Losing weight is a challenge. But it’s even worse when it seems like the only way to burn the extra pounds is to follow a strict diet or exercise regimen. However, the truth is that you don’t have to go down this road to lose weight successfully. You can lose weight by changing your daily habits to ensure that you work with your body and not against it.
What does this mean? Oftentimes, we engage in sapping routines because we assume that the process of shedding the extra pounds is difficult. We force ourselves to live certain lifestyles that don’t work for us. Worse, we even drag ourselves to the gym because that’s what our trainers have told us to do. We fail to understand that losing weight shouldn’t be the goal. Rather, the goal should be to be healthy and fit. By developing simple and rewarding habits, we can shift our patterns and focus more on things that make us feel good.
Let’s look at the proven habits that will drive you to drop those pounds.
Lose Weight: 7 Powerful Habits to Adopt
1. Walk the Talk
There’s no denying the fact that you’re willing to do everything to lose weight. The funny thing is that you know what you should be doing to burn fat and keep off the weight. Most people know what it takes to lose weight. However, it’s only a few that do what it takes. To get started, determine what you need to achieve and walk the talk.
Don’t just think about eating right and going for that evening walk – Just do it! It only takes a few minutes (15 minutes) to walk, jog, or even hit the gym. Your health matters to you, and so you should prioritize it.
2. Plan
Without a plan, you’ll set yourself for failure. Schedule your meals in advance to ensure the hunger bully doesn’t sway you into eating unhealthy processed foods. You should also plan your workouts to suit your daily schedule. Planning allows you to prioritize. By sticking to the plan, you increase the likelihood of developing healthy habits that contribute toward losing weight in the long run.
3. Skip a Meal
Give yourself a break from all the eating. We are not mindless eating machines. It’s quite sad that we’re often told things like breakfast is the most important meal of the day or that we should eat breakfast like kings and queens. But we ought to question such myths because our bodies aren’t designed to process food throughout the day. If you’re not hungry, skip a meal. The next time you wake up and feel like you can skip breakfast, don’t feel guilty about it. After all, this is what intermittent fasting is all about. Most people have achieved their health goals by simply listening to their body cues.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. Keeping yourself hydrated can even help to silence your hunger pangs. You might rush to eat thinking you’re hungry, while in the real sense, you’re only thirsty. So, before you eat anything, ask yourself whether you’re hungry or just thirsty.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep has a positive impact on your weight loss goal. Aim to sleep early so that you can wake up early to attend to your daily routines. Instead of binging on your favorite show on Netflix, go to bed early and find some other time to enjoy your show. Your health is at stake here. So, focus more on getting quality sleep at the end of the day.
6. Make Exercise Fun
What comes to you when you think about working out? If you are like most people, the chances are that you consider exercise as a punishment. We’ve developed the notion that exercise is an activity that disrupts our routines. As a result, we procrastinate because we want to avoid the discomfort associated with working out. You must change your perception about exercise and make it fun.
Losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean that you must hit the gym. There are so many physical activities you can engage in and still lose weight. For instance, you can engage in exciting activities, including biking, swimming, gardening, walking, and still lose weight.
7. Find an Accountability Partner
Lastly, befriend someone who shares your idea of losing weight. Working with an accountability partner will help to keep you motivated when the road gets bumpy. If you can’t push yourself out of bed, your partner will help remind you why you began your weight loss journey in the first place.
How do you manage your weight loss goal? What have you done so far? Millions of people would love to hear from you and learn from your experience. Sharing is caring!