1. Flex Your Muscles
Muscle mass starts to wane in women after the age of 25 to 30 and five years later in men--unless you do something to maintain it. If your life is sedentary, then expect the muscles tone to disappear. It takes more calories to move muscle mass than it does to move fat, so be prepared to watch the pounds mount up as well. Increase your amount of exercise and get your muscles toned, and weight automatically disappears. Well, as long as you don't eat more!
2. Change Those Nasty Habits
Move, move, move is the advice of the day. You may find that you've developed a nasty habit of watching the boob tube after dinner. Stop where you are, put down the remote and go out for a walk. Simply increasing your activity by a little extra each day helps the body burn more calories. When you do want to sit down to watch some television, munch on plain popcorn in place of the buttery kind. When you change habits, you reap big rewards.
3. It Balances Out
The calories that you burn along with those that you eat create the balance that makes you weigh what you weigh. Reduce the number of calories eaten and increase the number burned, and the shift should produce a weight loss if it's significant enough. If you're consuming a considerable amount more than you burn, a more radical change may be in order. Find a balanced diet that you can live with and stick to it, or just eat smaller portions and remove some offending foods.
4. Practice Saying No
Change those eating habits by dropping some offending foods and adding others in their place. Start out by removing fried foods and substitute grilled or broiled meats. The fat in the crust of the fried food makes up a large part of the calorie count. Some people peel the skin off fried chicken to reduce the calories. But that's the best part, so don't tempt yourself. Buy skinless chicken breasts and boil, grill or roast them. Watch what you add to your drinks, as well. Adding cream and sugar to coffee can increase your caloric intake enough to add those extra pounds. Try tea without sugar. To add the flavor that you seek, switch to an herbal tea.
5. Sneak in Some Hidden Exercise
Get in the habit of stretching and flexing when you can. Tighten your abdominal muscles and relax them as you sit at your desk. Stretch your legs and tighten the calves--no one is the wiser if you're at your desk. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, and don't spend hours of time and gas circling the grocery lot for the spot that is closest to the door. Instead, park far away from the building and walk.
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