More Tips and Facts to Aid Weight Loss

Did You Know?

Getting Enough Sleep can aid in weight loss.  Aim for seven to eight hours per night.  Going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday will help train your body clock - which will make it easier to go to sleep at night.  I personally do not get enough sleep.  I have suffered with insomnia since I was 15 years old.  I just wonder what would change if I did get sufficient sleep.

Stress can make you fat.  Secreting too much of the stress hormone cortisol can increase appetite (the body is trying to attain energy to manage the crisis).  Cortisol causes the extra weight to settle around your stomach, and fat around the belly is linked with heart attacks and strokes.  Exercise is the best cure for stress. Exercise releases endorphins, improves your mood, helps you sleep better and can clear the mind of worries.

Tomato Juice in place of your sports drink can help
post work-out inflammation.

Protein rich meals prevent the secretion of the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulate the release of the satiety hormone peptide YY.










Social Networking temporarily causes you to feel more connected to friends and family and gives your self-esteem a boost.  Unfortunately, there is a down side.  It decreases self-control.  One study showed that people who browsed for five minutes were more likely to choose an unhealthy snack after, than those who spent the same amount of time scanning a news site.  Don't worry, there's no need to stop surfing altogether - just stay away when your hungry, since that is when our will power is at it's lowest.

Eating With Chopsticks makes a meal an event, slows you down and helps prevent overeating.








Getting Off Your Bottom for about one additional hour a day can decrease stress, heighten your mood, energy, focus and productivity.

Exercise

We all know that exercise is important if we want to be successful at losing weight and keeping it off.  Regular exercise is also a great source of energy, produces feel good chemicals and relieves stress.

One major issue I have with exercise is that I get bored very quickly, so I need variety to keep me motivated.  The following are a few I plan to give a whirl.

With the exception of the jogging, these are simple, easy to do exercises that don't require a gym or any equipment.

1. Jogging in Place  - Jogging in place is a great high impact aerobic exercise that can raise your heart rate quite high.  A 150 pound person burns 544 calories jogging in place for one hour.  You can jog in one place or around the room, kicking your feet really high and raising your arms to increase your heart rate.  
2. Leg Lifts - Leg lifts are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs.  If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.  I am currently doing these.  I do 60 reps per leg in 10 set intervals.  I vary the position of my leg and I alternate flexing my foot for 10 reps and relaxing my foot for 10 reps.  I also vary lying on my side and on my back.
3. Dancing - Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart.  Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well.  This is a no-brainer for me.  I love music and I love to dance.  Furthermore, dancing doesn't feel like exercise; it's just fun!
4. Walk in Place - Walking in place requires no special equipment and it won’t put a strain on your body while you do it.  Just march your legs up and down.  I'm gonna try doing this while watching television.  

I look forward to reporting on my progress.  In the meantime, if you have any exercises, tips or advice you would like to share; please feel free to comment.