grab a packet and take anywhere.
No matter how busy you are, if you are looking to lose weight for health reasons or just to feel better about how you look or improve your energy level, you can do it right at home. Just remember these three components: exercise, healthy eating and supporting your digestive system. No need to get to the gym or spend a lot of time, just a few minutes specialized exercise a day, eat healthy foods in moderation and get your gut working for you and you’ll be on your way to losing those pounds.
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