Do you feel like you are having a hard time controlling your weight? Here are 5 tips to help manage fat loss.

  1. Perform at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week!

According to ACSM, they recognize great health benefits when performing at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity. If you do not already perform 150 minutes of regular activity try and work up to it! (30 minute’s 5 times a week or a total of 2.5 hours.)

  1. Make sure to have a support system or a gym buddy to keep you motivated!

Having a support system is a great way to lose weight! In a study it showed that a group of people that went to weightwatchers compared to people going to the self-help approach have lost almost 3 times as much weight in the first year! In the weight watchers group it showed that the average amount of weight lost was around 10 pounds whereas the self-help group averaged around 3 pounds.

  1. Cut down the sugar!

According to world health organization, sugar may cause many health risks including obesity. We should lower our consumption to a minimum of 6 tsp per day whereas the average consumption of sugar is around 18 tsp per day! One can of pop is equivalent to 10 tsp a day. See our problem here? If you find cutting sugar out of your diet is hard, then try cutting back slowly. Another study from a doctor shows that sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine!

  1. Increase the water!

In a clinical trial over a 12 week period it showed that people who increase their water intake lost 5 more pounds then the people who did not increase their water intake. In an earlier study it showed that people middle/older aged who drank 2 cups of water before a meal ate 75 to 90 calories less than they normally would.

  1. Sleep, sleep and more sleep!

Sleep loss is currently proposed to disturb endocrine regulation of energy homeostasis leading to weight gain and obesity. Another study showed that people with less than 7 hours of sleep felt hungrier than people have obtained 7 or more hours of sleep.

Bonus Tip! Make sure to eat your veggies!

Having veggies for snacks instead of that chocolate bar will aid your weight loss. Veggies are full of nutrients which are amazing for your body. Not only are they filled with vitamins and minerals they are full of water!

 

If you follow these tips and stay consistent you will see results! Just remember things take time and the longer you stick with them the more you will benefit from them!

By : Ty Buchanan – NAIT PFT Student

References:

Schmid, S. M., Hallschmid, M., Jauch-Chara, K., Born, J., & Schultes, B. (2008). Journal of Sleep Research (Vol. 17, pp. 331-334). N.p.: European Sleep Research Society.

La Forge, R. (2002). Research (Vol. 2003). N.p.: IDEA Health Fitness.

 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00662.x/abstract

http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/acsm-on-weight-loss

http://www.apa.org/topics/obesity/support.aspx

http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/clinical-trial-confirms-effectiveness-of-simple-appetite-control-method.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lower-sugar-intake-to-less-than-5-of-daily-calories-who-says-1.2560639