4 Easy Slim Down Tips
January 7th, 2010
Did you know that gyms and health clubs usually do good business after the New Year? Most people enroll because of the guilt of pigging out during the holidays and also because of their New Year’s resolution: to lose weight. Losing weight probably ranks way up there, right after “quit smoking” or “organize/clean out the garage”. However, weight loss and getting healthy is also one of the most broken New Year’s resolutions. Reasons range from conflicting schedules to boredom. But fear not, we have some excellent tips to help you slim down and lose that post holiday fat.
Our first tip to help get slim is to have an exercise buddy. Having a partner when going to the gym or even when just jogging around your neighborhood greatly increases your chance of staying in the wagon. Friends and partners can help motivate each other reach their weight goal. Besides it’s more fun to do stuff with another person. This not only improves your relationship; but if you have a busy schedule, this is something that you can do to reconnect or just bonding time with your buddy.
Another great way of slimming down is to plan activity or activities that will keep your interest in slimming down. Some people find it very tiresome to do the same routines over and over at the gym. So for variation, add some spice to the mix by signing up for sports or outdoor activities like kayaking, biking, wall climbing or hiking. Remember that the more varied your activities will be the less boring it will become. Different activities will also broaden your horizons and expose you to other environments. It will keep things exciting and more fun. The only wrong thing is to do nothing, so exercise and keep moving!
Another secret to slim down faster is to keep realistic goals. Losing 30 pounds in one month is not only folly, it is unreal and unhealthy. Our bodies need the energy it gets from food in order to function properly. Without adequate nutrition and a healthy diet, it is likely to malfunction. Studies have shown that people who go on crash diets are more likely to gain the weight back (and more!) compared to people who go about the “slowly but surely” route. So when you want to get rid of that excess weight, do it gradually. 4-6 pounds a month may be very slow to some but losing weight slowly gives the body time to adjust to the changes helping you keep the fat off in the long run.
When slimming down, exercise and diet always go hand in hand. It is always more effective to do both rather than to rely on just one of the two. Some people equate dieting to counting calories, deprivation and starvation. But that doesn’t have to be the case. A diet simply means choosing to eat healthy food in reasonable portions. Remember that the body needs nutrients to keep healthy. It even needs some fat and cholesterol to aid brain function. But too much fat and cholesterol is bad. This is why diets need to be healthy and portions need to be controlled. So instead of pigging out on snacks like a cheese burger and French fries, try healthier alternatives like a green salad or maybe a tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread. If you need to indulge on soda, try the “light” or “diet” variety. Always keep in mind to have small portions rather than the whole meal. By keeping portions small, at least you won’t feel deprived of your favorite foods and not overeat every time you get cravings.



