Let’s get ready for the summer, shall we? However, this time let’s take a new route and form a foolproof-strategy to get a grip on the health and fitness, once and for all, and not just for one summer!
Below are some easy tricks to incorporate in your daily routine:
Drink Water
Hydration is most important for overall health and weight loss. Often the brain get confused between thirst and hunger and we often end up eating when we were actually dehydrated. We would suggest you set 8 small bottles of water daily and make it a mission to drink them in two hour intervals.
Stay in workout clothes
This might not work for everyone, as we understand you have to go to work, school, get on with your day. But if it is possible then try staying in your workout clothes for your meals. When you dine in the form fitting gear you are more aware of your the quantity you consume and also it discourages you to overeat. [ Related : Creative Ways To Workout At Home ]
Think Before You Eat
You should have 5-6 small meals in a day, in every two to three hours. So whenever you are hungry ask yourself, “When did I eat my last meal?” - “How hungry am I?” When you mindfully feed your hunger you would never emotionally eat or confuse boredom or thirst for being hungry.
Start With A Soup
Make soup part of your meals. They fill you up fast and are rich in fiber which keeps your full longer. Avoid cream based soups and you would being making healthy choices everyday.
Make ‘Moderation’ your mantra
Staying in shape, doesn’t mean dieting. It means mindful living. Eat raw foods. Eat organic foods. Eliminate packaged meals. Cook as much as you can. You will be able to eat everything if you eat in moderation. Pick a cheat day and stick with it.
Invest in a Step Tracker
If you are a newbie and need a little accountability for your actions invest in a step tracker or a fitness band. It calculates your activity, calories consumed versus calories burned, heart rate during exercises and more. There are many in the market such as jawbone, fitbit etc. It helps you have realistic goals and lets you assess your daily activity level. [ Related: Workout Motivation List ]
Keep Your Body Guessing
Try different workouts. Take classes. Switch between cardio and strength training. Each form of exercise/activity challenges your body in a different way keeping it continuously guessing and burn calories more efficiently and resulting in weight loss. [ Related : How To Make Active Living Work ]
Distract. Get Active
Now that you are eating healthy yet moderately, along with rigorous workouts, you would get hungry more often and would want to eat larger quantities. You have to train your brain to stop focusing on food. It would take time and practice. The best way to avoid overeating would be to distract yourself with activities, work, being outdoors. It takes 12 weeks to form a habit and then it becomes your lifestyle. Hang in there!
Lastly, Work Hard. Play Harder.
Don’t forget to reward yourself. You have worked hard all week, you deserve some downtime. Enjoy your treat. Guilt is the biggest enemy of weight loss.
Hope you would find these strategies helpful. If you have a tip you would like to add to the list, do let me know in the comments below.
All of your ideas are great. Never thought about staying in work out clothes to eat.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is key for me, so I always try to get in my workouts first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Staying in your workout clothes is a new one, I'll have to try that!
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Cathy
Constantly working on doing all these. Great habits to have!!
ReplyDeleteThose are such great tips.. I totally need to get back in shape!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I love my Fitbit, it was such a great investiment
ReplyDeleteThese are really good suggestions, wearing gym gear around the house sounds definitely smart, never heard of this tip
ReplyDeleteUseful tips to maintain shapely body in summer. Value greatly. Many times either we overdo in eating unhealthy and ignore on fitness part. This tendency we need to correct.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me to find the step tracker I finally bought but never used! Great tips! I know it helps to plan ahead for what to throw on first thing in the morning to workout.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips!! I am working on all of the above!!
ReplyDeleteI really appreaciate these tips and I realize all I do wrong! I definitely need some real discipline, I spend very long hours without eating (up to 12 hours in between meals!!) and when I eat I usually eat really large portions, because I am very hungry. I always forget to snack in between meals and also I forget to drink, especially while I'm working... I'm a total disaster!
ReplyDeleteI am a workout freak who go to gym 5 days a week. The only challenge I have is the food. Trying very hard to eat clean but it is not easy. Really agree with your point "Think Before You Eat", else every hardwork goes back to bin.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips and reminders gal! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletexo Laura Leigh
www.louellareese.com
All great tips! Staying in workout clothes actually really helps me - I always feel like I should be doing something active when I'm in them!
ReplyDeletexx, Danielle Pineapple & Prosecco
I'm going to try the soup idea--never thought of that! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great ideas and even better for me that I already love soup! I will have to try keeping my body guessing more, I tend to stick to the same things and I think I need to up my game!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Tanvi, I definitely got a lot of motivation from this and it's given me such a boost to keep going.
ReplyDeleteThese are some awesome tips. I definitely need to hydrate more especially when I workout.
ReplyDeleteI agree that wearing workout clothes definitely makes me live a more healthy life style. Oh, and following those who eat very healthy on social media.
ReplyDeleteJust the post I needed! During the last two semesters at uni, I hardly ever did any exercise (except for walking to classes) and at the same time, I kept eating bakeries and sandwiches and hardly any cooked meals. Needless to say, my shape reflects this now. I'll take some of these tips, and with a little-self discipline, I hope to get back into shape soon.
ReplyDeleteModeration is my saying! I eat what I want but within moderation and it has changed my life. I was kind of unhealthy about 2 years ago and didn't like the idea of "dieting" so I just started eating smaller portions and it has helped me feel so much better! Love this post:)
ReplyDeletexoxo, Hannah
I need get more active. Going for walks is definitely something I want to start doing.
ReplyDelete