Do you routinely put on 5-10 pounds during the holiday?
Do you find it even harder to get the extra weight off after the holiday cheer is over?
Jump start your weight loss in 2016 with these 7 calorie burning tips. These are simple steps you can apply not only after the holidays, but year round. These are all small habits that can contribute to a big difference and increase your metabolism over time.
1. Move More
Be honest with yourself here. How much are you actually moving every day? Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day. By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories.
The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word ‘move’ on post-it notes and put them in places you’ll notice them when you’re sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move – here’s some ideas for burning extra calories:
- Tap your feet
- Move your head from side to side
- Swing your legs
- Stand up and stretch
- Change position
- Wriggle and fidget
- Pace up and down
- Use the restroom upstairs
- Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
- Stand up when you’re on the phone and step from side to side
- Clench and release your muscles
2. Eat Little And Often
Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy. Eat organic as much as possible and apply my 5 pillars to improving your diet and your hormones. This includes the following:
- Eliminate sugar,
- Eliminate processed foods,
- Eliminate gluten,
- Eliminate dairy, and
- Eat organic.
3. Eat Fat
If you want feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in. Fat not only tastes good our bodies need it to work efficiently. By consuming several servings of ‘healthy’ fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential. Healthy fats also support better hormone balance. Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.
4. Drink Cold Water
Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body than hot beverages. And overall being well hydrated will help your body’s metabolic processes burn quicker and helps the body eliminate toxins.Avoid drinking cold water before a meal or after as this will interfere with proper digestion.
5. Exercise With Weights
Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue. And muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and so it helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body. Lifting weight for as little as 15-20 minutes 2-3 days a week can make a difference.
6. Spice Up
Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Can’t stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi.
7. Eat More Protein
Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process.
Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time and this can help you to not overeat later in the day. Eat a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks and you will increase the total number of calories you burn each day. Add about a pound of non-starchy vegetables in your daily diet and you will have a great combination to help that stubborn metabolism.
By taking these 7 calorie burning tips, it is possible to start off the New Year a little bit healthier and lighter.
