7 Tips you can apply to your life right now that can have a big impact on losing weight
If you asked me what was the biggest problem facing the health of America I would say lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases are diseases that are influenced by the way we go about our daily lives. Over the course of our lifetime these consistent choices start to add up and can bring about a plethora of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, various cancers, and obesity.
Americans have a number of factors working against them. We are under a lot of stress with our jobs, home life, and lack of sleep. We structure our days to have very little extra time for meal prep so we find ourselves hitting up the drive thru or a restaurant multiple times a day. We also spend most of our day sitting in a car, sitting at a desk, and then sitting in front of the TV. A high calorie low nutrient diet coupled with very little movement is the perfect recipe for an expanding waistline, hormone disruption, poor sleep, depression, heart disease, and cancer. The good news is, since a lot of these are influenced by our lifestyle, we are able to tweak our lifestyle to offset some of these disease from occurring.
Below are some great easy to do lifestyle tweaks that can make a big difference in how you feel and your body performs.
1. Get outside - Our bodies need Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a large role in calcium absorption, mood, and energy. 20 minutes a day in the sun a day is recommended.
2. Movement - I get it a lot of you do not like exercising or going to gyms. I have news for you. You don't have to. The key is MOVEMENT not exercise. This can be walking the dog or a walk with a loved one after dinner, dancing, yoga, gardening, playing a sport, riding a bike, playing with your kids, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking as far from the door as possible and walking.
3. Hydrate- Your body and brain can't function without water. Aim for 1oz per 2 lb of bodyweight. Get yourself a cool reusable water bottle because we don't need anymore plastic waste, and start tracking how much you drink in a day. Try to increase the amount that you drink each day by 5oz each week till you hit your mark. Yes you will pee more at first, but after a few days your body will adjust.
4. Sleep - You need 7-9hours of sleep a night. America is sleep deprived. Make sleep a priority. Cutoff screen time an hour before bed. Avoid caffeine 6 hours before sleep. Set up a routine of writing down everything in your head and decompressing before climbing into bed so your mind can rest. I highly recommend getting some blue light blocking glasses. Blue light from screens disrupts our bodies natural melatonin production. Melatonin is the hormone that makes us sleepy.
5. Avoid added sugars. Sugar goes by a lot of different names so make sure to look at how much sugar is in the food you are eating. Some names are high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, lactose, dextrose, cane sugar, maltose, and sucrose. The less processed food you are eating the less sugar you will be consuming. Pay very close attention to beverages. They are one of the main culprits for hidden sugar.
6. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables- We all know this, but it is still difficult. My suggestion is find some recipes with some of your favorite veggies. Start there and then start experimenting.
7. Eat regular timed meals to avoid blood sugar crashes. When your blood sugar gets low you will be in seek food mode and since your body needs quick energy you are more likely to reach for candy, processed foods like chips or cookies opposed to something that may take a few minutes to make. For your meal make sure it has a healthy fat and a protein and isn't just all carbs. This will leave you more satiated and keep you fuller longer. You will be having that crash in a few hours if you just eat simple carbs like breads and pasta. So for example if you like to normally eat an english muffin with butter in the morning with your coffee, try adding some turkey or chicken slices or a fried egg to it.
These are just a few tweaks that can help put your lifestyle on the right path. At the Alpha Human Project we take a whole lifestyle approach to losing weight and making you look good.
Questions or comments shoot me an email at alphahumanproject@gmail.com
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