We’re halfway through the year and if you want to make this the year that you become healthier, you’ve still got the next six months to so! Whether that means losing extra weight, eating better, working out more, or just practicing better self-care making time for your physical and mental health should be a top priority. When you improve your overall health and wellness, chances are you’ll experience a better quality of life.
Start With Your Clothes
One of the most comfortable things for anyone to do when they’re unhappy with their body is throw on a pair of sweats. But you can dress that up and boost your confidence. Instead, consider seamless leggings. They’re great at hiding flaws, and they’re extremely comfortable. Plus, you can wear them to work with a beautiful tunic or don a white tee for a casual look. They pair equally well with boots and flats, for an all-around look.
Losing the Weight
Losing weight is easy for some and not easy for others. In fact, most people who start diets give up after just a few weeks. Some of the reasons for quitting include higher expectations for weight loss and the inability to stop eating their favorite foods. The secret to losing weight is the same as how you gained it: slow and steady and finding an approach that fits your lifestyle. Here’s why this method works. By losing weight slowly you’re actually changing your eating habits, replacing bad ones with good ones. You’re not fasting, you’re making permanent changes.
Take the Fear Out of Dieting
Making a commitment to lose extra weight often creates anxiety and stress. People hear that word and think that they can no longer eat anything high in calories or with very little nutritional value, basically the foods they now enjoy. This is not true. Changing to healthier eating habits means that you focus on taking in fewer calories with greater nutritional value. It doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself once a week to a piece of chocolate cake or a hearty sandwich from your favorite deli.
Short Term/ Long Term Goals
Progress is something that everyone needs to see in order to stay on track with their diet. You can’t expect to lose weight that took 10 years to gain, in the time frame of a couple of months. It’s not going to happen. However, you will see the difference each month going forward. Checking your weight and body measurements once a week, and writing down the results in a journal, will allow you to see the changes. It will also let you see that you are getting closer, day by day, to your long-term goals.
Toning Your Body
Exercising while losing weight, especially if you border on obesity, is essential for two reasons. First, it will increase your metabolism which in turn helps you burn more calories. Secondly, it tones the body while shedding pounds so that when you reach your weight loss goals you won’t have sagging skin. The good news is that any type of exercise that produces sweat and increases your heart rate is beneficial. So if joining a gym isn’t appealing to you, you have other choices. You can jog, ride a bike, swim or do pilates from home. The key is to make each workout session enjoyable.
Watch for Hidden Calories
Beverages and condiments can add extra calories, often without notice. Make sure that when you craft your diet plan and set it in motion that you account for your entire caloric intake. For example, if you drink several cups of coffee daily, and add sugar and cream, you must add calories. Substituting low-fat milk and decreasing the amount of sugar per cup will help you reduce your calories with little effort.
Hydrate
Water is essential to every human. Sadly, most people don’t drink enough. When dieting, increasing your consumption will help remove toxins from the body and thwart hunger. Water also hydrates and keeps you energized.
You can lose weight and improve your overall health.
