Constantly find yourself downing bags of chips or sleeves of cookies? Despite what you may think, feeling like you’re always hungry is not because you have a lack of willpower. In fact, if these binges are happening on busy days when you’ve “forgotten” to eat lunch, it’s likely a sign you need to change up your diet. “While skipping meals might seem like an easy way to eat less, it will most likely actually cause you to eat more later on,” Sarah-Jane Bedwell, RD, LDN, told us.
“Not drinking enough water can have a negative impact on the metabolism as well as your appetite,” says Alexandra Miller, RDN, LDN. Research has shown that people often respond to their thirst inappropriately by eating instead of drinking since the same part of our brain controls both responses. When you’re hydrated, it also helps to make your stomach feel full, which can fend off the feeling of hunger.
You shouldn’t punish an entire food group as a dietary villain. A diet that forbids entire food groups is not only unsustainable, but it can also be dangerous. (Unless, of course, there’s a medical reason—such as lactose intolerance or Celiac disease—to scratch something from your diet). For example: While eating too many refined flour foods can pack on the pounds by spiking your blood sugar and never fully satisfying your hunger pangs, that doesn’t mean that all carbs have the same effect. In fact, whole grains are rich in energizing B vitamins and digestion-slowing fiber. Plus, since carbs are an essential source of energy, completely slashing this food group from your diet can cause exhaustion, irritability, and lethargy.
Whether it’s slapping a product with a “sugar-free” label or pointing out the food’s myriad of vitamins and minerals, marketing claims can get in the way of weight loss if you’re not actually reading the ingredients and nutritional information. You see, when dieters perceive a food to be nutritious—thanks to buzzwords like “organic” or “gluten-free”—they tend to misjudge how many calories are actually in them. As a result, dieters tend to feel entitled to indulge, which can lead to eating 131 percent more calories than you otherwise would, according to a Cornell University study.
The big game is on and it’s dinner time? Well, that’s why we have DVR! Press pause. Experts find that when your mind is distracted by other things while eating, such as watching TV or listening to loud music, it can block certain satiety cues from alerting your brain that you’ve eaten your fill. As a result, you consume more calories than your body needs, which will likely be stored as fat.
You’ve decided to change your life—good for you! Now spread the news! When you share your mission with your close friends and family, it will help you to build a support system and you’ll have people who can keep you accountable to your goals. It’s easy to mindlessly scoop another spoonful of ice cream into a bowl, but you might think twice if you have to justify this extra portion to your family as you eat dessert together at the dinner table. Want to take it a step further? Find yourself a diet buddy! Dieters who have a weight-loss partner lose significantly more belly fat compared to those who try to slim down alone, according to a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
In a rush? Don’t start shoveling food in your face. If there’s one resolution to make this year, it should be to extend your lunch break to at least 20 minutes. Why the time minimum? Experts have found it takes around that amount of time for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full. It’s one of the reasons why fast food is so bad for your waistline; you quickly eat the calorie-laden fare before your body can tell you you’ve had enough!
According to recent research published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, weight loss programs that formally include an exercise routine are significantly more effective for weight loss and improved health than diets without recommended sweat sessions.
It’s great to switch things up into a new exercise routine, but don’t hit the ground running—both literally and figuratively. If your body isn’t used to working out on the reg, you could injure yourself if you up your reps or mileage too quickly, which can hamper your weight-loss progress. Take your time to build up your base before you start racking up 10-mile runs every day.
“Moving more” isn’t going to be the only thing that helps you slim down. For starters, a 2012 review published in the journal Obesity Reviews found that people tend to overestimate how many calories they burn when they workout. As a result, people will not only overcompensate for their workout by eating more calories than they burned, but they may also think they can now indulge in junk food as a “reward” for exercise. As an example, a 155-pound person biking for one hour burns on average 520 calories. That can all be undone by under two slices of Domino’s Hand Tossed Cheese pizza.
Strength-training intervals are pretty polarizing: You either love them or you hate them—there are few that fall in-between. Many of us consider intervals to be the holy grail of ramping up fitness fast (and make no mistake—they do!), but if you fly the flag of Team Anything-But-Intervals, we have a workout for you.
The key to gaining endurance from this strength circuit is going immediately from one exercise into the next with no recovery between sets. This keeps your cardiovascular system working hard from beginning to end without any intense, eye-crossing efforts.
“This is an endurance plus strength circuit combined, a brutal workout (in a good way!)” says Ela Dugan, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach in Cambridge, MA. “Keeping your heart rate elevated for the entire circuit challenges your aerobic capacity.”
Prepare for a total-body workout with an emphasis on building core strength that will transfer directly into your running performance and compliment your run training. “The circuit is especially core-dominant, which is a great way to keep the challenge high, without the need for constant impact,” says Dugan.
This format is also a plus for those of us who are short on time, trying to squeeze in a sweat session in between seemingly-endless Zoom meetings. “Keeping the rest time limited during the circuit is a great way to train efficiently,” Dugan adds. “That means you can really get a lot of bang for your buck in a pretty short period of time.” Ready to get started?
How to do this workout: Perform 3 rounds of the complete circuit below with no rest in between the exercises. Each exercise is performed by a certified trainer so you can learn the proper form. Rest for 2 minutes between each round before starting again. You don’t need any equipment for this workout, and you can do it anywhere you have enough room to plank. An exercise mat is optional.
Remember, form—not speed—is key. Don’t rush the exercises. The aim here is to build endurance, not race against the clock. Review the exercises and instructions below, and familiarize yourself with the moves before you do the workout for the first time so that you can go directly from one exercise to the next without having to stop.
Start with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Hinge at the hips and send butt back as you bend knees to lower down into a squat. Keep your knees behind the toes, and don’t arch your low back by keeping your core engaged. Press through the mid-foot and heel, squeeze your glutes and jump straight up from the squat position. Land softly and lower back down into a squat. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Start in a standing position with feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips and bring your hands to the floor keeping your legs as straight at possible without locking your knees. Walk your hands out in front of you to come to a high plank position, with shoulders over wrists and core engaged. Bend elbows to lower chest to floor, perform a push-up, then from a high plank, walk your hands back toward your feet. Return to a standing position. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Start in a high plank position with hands directly beneath shoulders, glutes engaged, and a braced core. Keep a soft bend in elbows. Keeping your core engaged and hips stabilized, drop left forearm to the floor, then right forearm to the floor, to come into a low plank. Keep hips as stable as possible. From low plank, hold for 1 to 2 seconds, then push yourself back up to high plank one arm at a time. Again, focus on not rocking your hips. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Lie facedown in a supine position with your arms stretched out overhead, palms facing the floor. Engage your core and press your pelvis into the floor. While maintaining this engagement, squeeze your glutes and lift your legs off the floor while simultaneously lifting your arms and shoulders off the floor. Instead, focus on your glutes and hamstrings lifting your legs, and your upper back muscles lifting your arms and shoulders. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds before lowering back down. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Start in a low side plank on left side, with left elbow directly under your shoulder. Line yourself up so there is a straight line from your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and head. Engage your glutes and lift your hips up as high as possible. Once stable, extend the right arm straight up. Rotating from the waist and maintaining your body’s straight line, reach the right arm down and under your left underarm. Reverse the movement. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Start in a high plank with your hands directly underneath shoulders, and your core and glutes engaged. Perform a push up by bending elbows and lowering your chest to the floor. Avoid sticking your chin out towards the floor or letting your low back arch or sag. Press back up then touch right hand to left knee by drawing knee to chest. Repeat the push-up then touch left hand to right knee. Continue switching sides after each push-up. Repeat for 20 reps, 10 reps on each side.
Lie faceup and press your lower back into the floor while lifting your legs into a tabletop position so shins are parallel to floor and knees form a 90-degree angle. Place your fingertips at your temples while opening your bent elbows out to the sides. From here, peel your right shoulder up while simultaneously drawing your left knee in to chest, pulling them both towards your centerline while extending the right leg away from you. Draw right elbow to left knee. Return to center then draw left elbow to right knee. Don’t let your lower back lose contact with the floor. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Lie faceup on the floor. Engage your core to peel both your upper body and feet straight up to come to a hollow hold. From there, draw knees in to chest so legs come to tabletop position with shins parallel to floor and knees forming a 90-degree angle as you simultaneously lift shoulders higher. Your body should form a V. Keep both arms extended straight towards your feet, and your shoulders relaxed. Lower back to the hollow hold. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 15 reps.
Drop into a lunge position by stepping your right leg forward and bending both legs to 90-degree angles, so left knee hovers above the floor. Keep chest lifted and the right knee centered over the ankle. From here, explosively jump straight up and switch legs in the air, landing softly in a lunge with your left leg in front and right knee hovering. That is 1 rep. Repeat for 20 reps. Rest for two minutes before repeating the entire circuit from the top.
All images: Julia Hembree Smithhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/health/fitness/build-serious-endurance-with-this-strength-training-workout-no-intervals-required/ar-BB17ifVn?ocid=msedgntp
There’s little that can transform your overall mental and physical health as much as exercise.
Working out regularly can extend your life, ward off heart disease and various cancers, rebuild the muscle and bone strength lost with age, and reduce levels of anxiety and depression.
Perhaps best of all, you can start to get all those benefits just by deciding to regularly go for a walk.
For many, getting started with fitness can be intimidating – weight training, interval sprints, and even certain bodyweight exercises might all seem a little too much if you aren’t familiar with where to begin. But people unsure about how they want to get started with fitness should take heart in a simple fact. Most research shows that doing just a little exercise is still vastly better than doing nothing.
Stepping outside and walking down the street – or through a park or along a trail – is enough to start transforming your health.
Recommended physical activity guidelines call for healthy adults to do a minimum of two and half hours of moderate-intensity activity – or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity – plus at least two muscle-strengthening days a week.
Walking doesn’t get you all the way there, as it doesn’t include strength training. But even meeting the moderate activity guidelines with a regular walking habit can do a lot.
According to one large study of older adults published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine that looked at 62,178 men and 77,077 women, people who walk at least 150 minutes per week were about 20% less likely to die than inactive adults during the 13-year study period.
“Walking has been described as the ‘perfect exercise’ because it is a simple action that is free, convenient, does not require any special equipment or training, and can be done at any age,” the authors wrote in their conclusion.
It is worth trying to keep up a decent pace, however. Another study of more than 50,000 adults in the UK found that people who walked regularly at an average or quick pace were about 20% less likely to die – and 24% less likely to die from heart disease – when compared to slow walkers.
While life extension and disease reduction are important, those aren’t the only reasons to go for a walk. Smaller studies have shown that even a 30-minute walk on a treadmill is enough to lift the mood of someone suffering from a major depressive disorder.
A recent study from researchers at Harvard University and other institutions found that three hours of exercise a week, no matter the type of activity, could decrease the risks of depression. The risk decreased an additional 17% with each added 30 or so minutes of daily activity.
None of this is to say you shouldn’t eventually start incorporating strength training and other forms of exercise into your routine – there are reasons why those exercises are included in fitness guidelines. But if you just wanted to get started in a simple way, know that going for a walk can be more powerful than it seems.
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