Managing Your Time For People Constantly On The Go.
No one really lied when they said healthy weight loss can be a time commitment, especially if you’re feeling overweight thanks to a job that keeps you sedentary for much of the day or a schedule that lends itself to fast food and unhealthy snacking.However, you shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. You don’t need extra minutes in your day to eat less or to move more, the two basic pillars of weight loss. Here’s how to reevaluate the time you do have, and smart strategies to make dropping pounds easier, no matter how swamped you are.
- Squeeze in more movement
There’s nothing wrong with breaking up your 150 recommended minutes of weekly moderate exercise into short bursts throughout your day. If you can fit in 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes at night, and you can do that five days a week, you’re on your way to a healthier lifestyle.
- Ditch the all-or-nothing mentality
Every small step you take toward a healthier lifestyle matters. People often assume they have to spend an hour at the gym or eat a diet full of hummus and super foods, and when they can’t attain that level they just give up and don’t even want to try again. Instead of looking at your whole day as a success or failure, consider every decision you make a chance to do something healthy. Just because you skipped the gym doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch your calorie intake for the rest of the day, for example.
- Eat smaller portions
Realistically you don’t even need to cook your own food or even eat different food to lose weight. You just need to eat less, and eating less doesn’t take more time or cost more money. Most people need to consume between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day if they want to drop pounds in a healthy and sustainable way and for a lot of people, eating appropriate portion sizes, skipping dessert, or not going back for seconds is one of the easiest ways to reduce their total calorie intake.
- Don’t skip meals
This may seem counterintuitive after advice to eat less overall, but busy people especially may need to space out their calories more throughout the day. That’s because going more than four or five hours without refueling can slow metabolism, affect hormones and insulin levels, and contribute to unhealthy food choices when you do finally sit down to eat. A lot of our overweight patients aren’t necessarily overeating, but their eating patterns have become so erratic—they have a cup of coffee in the morning and then no real food until late afternoon.
- Practice simple food swaps
Whether it’s leaving the cheese off a hamburger or switching from mayo to honey mustard, there are so many little things you can do and so many little swaps you can make over the course of a day that can add up and save you calories without costing you any extra time. Think about your daily beverages too, not just your solid foods. Switching from soda to seltzer water with lemon, or using less sugar in your coffee, for example, can save you several pounds a year.
- Don’t sit when you can stand
Too much sedentary behavior is bad for your heart, your brain, and more importantly, your waistline. Turning some of that sitting time into standing time will help you burn more calories. It may not add up to much weight loss on its own, but it certainly comes into play if you’re looking to maintain any weight you’re already losing.
Standing while you work may not always be an option, especially if you use a computer and your office doesn’t offer a standing-desk setup. Instead, consider other times during your day you might be able to get up off your butt. Maybe on you’re morning train ride, staff meetings, an evening phone call with your sister, or while you unwind after dinner in front of the TV.
2 Comments
First of all you will lose water, which will most likely lead to the reduction of the kg that will appear on the
weight scale. Once you get into the habit of preparing the healthy food, you
find it as a very convenient food. Findings from various studies have stated that people who skipped their
morning meal are more likely to overeat during their day which eventually leads towards weight gain and increased body
mass. Whatever the reason you have or whatever the goal you are
trying to reach you should never criticize your partner nor become sarcastic.
Low carb = low cal. That’s why it works. Plain and simple. When you have a busy schedule, it is even more important for you to watch what you eat and cal count.
Living in Dubai for the month of Ramadan will not be easy for calorie counting.