1. Eat breakfast
Many people begin a weight loss program thinking that they need to cut out meals to lose weight. The opposite is actually the case. By cutting meals, you make your body not know when it will get sustenance again and cause it to begin storing fat. Also, many people are not hungry in the morning because they are eating too many calories after dinner. To start the day off right, you need to eat a healthy breakfast to get your metabolism working.
2. Take the Stairs
This simple change can help you burn hundreds of extra calories a day. Whenever you are tempted to take the elevator, be it at work or the library, hit the staircase and climb up. Stairs are a great way to burn some extra calories and can help energize you after working long hours at a desk or another sedentary job.
3. Choose Low Calorie Beverages
Many Americans intake an excessive amount of empty calories from soda and other beverages loaded with sugar. Reach for low calorie beverages instead, substituting diet drinks, water and other low calorie beverages when possible. By cutting out soda, most people can cut hundreds of calories daily.
4. Walk an Extra 2,000 Steps Daily
Just a simple walk around a few blocks can help you stay fit and prevent obesity. Over the past few decades, Americans have moved away from physical labor and being active. It doesn’t take much to help burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health. Try to do something every day that gets you walking around, even if it is just a 15 minute walk around your neighborhood or workplace on your lunch break.
5. Cut Down on Processed and Fatty Foods
Processed foods are loaded with saturated and trans fats, two fats that should be avoided, with trans fats being the worst. By cutting down on your intake of processed and fast foods and just preparing your own meals, you can improve your health and cut out a lot of fat that you would otherwise eat unknowingly. Try to eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables in your diet to really have an impact. Cutting back on meats and including at least two servings of fish weekly in your diet is also a great step to take to lower your calorie intake and improve your overall health.
By making these small changes in your life every day, you can help to prevent obesity. To really have an impact, lifestyle changes are necessary, but things as simple as these small changes can help you keep the weight off and encourage good health over the long term.
