Simple Ways to Lose Weight

: Image by size8jeans via Flickr

This guest post is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of phlebotomy technician at her blog, Health Zone Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

If there was a pill that was certified safe and which was guaranteed to shave off those excess pounds, you can bet your last dollar that the inventor would be the richest person on earth. There’s not a single person who is not looking to lose weight and get in shape and searching for the easiest way to do so. Unfortunately, we come up with the weakest of excuses to avoid exercising and restricting the number of calories we consume, and this is why we keep searching for that elusive magic wand that can help us lose weight with just a wave. Yes, we don’t have enough time, and we don’t want to push our bodies to the limit.

So how then do we lose weight and tone our bodies?
• By maximizing the minimum:

If you’re someone who always complains of the lack of time to exercise, how about you set aside 10 minutes a day to get fit and stay in shape? In those 10 minutes, do a set or two of 15 squats each. You don’t need weights or any other equipment; your body alone is enough. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, stretch your arms out in front of you at shoulder level, and sit down like you would on a chair without bending your torso. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the ground. Come back up and repeat. Alternate your squats with lunges every other day, and watch how much weight you lose. Best of all, your butt starts to lose the sagging weight and your thigh muscles, both the quads and the hamstrings, become stronger. These exercises don’t take too much time, and if you’re willing to put in the effort, it will pay off rich rewards.
• By becoming a little more active:

Instead of spending your free time on the couch, walk around and get a few household chores done as you keep an eye and an ear on the television. Instead of taking the elevator, use the stairs. Park at the end of the lot so that you need to walk longer to get to the office or your home. And get down to enjoy some rambunctious fun with your kids. These are small things, they’re certainly not what we would call exercise, but they do increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.
• By watching what we eat:

I know this is really hard when you love to eat, but you could lose weight and eat what you like if you know how to count your calories. If you’re going to eat a piece of cake (I would recommend eating just half a piece to satisfy your cravings), you need to cut back on the other food that you consume. It’s all about eating just what your body needs and nothing more.