Fit Fare

It seems like there is a new weight loss gimmick every week. Websites and television are filled with ads for a new patch, pill, drink, or cream. While everyone has slightly different needs, the basic weight loss formula is as simple as “eat less, move more”. But if you’re like me, with 0.23948 spare seconds in your day, how do you eat less and move more than you already are? Well, I’ve got a few tips that you can use for both parts of the equation.

Eat Less

Well, this might seem obvious, but leave a few bites left on your plate every meal. I know most of us were raised with our mothers chiding us “finish your meal, there are starving kids in [insert country of your choice here]. ” While there are still starving children everywhere, those two bites left on your plate will not magically feed them if you eat them. As you become used to leaving a couple of bites left, you can gradually decrease the size of your initial servings.

If you must clean your plate, use a smaller plate. Instead of a dinner plate, use a salad plate. There are also some studies that suggest that a dark colored plate will help you eat less. I don’t know if I believe that, but can it really hurt?

Spice up your water! I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time drinking my water during the winter and early spring months. If it’s cold outside, the taste of plain water just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve started adding some ginger slices and a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice to my water bottle. Ginger is good for digestion and can lower blood pressure and increase metabolism and the lemon juice just tastes good. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve been able to easily drink my 8 glasses a day and then some!

Move More

There are almost infinite ways to move more throughout your day. We’ve all heard the suggestions to park farther away from the store entrance and use the stairs whenever you can. However there are many other ideas you can use as well. For instance, I work in a multi-story building. Since the stairways are easily accessible, I try to use a bathroom on a different floor every time. This adds at least 4-6 flights of stairs to my day.

Shake your booty! When I’m putting laundry away or doing the dishes, I try to do a little dancing. It doesn’t have to be much, but even ten minutes of hip shaking or two-stepping while moving through your home can add some calorie burn and make those mundane tasks a little more fun.

Do calf raises while you’re brushing your teeth. I have one of those automatic toothbrushes that beeps at me every 30 seconds. I do one-legged calf raises for 30 seconds each leg while I’m brushing my teeth. I don’t even have to count! Every time the tooth brush beeps I switch legs.

Sit on a balance ball. When I want to relax, often I will play a video game. In order to burn a few extra calories while I do that, I sit on an exercise ball. The act of maintaining my balance works my core, but doesn’t take much of my focus from the video game.

What are some of the small changes you’ve made in your life that have helped you stay fit?