Friday Fit Tips - 5 easy "Tricks" to lose weight
Outside of the mortgage business, health & fitness are huge passions of mine. Good health and fitness lead to more happiness & productivity, so each Friday I'll share some of my knowledge to help others learn easy ways to lead a healthier lifestyle. I'm a busy guy, so my tips focus on fast, easy to incorporate "tricks". Weight loss, strength training, and general wellness all interest me, so hopefully the Friday fit tips will have something for everyone. I refuse to live my life in a gym, and I refuse to stop eating ice cream, so you'll never find that kind of advice here!
5 Easy "Tricks" to lose weight
#1 - Just add cinnamon. Pretty simple right? Adding cinnamon to a breakfast meal (or coffee) will help counter the effects of carbohydrates throughout the day. Specifically, cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and insulin. I sprinkle cinnamon in my coffee, on ice cream, peanut butter sandwiches, and in oatmeal. This is one of the easiest additions to any diet to get results.
#2- The Grapefruit Effect. Grapefruit on it's own can have a positive effect on insulin regulation in your body, but when combined with caffeine, a chemical in grapefruit will extend the effects of caffeine, 2 of which are an increased metabolism and breakdown of fatty tissue. IMPORTANT! If you are on medication, check with a doctor before adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your diet. While the effect on caffeine can be beneficial, this same effect can take place with medications, increasing effective dosage & causing an overdose.
#3- Make Red Wine your holiday spirit. If you're going to have a drink or 3 over the holidays, make it red wine. Though studies aren't conclusive, it's believed a chemical in the skin of grapes can act as a weight loss aid. On top of that, the antioxidants in red wine make it a much healthier option than other liquors or cocktails.
#4- Substitute carbs, with carbs. Simply changing the types of starchy & sugary foods we consume can produce drastic changes, based simply on the science of how our body breaks down different types of foods. Here are a few easy fixes that are easy, and will leave you satisfied. Sub quinoa for rice, sweet potatoes for white, whole-wheat or quinoa based pasta for white, peanut or wine based sauces over sugary sweet options. Simply adding healthier carb choices and subbing out bad carbs can make a drastic change.
#5 - Drink more (ahem...WATER!). It's estimated that 2/3 of Americans don't drink enough water, and this is one of the easiest ways to drop a few pounds. Even better if you substitute soda's or sugary drinks with water instead. When the body doesn't get enough water, it goes into survival mode and retains the water it has. This slows down metabolism and leaves excess water weight. Drinking more water will reduce the retention rate and also helps with other aspects of metabolism & healthy body function.
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