Quarantine weight loss tips
If you put on an extra 20 or so pounds while binge-watching last season’s best shows this year, you are not alone. Whether you want to blame it on pure laziness and stress eating or you prefer to call it proof that humans are not meant to be sedentary, those extra pounds can have serious consequences. They chip away at your self-confidence, making it harder for you to emerge from quarantine and resume normal activities. If that weren’t enough, carrying around extra weight is bad for your health.
Obesity is directly linked to increased rates of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer. So what are you supposed to do? Start by taking these five steps to shed the weight and move toward a leaner, healthier and happier you.
Formulate a Plan
Just knowing that you need to lose weight isn’t enough to make it disappear. You also have to develop a plan to follow. A good way to get started is to determine how many calories you need each day. In order to lose weight, you must expend more calories than you take in. That often means a calorie-restricted diet, which can be difficult to follow when cravings hit. There are tons of nutritional supplements and weight loss aids designed to help curb those cravings and reduce feelings of hunger. If you decide to use any weight loss programs or supplements, be mindful of possible Thrive side effects. Being prepared for them will help you stick with a program, which makes success much more likely.
Get Up and Move
The calories you eat are only half of that equation. The other half is how many you burn. The more active you are, the more calories your body needs to use for energy production. Increasing your physical activity will help with weight loss goals. Join a gym or fitness center near you once they open up or sign up for an outdoor boot camp to take advantage of the fresh air. Don’t like the gym? That’s perfectly OK. Taking a brisk walk, swimming and dancing are all fun ways to burn calories without feeling like you are working out.
Stop Buying Junk Food
Some things are easier said than done, and old habits can be hard to break, but this one is crucial to long-term success. Having a pantry stocked with unhealthy foods is like a siren’s call to a sailor; eventually, you will give in and sneak a nibble. That’s why it is so important to keep healthy foods in accessible spots in your home. A fruit bowl on the table is not only pretty, but it makes a healthy snack easy, too. When you head to the grocery store, resist the urge to buy fat-, sugar- and calorie-dense snacks. Opt instead for whole foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts and roasted legumes.
Add Weight Training to Your Routine
Quarantine activities weight loss – While most people associate cardio activities with weight loss, there are a lot of reasons to include resistance training, too. It helps build muscle, which burns calories more efficiently than fat, and encourages strong bones. It also helps preserve mobility and function. You don’t need a gym membership — or even a home gym — to perform resistance training. Bodyweight exercises are not only effective, but they are also incredibly accessible and can be done just about anywhere. If you want to add an extra challenge, lightweight bands are inexpensive and easy to store, which makes them perfect for taking along to work or on a trip.
Stay Hydrated
While it is easy to assume that drinking more water will increase your weight a few pounds, it actually works the opposite way. Water flushes out toxins and helps your body perform optimally. It also aids recovery after exercise. That is why staying hydrated is so important for overall health. Increasing your activity means you will need to take in more fluids. Drink enough throughout the day so that you don’t feel thirsty and you should be fine.
It is more difficult to take off those extra pounds than it was to put them on. However, by developing a plan, eating healthier, moving more and staying hydrated you can shed that quarantine weight before the holidays roll around.