I’m not sure how many of you know this, but you don’t really need to workout everyday or hit the gym regularly to keep fit! You must, if you can, but if your lifestyle doesn’t allow you to, fret not. It’s actually all in our heads. We think much and in the box. The truth is, we have plenty of resources and hacks in our day-to-day business to stay fit. And chances are we might even know some of these but wouldn’t do well to do it.
Well, how about you give these easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy tricks a try and cut down those unnecessary flabs without too much effort?
1. Wake up to 4-8 glasses of water daily. And drink plenty throughout the day!
In fact, drink a glass before every meal.
2. Don’t skip meals, especially your breakfast.
Your first meal should be the best meal of the day.
3. Walk, whenever you have the option to.
Research says taking 10,000 steps a day is enough to keep you fit.
4. Opt for the staircase.
5. Don’t stand and eat. It accounts for a lot of mindless eating.
Take a seat and savour every bite.
6. Never be hungry. Carry in-between-meals munchies like fruits, roasted nuts, chana, almonds, etc.
In fact, you should practice carrying meals from home.
7. Golden rule for keeping fit – eat small meals every 2 hours, 6 times a day.
8. If you’re craving a heavy sweet dish, have it in the morning.
9. Avoid slouching while sitting. Especially at work.
If consciously you manage to sit straight for 15-30 minutes a day, it’ll be enough to immensely improve your body posture.
10. Use bowls instead of plates. In fact, eat in smaller plates and scatter your food around.
You’d feel like you’d be eating a lot just by looking at your plate. Naturally, you’ll consume less calories.
11. Never eat from packets or bags. You can end up having tonnes without keeping a check.
12. Eat slowly and chew well. Half of your digestion happens right there.
This will also help increase your metabolism and you’d feel full sooner.
13. If you can cut down on soda, nothing like it.
14. When you crave food (untimely), sip water or play a computer/ mobile game .
15. Cheeni kam (less sugar) in your coffee/tea.
I’d advice a complete stop, but you could start with less. They do more harm than good.
16. Eat your favorite candies, chocolates and cakes; except, in small portions.
Don’t eat a bag full at a time. OD-ing on anything is not cool.
17. Eat food that make you happy. And note how you feel after eating junk-food and other fattening dishes.
If it makes you feel drowsy, heavy and unpleasant later, then what’s the point? Just avoid.
18. Also, if it’s not too much to ask, add green tea, at least twice a day, to your daily routine?
Seriously, all you need is tea leaves and warm water. Easy hai yaar.
19. Washroom breaks can easily be a 15-rep-squat set over the toilet seat.
Most of us tend to use the loo at least 3-4 times a day. So there you go, 15 x 4 sets of squats managed easily without hitting the gym. Just keep your back straight, push your butt out, sit and up.
20. Get back to your favorite high-school/college sport or any other physically taxing hobby like dance/marshal arts.
Join classes and groups. It’ll make you feel younger and because you love it already, you’ll give in your all.
21. Sleep properly for 7-8 hours a day. Don’t stay up all night munching junk.
22. No point in counting calories. Use your fist to measure how much you’re eating.
This chart will help:
23. Don’t get fooled by those false-promising energy bars and drinks.
They do more harm than good. And in most cases, they only work for highly active people such as sport-persons.
24. Opt for benches without a back rest instead of comfortable chairs.
25. List your everyday health accomplishments, even if it’s “I drank a glass of water before every meal today.”
26. Stay active. Stand, fidget, move around for just about 2 to 2.5 hours a day and see the difference.
27. Stay around positive people who practice self-control.
They can motivate you, unknowingly.
28. Stop with the fat-shaming. That’s step 1 towards feeling good about yourself.
And it’ll help you look at the larger picture of keeping fit and not simply losing kilos.
29. Don’t just make weight-loss your goal. Think about staying fit always.
It’s a commitment, not a one-night stand. Short term weight loss goals barely last. You must go for a lifestyle change. Make it your journey. Not a destination.
30. Most importantly, take a chill-pill and stay stress-free.
Stress can cause major weight-gain. Go easy on yourself. Go slow. Keep steady. Stay healthy!