Yesterday, we talked about the cardio burn method. It’s intense, it’s tough, but it’s worth it. You feel the pain of the workout for the first few days, but that passes quickly. By week two, you’re really starting to feel the endorphin kick from what you’re doing. However, the Groundhog Day Do Over is an intense method designed to help you achieve a fast goal. For longer term results, think small. In weight loss and fitness, like so many things in life, it’s the little things that count.
There are four small tricks that can help maximize your weight loss while you’re improving your fitness. Sports nutritionists recommend the following as a way to help achieve easy, painless weight loss:
· Increase Your Fiber Intake – Yep, fiber. Fiber makes actually extends how long a person feels full. So by adding fiber to the diet, it can reduce ‘naturally’ how much a person eats. Try eating an apple before dinner or even adding spinach to pasta.
· Some Like It Hot – Spicy foods actually boost metabolism. The same trick that tells you to drink ‘cold cold’ water because the body burns calories trying to warm it up also heats up the metabolism when hot spices are added to the diet. Try a teaspoon of cinammon in the coffee or a little cayenne pepper on sandwich or steak.
· Let Yourself Wine a Little – The French have known this for a while, but there are studies that show people who drink a glass of wine a day have a lower body mass. While not endorsing alcohol, a single glass of wine is enjoyable to some and it slows the absorption of food and helps curb the need for sweets. It doesn’t have to be alcohol – water does the same and hot liquids and cold liquids both need a lot of energy to be digested.
· The Young and The Restless – Restlessness while a distinctly unpleasant feeling, does keep people up and moving. Be less sedentary, pace while on the phone and get up to move around the house while handling everything from phone calls to listening to a favorite television program. The difference can be near 350 calories a day just fidgeting. Who knew that bouncing a knee while eating in a restaurant can help increase fitness.
Check out more weight loss tips here on Families.com and combine that information to maximize your fitness!