Top 5 Ways to Lose Weight for summer, and keep it off year-round.
Losing those extra pounds can be challenging, but people who do get their weight under control have more energy, increased self esteem, and lower risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other conditions. Have a super slim and sunny summer!
1. Don't "diet"
95% of all diets fail. Why? When you go on a low-calorie diet, your body thinks it is being starved, so it slows down your metabolism. Dieting can actually train your body to store fat more efficiently! When you stop any drastic diet, your metabolism is now less efficient, so you will tend to gain the weight back even faster, even if you’re eating less than before. With a low-calorie diet you also lose muscle and fat in almost equal amounts, but your rebound weight gain is all fat, not muscle, and this will slow your metabolism even more. Rather than a specific diet, reduce portions, eat more fresh and green foods and make food and lifestyle changes you can stick with.
2. Understand insulin and glycemic index
When you eat carbohydrates they are converted into one thing by the body: glucose (blood sugar). A chocolate bar, a bowl of pasta, or a cup of broccoli—it’s all converted into glucose because this is the basic fuel source used by every cell in the body to produce energy. Your body must maintain balanced blood sugar levels to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
Insulin is a hormone that responds to what you eat. It is responsible for the storage of the energy from all the foods we eat. When blood sugars rise suddenly, the pancreas releases insulin rapidly. You get a quick burst of energy, but most of what you’ve eaten will be stored as fat. When insulin levels are high, you store more fat; when insulin levels are low, you burn fat more efficiently. The insulin, trying to get blood sugar into a normal range rapidly, will cause sugars to be pushed into every cell, including fat cells. Some foods take longer to digest and allow blood sugar levels to rise more slowly, preventing insulin surges. Such foods are said to have a lower glycemic index. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. Any food that produces a rapid rise in blood sugar is called a High GI food. If you eat mostly high GI foods, your body is producing higher levels of insulin than if you were eating lower GI foods. Low GI foods support weight management and healthy blood sugar levels. Soluble fibre, like PGX can virtually turn a High GI food into a Low GI food by slow its digestion. Make a list of low GI foods you love and keep them on hand.
3. Exercise.
Increase muscle and energy with cardio and strength training at least 3 times a week. Walking, swimming and cycling are excellent choices but don't exceed your body's abilities. Increase your activity on a gradient so you don't end up unable to exercise at all. Remember, muscle burns more calories than fat so the benefits of exercise are double. Enjoy an encouraging video by Dr. Mike Evans called 23 1/2 hours. It will inspire you with all the ways exercise supports your health.
4. Up the fibre.
PGX is a unique highly soluble polysaccharide (fibre) blend that supports healthy blood sugar levels and makes weight management safe and easy. Research shows that consuming PGX with or before meals creates a sense of fullness that effectively controls appetite for several hours, making it possible to decrease food intake without experiencing hunger. PGX can also reduce a meal’s glycemic index by up to 50% contributing to healthy blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity.
5. Increase your water intake.
Sometimes we eat when we are really thirsty. Stay hydrated. Most people who succeed at losing weight discover that having a good water bottle on the desk and in the car is the best way to remember to drink 8 or more glasses (or equivalent) per day.
What better way to motivate yourself to exercise than simply with some jumpin' tunes?!
It's not always easy to be motivated to exercise, I know. One thing that I do find very helpful is music. Some up beat songs that have that major key happy sound to them usually do the trick! So for today's musical post, I've decided to take us back to the 90's (it wasn't all Spice Girls and N'Sync in that decade)!
Here are 5, get up and dance or exercise songs of the 90's that you've probably forgotten all about! What's your favourite workout sound? Share with us!
We've got the ultimate guide to workout nutrition!
Don't undermine your efforts to get in shap with poor eating habits!
We've found an excellent infographic to share. So often I hear people say, "I'm exercising regularly but I can't see anything changing!" Well, I'm sure on the inside, plenty of good things are happening, but if you can't seem to lose the weight, then it could be your nutrition. Check out this infographic and get the skinny on workout nutrition!
It's true! Healthy and cookie can appear in the same sentence!
Satisfy your sweet tooth with this tasty and actually healthy cookie recipe from The Skinny Fork!
You an give in to your inner cookie monster without regret. It is completely possible! I know it seems rather oxymoronic to think of cookies as healthy but it's a fabulous thing to think of and know to be real. What it is really that makes cookies so unhealthy? Tons of sugar, oil, white flour, butter... all things that can actually be replaced!
The Skinny Fork recipe for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies does just that: food substitution! For example, instead of butter or oil, you'll find this recipe calls for apple sauce!
Try this recipe and add a dash of PGX Daily Singles for an even healthier treat and that extra fibre kick!
How to turn caring for your canine into caring for your waistline.
We've all been there: you arrive home from work and all you want to do is flop down on the couch, close your eyes and relax. The absolute last thing you want to do is change into your work out gear and head to the gym. But you have goals set for yourself and those goals aren't going to achieve themselves, at least not when it come to your weight loss goals. You're at a cross roads.
Cue your MOTIVATION: Your pet!
I can't even tell you the amount of times that my dog (see picture!) has gotten me off my butt in the evening for a refreshing and energizing run or walk. It's good for her, for me and for my mood. And the great news is, you don't have to go for a run; just by walking, you're burning a couple hundred calories (number dependant on the lenght of your walk) and staying active, which is the main goal anyway, right? So, if you're not feeling the gym today, use your dog to get you motivated and moving. He or she will love you for it!
If you're not a dog person or don't have a pet, a great alternative to dog walking is starting a walking group with your friends. You get some fresh air, burn some calories and get to be social. Win, win. Or combine the best of both worlds and start a walking group with your friends who also have dogs. That's what I did. :)
The Love I Lost - West End ft. Sybil