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Easy Exercises to Help You Lose Weight

By
Lisa Roberts

It’s a fact of life – physical activity directly correlates to our overall health status. As a whole
we are encouraged to exercise to maintain or increase weight loss five days a week for a
minimum of 30 minutes. We can definitely include heart and lung health, reduced risk of
certain diseases (especially bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis), increased endurance,
and mental health in with the plethora of benefits associated with a regular exercise program.

Another fact – most of us lead busy lives already overloaded with daily responsibilities.
Women, and mothers in particular, whose days are filled with the business world and
evenings are crammed with family duties may find it overwhelming to squeeze in time for a
good 30 minute workout. With that in mind let’s look at a few ways we can get in several 10-
minute exercises throughout the day.

Gardening and Outdoor Work

Mowing the grass with a push-mower definitely counts as exercise, and it saves the expense
of hiring someone to do it for you. Growing fresh veggies is an excellent way to get greens in
your diet. Weeding, digging and planting are all going to get your heart rate up and think of
all the delicious goodies you’ll get in the end.

Spring Cleaning

Mopping and hoovering is great exercise, but if you don’t have enough floor space to keep
you busy for 10 or 15 minutes, don’t fret. You can certainly get out the gloves and cleaners
and get in the nooks and crannies you’ve been meaning to get to for months.

Walk It Out

Walking to lose weight is both easy and effective. There are countless ways I could show you
when to walk instead of sitting idle. For instance, take the dog for a walk instead of letting
him loose in the backyard or walk the kiddos to school versus letting them jump on the bus or
driving them yourself. If you’re at work and need to brainstorm for an upcoming meeting,
take a walk around the building instead of sitting at your desk. While the kids are at karate or
ballet lessons get up and take a power walk instead of pulling out a book to read or just
watching. Perhaps the other parents might be interested in walking with you as well!
Wash the Car

Instead of running through the car wash or paying someone to wash it for you, get out there
and play in the water yourself! Call me old-fashioned, but the car gets much cleaner with
your own hands than a machine and you can work off some extra calories for free.

Play Time with the Kids

The next time you have the urge to shoo the kids to the garden to burn off some extra energy,
think of all the calories you could burn if you were out there with them! Roll around in the
leaves with them or play tag around the house. Venture out to a nearby park and push them
on the swings or the merry-go-round. Most kids enjoy a good nature hike or bike ride as well.
These are excellent ideas to get in some quality time and work those muscles!

Sports and Dance

Check with your local community centre, dance studios and library for sports leagues or
dance classes you may be interested in joining. You’ll find everything from bowling to
netball and darts to tennis available during different seasons. It’s a great way to make friends
and socialise while getting some exercise. For a more informal family event, even throwing a
frisbee back and forth will get the heart pumping.

Whatever you choose, remember you’re looking for activities to get your blood moving and
increase your heart rate. You’ll know you’re doing it right if your breathing becomes more
rapid and your body temperature is rising.

Home » Articles » Diet & Nutrition » Healthy Eating Tips

Healthy Eating Tips
By

Shannon Clark

One element of the weight loss equation that many people do tend to struggle with is eating
right. We are strong creatures of habit and once we develop certain types of eating patterns,
these tend to be incredibly hard to break. In addition to that, many women will start eating for
emotional reasons, which only adds to the equation.

That’s why it’s very essential that you do put forth some effort into creating the behavioural
change that will help you move closer to shedding those pounds of fat that seem to cling to
your body for dear life. Fortunately, with a few quick healthy eating tips, this doesn’t have
to be quite so difficult.

Let’s have a quick look at what you need to know.

Eat Protein First

The very first diet tip to remember is to always eat your protein first. Protein is the one
nutrient that will help to maintain your lean muscle mass, which is vital for keeping a high
metabolism.

Protein also helps to speed up the entire recovery process from your workouts so by getting
enough each day you can make sure that you keep coming back stronger than you were
before.

Plus, protein is also one of the most satisfying food types so by eating it first throughout your
meals, you’ll find you take in fewer calories overall.

Fill Your Plate With Half Produce

Second, another great way to immediately cut back on how many calories you’re consuming
is to make sure that you fill your plate with at least half produce. Since produce does tend to
have so few calories while also supplying plenty of dietary protein, it’s going to make
sticking with a reduced calorie diet that much easier.

Try and find new recipes for salads to add to your meals as these are quick and simple to
make and can easily be packed and taken to work for a lunch on the go.
Snack On Protein and Fats

When it comes to those snacks that you should be consuming throughout the day, always try
and make them protein and fat based. Far too many of us are consuming simple carb-rich
snacks such as granola bars, rice chips, cereal bars, and so on and even if they are reduced fat,
they’re still going to really stimulate that appetite.

Instead, turn to protein and fat rich snacks. A perfect example would be a small piece of
salmon over a cup of mixed greens. This contains protein, healthy fat, and fibre, all which
will reduce hunger and maintain constant energy levels.

Reduce All Calorie-Containing Beverages

Finally, one place where calories often sneak into the diet of many people is through the
beverages they consume. Remember that it’s very easy to take in a good 300-500 calories
with those fancier ‘cocktail’ type fruit drinks, smoothies, or blended coffee’s, which is often
the equivalent of an entire meal.

If you’re really serious about watching your weight, you must be serious about cutting these
out. Instead stick to water, plain coffee, and herbal teas. These will not supply any calories
and will help keep you hydrated.

So remember these healthy eating tips. None of them call for you to go to the extreme but all
of them can have a significant influence on your results.