Eating Healthy, Losing Weight

 

 

 

 

Billions of dollars are spent on diet pills and dieting gimmicks in the U.S. every year. The diet industry is one of the fastest growing businesses today. But do they work? Probably not. The single most important thing to remember when dieting is also the most efficient way to lose weight: Burn more calories than you take in.

The simple fact is fad diets don’t work. You might end up losing weight at first, but keeping it off is the difficult part. Focusing on permanent and realistic life changes is much more effective. Eating less fatty foods and opting for more fruits and vegetables will take the weight off and keep it off as long as you make this a lifelong practice.

Exercise and diet go hand in hand. Exercise burns calories. And you don’t need expensive exercise equipment or to join a gym in order to get an aerobic, fat-burning workout. I walk 3 miles just about everyday and I can tell you it really works. To me, walking does double duty. While walking I meditate on issues in my life and often find myself coming to some valuable conclusions. Listening to music or audio books is also beneficial. On rainy or snowy days I pop in a walking DVD (Leslie Sansone has some easy, excellent ones) and workout in my living room. For the price of a good pair of walking shoes and a couple of DVD’s you get a great workout.

Exercise in the morning whenever possible. It’s alot cooler in the Summer and you also get your routine out of the way. Often, by the evening, I’m just too tired to go walking, but still feel obligated to do so. Who wants to be guilted into exercising? It’s supposed to fun, not a chore.

Exercise releases endorphins - “feel good” hormones produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. Endorphins relieve stress. That’s why you feel so good after a workout. Endorphins release a natural “high” similar to a drug high without the side effects. And you don’t have to exercise for long periods of time. Researchers have found you only need 20 to 30 minutes of moderate to intense exercise to produce the greatest increase of endorphins.

Also think about the health factor. Eating right prevents health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and now researchers say some forms of cancer can be prevented by eating healthy. Eating healthy and exercising regularly is the simples, least expensive and most beneficial way to lose weight and stay healthy.

***This post and all others (including new posts not published here) can be read on my new blogging website: http://www.mylovesleftovers.com thanks for checking it out!