5 Easy Tips to Shed a Few Extra Pounds

     The holiday season is a time when most people tend to let go, throwing caution to the wind. Overspending on credit cards, overindulging on alcohol and just eating a bit too much are some of the outcomes. Come January/February and we get a huge shock when we see the credit card bill, or step on the bathroom scale. I can't help you with the credit card bill, but can help loose those extra pounds.

One true fact about weight loss is 'No Pain, No Gain' or maybe that should be no pain no loss. There is no quick fix when it comes to shedding off those pounds regardless of what medical remedies may say. Your body weight doesn't just consist of fat, some of the weight is water weight while some is muscle but we are all mostly concerned about weight due to fat which unfortunately is the hardest to loose. Water weight is relatively easy to loose which is also why some of these remedies or drugs that claim to help you loose weight in a matter of days are most likely false. You might loose weight when you check the bathroom scale but is it really fat you're loosing?

Here are five relatively easy tips to get you started in loosing weight which you should be able to fit into your current lifestyle easily but remember, you need to put in the effort.

1) Get rid of those soda cans and get water bottles.
I am amazed everyday by how many people drink very little or no water at all. Drinking more water in itself can make you loose weight. The body is made up of 75% water and is therefore vital for our organs to have as much water as possible. The liver is responsible for the breakdown of fat in the body so by not drinking water, the liver can't work as efficiently and more fat is retained in the body.
Get a small 500ml water bottle and keep it topped up when at work, taking regular sips. Aim to finish about 3 - 4 bottles a day. This would also mean you make regular trips to the bathroom thereby doing more exercise.

2) If you drive to work, park on the farthest parking spot from your office door available. This shouldn't be too hard to do and should most often than not be empty. More distance to walk means more exercise.

3) Substitute that crisp/sweet/chocolate box for a box of grapes, strawberries or tangerines. We all get the feeling where we feel like munching on something and most time reach for a little piece of candy. Well the little piece of candy does a lot of damage. This may take a bit more will power but you need to make a cautious effort. Grapes and strawberries are perfect when you feel like munching on something and provide the same feel good factor you get from eating crisps and chocolates.

4) Change your walking pace. Believe it or not, but walking faster or slower can increase the amount of calories you burn for a given distance. We all have a natural walking pace which is always the pace that uses the least amount of energy, and mostly, your momentum helps in keeping this energy to a minimum. But what we want is to increase the energy we use whilst walking right? Walking slower means the momentum of your body is lower; therefore your muscles do more work in lifting and moving your legs burning more calories. Walking faster or power walking also means your muscles have to do more work in moving your legs fast enough to keep up with the speed and distance you are covering meaning you burn more calories. So changing your walking pace would help.

5) And the most important is to stick with the above. These tips don't require you to change your current lifestyle a lot, they're very easy to follow and adhere to. When next you're doing the shopping, pick up bottled water rather than soda or concentrated fruit juice or some other nasty drink that's not water. You'll soon adjust to the sweet natural soothing taste that water has and get hooked. I know I am. And no matter how lazy you're feeling that Monday morning, drive to the farthest parking spot without even thinking about it, then you can curse yourself (and maybe me) as much as you want whilst walking down to the office, the most important think is you've burned more calories.

And never ever say to yourself 'I've been good this week, I deserve a treat' as an excuse for a nasty bar of chocolate or pack of crisps, you deserve better than that, treat yourself to a nice piece of banana instead.

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