Fit For Fall: 10 Tips and Tricks for a Healthier, Happier You!

Fall is the time to get out, be active, and enjoy the outdoors and fresh-air fun as the weather cools down. If your attempts to watch your waistline and be active failed during summer, fear not because with a few simple tips and tricks you can be on your way to a fitter, healthier you in no time!

 

Eat Breakfast

This is the most important meal of the day and you should not skip it! You are not cutting down calories by eliminating breakfast; you’re actually running the risk of consuming more. Not eating in the morning will make your blood sugar drop, making you hungry and tired. This will result in snacking and eating larger meals. Being so hungry may also mean that you might not make the best dietary choices! Junk food is temptingly quick and tasty, but it’s packed with calories. Indulge in a light, healthy breakfast to start your day, and include fiber to keep you feeling full and satiated for longer. 

 

Morning Exercise 

After fasting all night your body is set to burn fat instead of carbohydrates that you have consumed. Before you rush to the fridge, drink a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice and hit the gym or go for a brisk walk. Exercising in the morning will also help you lose weight faster. Not only will it help your body burn more fat during your workout, but will also keep your body’s fat burning rate accelerated for hours after.

 

Drink Lots of Water 

To quickly lose weight you must cut out sugar in your coffee and tea and eliminate all sugary drinks from your diet. Quench your thirst, refresh yourself and stay hydrated by drinking 8 – 10 glasses of water every day. Water will detox your body too and will make you feel fuller so you won’t feel as much hunger as you would when you consume sugary beverages. Drink a glass of water half an hour before your meal to help you eat less. 

 

Eat More Often

To keep hunger at bay and resist the urge to snack, space out your calories by dividing meals and having them five times a day. Having three meals and two snacks only a few hours apart will keep you feeling full and prevent your body from going into starvation mode where it will think it needs to store fat for future use. A good trick is to use smaller plates and skip second helpings so you will end up eating less. 

 

Load Up on Veggies

Low-calorie vegetable salads will work wonders when it comes to losing weight. Apart from being chock-full of vitamins, leafy greens and colorful veggies are full of fiber and will keep your digestive system in top shape and keep you fuller for longer. Enjoy veggies and salads with a teaspoon of olive oil and some lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Skip the salt if possible to avoid water retention.

 

Curb Your Cravings

There’s nothing that can sabotage your slimming down efforts like craving sweets. Keep your sweet tooth under control by rewarding yourself with low-calorie, healthy dessert snacks once in a while. Try a teaspoon of no sugar-added jam on a salt-free cracker, or some organic, dark chocolate. It’s an antioxidant, great for your heart, and an instant pick-me-up! Cut down or eliminate alcohol too. These seemingly innocent drinks and cocktails are actually laden with sugar and calories.

 

Keep Moving

Find a sport that you enjoy and keep doing it. If your workout becomes a chore, you are not likely to continue and this can make or break your slimming down plan. Try making exercise dates with your friend or partner, it’s so much more fun when you have someone to keep you company. If you have to sit at a desk for a number of hours, remember to get up, stretch and walk around every hour or so. Park your car at a distance from your workplace or home and walk. Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator. Every step helps!

 

Get Some Fat!

It’s not quite what you expected, but it does take fat to help burn fat. Sounds strange? Not really. Monounsaturated fats that come from nuts, avocados and olive oil are known as “good fats”. When consumed in reasonable proportions, they make a wonderful addition to your meal, adding flavor and helping you keep your insulin levels under control, which in turn slows down the rate that carbs enter your blood stream. Sprinkle on salads for a deliciously satisfying condiment and as an Omega-3 supplement too. But remember to keep this in moderation and not to go overboard.

 

Sleep it Off

In the midst of trying to figure out the 101 things that you need to do to quickly slim down, how about trying to do nothing? Get under the covers and catch some snooze time to lose weight! Aim at getting 7 – 9 hours of sleep every night to help your body burn fat. How long you sleep affects the hormones that regulate hunger in your body. A lack of sleep can contribute to over-eating and snacking habits. 

 

Stretch

Ideally you should get at least half an hour of exercise a day, but if you’ve been doing more, particularly strength training, you wouldn’t want to bulk up. Look slim and toned by stretching before and after every workout session as stretching elongates your muscles. For a vigorous workout and stretching in one, try yoga! Don’t let the seemingly slow pace fool you, yoga is an excellent workout and will help you get into shape in no time – not to mention that it will work wonders for your mind and soul too!

 

Following a few simple steps and making some changes in your routine will put you on the right track to getting that healthy and toned body that you want. Get started today and reap the rewards of looking and feeling your best. Good luck!