If you are like most people, you probably believe that a strict exercise regimen is the only way to shed those stubborn extra pounds you have piled up over the years.
However, this is far from the truth. Contrary to general belief, there are plenty of other factors that affect your overall fitness and physical well-being, such as your diet and general activity level (i.e., how much you move around or walk in your routine).
A lot of specialists will tell you that the primary cause of weight loss is dietary changes, rather than exercise.
So, if you have tried every form of exercise from crunches and pilates to swimming and skipping and found that nothing has worked for you, perhaps it is time you reconsider your weight loss strategy.
Now, we are not saying that exercise doesn’t have its benefits, and you should skip it altogether.
Besides burning calories, exercise is an excellent way to improve your cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and improve your metabolism. But when talking about weight loss, exercise doesn’t work for a lot of people.
It is because vigorous exercise is likely to make you feel hungrier. Moreover, it can often serve as an excuse for you to consume junk foods as a reward for all that hard work you put in while working out.
And consequently, people who focus solely on exercise as a weight loss mechanism often end up consuming more calories than they burn.
In simple words, while exercise does have a role to play in helping you achieve your goal of a slimmer physique, it must be used in conjunction with other things, including lifestyle and dietary changes, if you wish to lose weight. For some people, these additional changes can turn out to be much more useful than exercise.
Now that we have made our point, let’s take a look at the five most useful tips to get fit that does not require you to become a gym freak:
1. Eat Up Those Proteins
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Proteins are essential if you wish to have a healthy diet as they are what our body needs for efficient metabolism and growth.
Proper intake of protein fills you up and reduces hunger and unnecessary cravings. Apart from adding more eggs and meat to your diet, hemp and chia seeds are excellent sources of protein that you must regularly consume to stay fit.
There are many health benefits of chia seeds. From being full of antioxidants to keep your blood sugar levels in check, these power-packed seeds are a super convenient way to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to function effectively. Just add them to your breakfast cereal, smoothie, or salad, and you are good to go!
2. Fiber Is Your Friend
Fiber is excellent for those looking to shed some weight as it helps you feel full for long. There is one particular type of fiber that you need to be focusing on, and that is viscous fiber.
When combined with water, this fiber slows down the process of your body, absorbing nutrients from the food you consume and delays the feeling of having an empty stomach. Lots of plant-based foods are rich in viscous fiber. These include oranges, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and flaxseeds.
3. Consume The Right Fats
Photo by Mariana Montes de Oca from Unsplash
Did we tell you to consume fats? Yes, we did!
Fats can categorize into both good and bad. While unhealthy, saturated fats are something you need to stay away from, good fats need to be a part of your diet.
Healthy fats, which found in avocado, make you feel full and satisfied so that you no longer have the urge to consume sugary or unhealthy foods. And when you are replacing calories with the right food, you are sure to shed some weight.
Coconut is another healthy fat that you must include in your diet; it improves cholesterol levels and battles bacteria in your body.
Moreover, the consumption of coconut oil has even found to reduce belly fat. If you love chocolate, dark chocolate is another healthful fat that is slow to digest, reduces hunger, and assists with weight loss.
4. Avoid Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks are single-handedly the worst thing to include in your diet when you are trying to slim down.
Not only are they a major cause of weight gain for most people, but they also significantly increase your risk of developing serious illnesses.
And since liquid calories do not make you feel full the way calories in solid food do, the chances of consuming sugary drinks in excessive quantities are very high.
Stay away from all kinds of soda and canned drinks. Moreover, do not be fooled in thinking that you can replace your craving for sugary drinks with packaged juice because it can contain just as much sugar. For a healthier alternative, try drinking black tea, coffee, or green tea instead.
5. Increase Your Water Intake
Increasing the quantity of water you drink can aid in weight loss as water makes you feel full, reduces hunger, and, consequently, results in lower calorie intake.
Our body tends to confuse thirst with hunger at times, which means that only by staying hydrated, you can reduce your appetite and avoid overeating.
Make a habit of drinking water half an hour before a meal is particularly useful for this purpose. And if you decide to completely cut out sugary drinks from your diet and replace them with water, you are likely to see even more excellent results.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to weight loss, it is often simple changes to your lifestyle that are more effective in the long run compared to short-term exercise or diet plans designed to help you shed excess fat within a few days.
If you wish to be physically fit, your priority should be to eat the right foods, drink plenty of water, and have an active lifestyle in general.
Additionally, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach that works for everyone. It is all about experimenting with different weight-loss strategies until you find one that suits you.
The right regimen will not only help you burn calories, but also make you feel healthier and more energetic.
About The Author:
Eliza Jeffrey is a passionate and creative blogger who loves to write on healthy living possibilities with her experience. Her writings are focused on prevailing topics and her long term vision is to empower a generation to keep you motivated for living healthy.
