People experience that fabulous feeling of confidence and energy when they are functioning each day at their optimum weight and are able to maintain that healthy balance.
Here are a few tips to help you to live like that:
- Exercise is the key to the door of successful weight management. Most professionals tell us that we should get in 5 x 30 minute sessions a week. It is so helpful to know that it will be just as successful if you can only manage 3 x 10 minute sessions in a day!! Life is also about enjoying yourself, so make sure you are enjoying the exercise you choose e.g. walk with a friend, walk the dog, or join a fun class. The main thing is that you get ‘hooked’ on exercise.
- Incorporate weight training or strength training. The more muscles you have the more calories you will burn. Did you know that muscles burn calories just to keep themselves going? This will boost your metabolism.
- Cut down on your food intake. Keep an eye on what you put into your mouth and when you feed yourself. Are you feeding your emotions – your boredom, your anger or stress? There are millions of people out there who are what they call ‘emotional eaters’. Sometimes people need counseling to help them to become aware of what is triggering their eating.
- Enjoy the journey to better health and the slim body will follow. This can be evidenced in your choice of healthy foods. Do a study of what foods are healthy.
- Get support if you need it. Some people can be successful by keeping a personal journal. Others need to have a group or a personal trainer to support them. Support yourself or seek the support of others.
- Remember to start small and allow the changes to happen. The best way to be successful is to lose weight slowly and develop new lasting habits.
- Eat slowly. It is a wonderful practice to focus on the process of chewing. It is good for your body because you are masticating the food and the digestion process starts in your mouth. It is also good for your spirit as you are focusing – using a process called mindfulness – which helps you to relax. Did you know that it takes the brain 20 minutes to signal that you are full? If you eat quickly and then keep eating then you are most probably taking in too many calories. Savor every delicious morsel!
- Eat fat. Avoid the totally fat-free products. Your body needs fat – that is, – the good fats which are polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.
- Believe in yourself. You can do this. Millions of other people have learned about their body and exactly what it needs. So can you!
