Infinite Ideas - Lose weight: Shortcuts to quick weight loss

Lose weight

Shortcuts to quick weight loss

Infinite Ideas

Previously published in paperback as Get rid of your gut

8. Come on, its time for breakfast

If you miss breakfast youre missing out big-time.

Overnight the body undergoes a mini-fast, so no matter who or where you are, your natural instinct is to eat soon after you get up. Eating breakfast not only fulfils this need and is an excellent way to start the day, but getting some proper food into you first thing will lessen the chance of you suffering unhealthy snack attacks later. Yes, that cake, biscuit or chocolate bar sure does taste good, but it provides too much sugar, too quickly. Before long youll be reaching for another, and another, and another

If you dont usually have breakfast, try it. A glass of orange juice, some fruit, a couple of slices of toast are just some of the simple ways to give you a heads-up. Theyll give you energy thats released gradually, so that you dont start to flag early on. Youll feel better, youll have more energy and youll not be eating so many unhealthy snacks. If you only have a banana and a glass of fruit juice, then youve also had two of your target five portions of fruit and vegetables for the day.

You could eat something on your way to work. A few dried apricots, a banana or a yoghurt drink are easy to have on the go. You could have breakfast at work (cereal box in the desk drawer, sorted). But be honest, will spending ten minutes to have breakfast before you start work make that much difference? In fact, it will mean you are more productive during the rest of the morning. Youll probably end up saving that time and more.

More importantly, eating breakfast means you wont get those hunger pangs before your days work has even begun.

Heres an idea for you

Fill the kettle for your first cuppa of the day. Flick the switch. Now, while the kettle is boiling, eat a bowl of cereal. Enjoy it. You have time.

Defining idea

It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.

ARISTOTLE

9. Off the bus, up the stairs

Did you know its possible to exercise during the working day without even thinking about it?

Were working longer, with greater workloads, to tighter deadlines than ever. So when experts recommend doing 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity five days a week, at first glance the equation doesnt seem to work. But there are solutions.

First, the 30 minutes doesnt have to be all in one go. It can be 15-minute, 10-minute or even 5-minute blocks. And it doesnt need to be exercise as such. Getting up to see a colleague rather than sending an email, going to a local coffee shop rather than the staff kitchen, these all count. You dont need to be sweating; you just need to feel warm and slightly out of breath.

Look at your daily routine

Think how you can be more active, at each stage of your day. Here are some ideas.

• Instead of having your morning newspaper delivered, walk to the newsagent and buy it.
• Walk with your children to school.
• Walk or cycle to work or get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.
• Use the stairs rather than the lift, or take a slightly longer route to your work area.
• Go up and down the stairs twice each time youll soon feel your heart rate increasing.
• Walk to and from your desk while waiting for the photocopier.
• Try taking a slightly longer route to the copier, and walk briskly.
• If you are having a meeting, dont find a room try walking while you are talking instead.

Amazing, isnt it? By lunchtime, you could have already done your 30 minutes.

Heres an idea for you

Make a virtue out of a necessity. Use a loo on a different floor than usual, or further away. Or try going to the bathroom every two hours, whether you feel the need or not.

Defining idea

A mans health can be judged by which he takes two at a time pills or stairs.

JOAN WELSH

10. Pump that body

The thought of Lycra-clad rippling bodies may send you reaching for the donuts. But the gym offers so much more. Come and have a look.

You either love the gym or you loathe it. So whats the appeal? Well, to start with, just visiting the gym is an outing and offers the chance to meet people. You can ogle the beautiful ones (discreetly), including yourself in the mirror without being labelled a poser. You can watch wall-to-wall TV too. And, of course, you can exercise (easily forgotten, but true).

If you walk or cycle to the gym, youll have probably done enough exercise without even going in but if you do, theres a variety box on offer. Aerobics, circuits, free and fixed resistance machine weights, rowers, bikes, balls something to suit everyone, for strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, body shape, and of course weight.

If you get out of breath exercising, you are cardio-training: your heart and lungs will be working harder and your fitness will be improving. While exercising you should be burning fat too, which is, after all, what you want.

Get in the zone

To burn fat efficiently, you need to be in your optimum training zone. No, this isnt the part of the gym where you feel happiest. Its the heart rate you need to be working at if you want to lose weight.

Your optimum training zone is between 7090% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). To find it subtract your age in years from 220 to get your MHR, then multiply your MHR by, lets say, 0.8 (80%). This is the maximum number of heartbeats per minute you should have during your workout to efficiently burn fat.

Heres an idea for you

Ask your gym for a free trial session. At the least, youll get a bit of attention and be able to see what its like. At best, you may just discover your new home.

Defining idea

Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

11. Shape up from home

You dont have to join an expensive gym to lose weight and get fit. Try staying in.

Exercising from home fits in with almost any lifestyle and can work for every budget. Here are some ideas to help you burn fat in the comfort of your own castle.

Fitness videos

These are very cost effective, provided you dont simply file them beside your complete collection of Bond movies. Go for a variety so that you dont get bored, making sure that at least one has a body sculpting or resistance training section (use a resistance band or dumbbells for this or a can of beans in each hand!) Do the resistance training section two or three times a week and the more aerobic section three to five times a week.

A home circuit

All you need are a skipping rope, a mat, some stairs and a resistance band. Warm up by walking up and down the stairs, then skip or stair-step for one minute, followed by twenty repetitions of a toning exercise with the resistance band (it comes with an exercise sheet). Do your minutes aerobic exercise again, followed by another toning session stomach exercises this time. Continue the circuit for about fifteen minutes and aim to do it twice a week.

Running

This is a fantastic way to burn fat, tone your legs and boost your fitness. Running requires a good pair of running shoes and comfy clothing; do go to a specialist sports shop to get them. An easy way to start is to walk for a few minutes, then run for a few minutes, then walk again and so on. As you progress, youll be running more and walking less!

Heres an idea for you

If youve been running for a while, why not join a running club or sign up for a charity fun run? Check out www.coolrunning.com .