Healthy Tips to Supercharge Weight Loss
Why it is that losing weight never seems to be as easy as we hope? Well, the truth is that there are some obvious reasons and some not so obvious ones. For example, using an appetite suppressant product while on a calorie restricted diet may help with hunger cravings, but if you eat too little food then your metabolism may shut down on you and make things even worse. As we age our metabolisms begin to slow naturally. Environmental factors like poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle will make slow it down even more. In the end your metabolic rate may be so slow that regular dieting may not be enough.
Here are some tips for supercharging your weight loss program if you need a shock to the system.
- Try a healthy “Green Juice Fast”. There are many recipes online for green juice, which is essentially a base of green foods like spinach, kale, celery and parsley, and then some extra ingredients like apples, ginger and lemons. These green juice recipes not only taste great (surprisingly), but also give your body a nutritional supernova of vital nutrients and minerals, far beyond what normal supplementation would provide, and in a healthy natural form. One serving of green juice can contain 3 or 4 pounds of vegetable nutrients! The diet essentially consists of drinking this juice only for 3 to 7 days, and the results are palpable. Many folks can lose 3 to 10 pounds this way in a week. And what’s great is that while the calorie amount per day will be less than you usually take in, the nutrient intake will likely be 4 or 5 times what your body is used to. Much of the body’s toxins that have built up will be removed and you will feel more stamina and energy. The green juice fast is a proven healthy method for supercharging your weight loss program.
- Commit to regular exercise. While few people have the time to exercise for several hours at a time, but most of us can carve out less time more often. Getting a lagging metabolism to re-engage sometimes requires a little prodding, in fact a lot the older you get. Working out or jogging twice a week just isn’t going to cut it. In a 24 hour period, you are basically asleep for a third of the time and have 16 hours for your body to be awake and active. How much physical activity you do during that time will directly affect your metabolic rate. If your body knows that it has to be able to create the energy for 1 hour a day of strenuous exercise it, it will do that. Your metabolism will increase and you will begin to metabolize fat stores around the body. If however your body has to create the energy for 1 hour a week of light walking, it will also do that. But I hour of walking is not much to prepare for and your body will look accordingly. The moral of the story is that just because technology and other factors have made our lives easier, doesn’t mean it should be. Our bodies are meant to be used to do things, physical things, things that use energy. Exercising every day will have a direct impact on not only how much weight you lose but how you look and feel.
- Less caffeine, more water. A little known fact is that stimulants like caffeine, which of course is in sodas, energy drinks and coffee is a diuretic. It causes your body to expel water, which is bad. The body is made up primarily of water, so messing with the fluid balance of your body is a no-no. Regular use of stimulants causes fatigue, low energy, poor appetite and slows your metabolism. All of which are bad if you care about feeling and looking good. Drinking water in place of caffeinated beverages will keep your body functioning on a higher level. Believe it or not you will feel more energized a few weeks after quitting coffee or sodas than you ever did while you were drinking them. Without the caffeine your body will begin to metabolize food to produce energy and your natural bio rhythms will be restored. Proper water intake is crucial for revving up your weight loss.
If you have hit a road block with your health and fitness goals, give these tips a try and you will begin to see changes before you know it. Weight loss isn’t easy, but your body will thank you after you’ve shed the pounds, Good Luck!