Loosening Up Your Lifestyle for Weight Loss

 Loosening Up Your Lifestyle for Weight Loss

We all want to be slim, fit, and beautiful, even though Americans have a tendency to overeat, not exercise enough, and get more overweight and unfit with time. Take a look at how much we love hearing about our favorite celebrities' sex lives and how our culture values slim and attractive people.

Why do our dreams and our realities seem so different? Numerous factors contribute, the most common of which is that real-life obligations simply take precedence.

"I wish I could reduce my food consumption, but I have to go to all these business events and don't have much say over the food that's served," we tell ourselves. We grumble, "I wish I had the time and money to hire a personal trainer like the ones the movie stars use. It's just not going to happen." We sigh and say, "I wish I had more time to pamper my body and skin, but my hectic schedule only allows for a fast shower and a dab of moisturizer."

It would be great if we had a lot of spare time to do things like organize our days, make nutritious, low-calorie meals, work out whenever we wanted, and treat ourselves without worrying about missing deadlines. That isn't going to happen anytime soon since our lives are just too busy. We can give up and join the ranks of the overweight and unfit, or we can devise a personalized strategy that works with our lifestyle and gets us where we want to go, even if it's not as fast or as thorough as we'd want.

Everything about your life, from the time you spend there to the obligations and duties you bear, is unique to you. You have to figure out what can be realistically accommodated and what doesn't. Here are a few things to think about:

1. Food

Even the healthiest diets can be derailed by eating while on the go, whether that's at your desk, in a meeting, or even while riding the rubber chicken circuit. If you find that you are gaining even one pound more than you would like, it is important to figure out why.

Take a look at your order if stopping for fast food on the way to an appointment is something you struggle with. These days, salads are offered at nearly every drive-thrus. You can reduce the amount of unhealthy fat in those salads by tossing out the fried croutons and the bottled dressings. Drink (unsweetened) iced tea, black coffee, or diet Coke instead of those sugary colas, and bring your own container of low-calorie dressing.

When you take your lunch at your desk, be careful what you eat. Feel free to indulge on a cheeseburger or sandwich if it's takeout. To quickly become full, just toss off the bread or bun and use a plastic fork and knife to cut the food into pieces about the size of raisins. Onion rings with French fries? Wow! I really don't think you should go there.

Like most workplaces these days, does yours constantly have snacks and treats? You should either use the restroom or, even better, go for a quick jog around the building while the snacks come by. This will strengthen your "won't" power and remove any thoughts of delicacies from your mind.

Avoid last-minute stress by preparing in advance for those pesky business lunches, dinners, and banquets. For lunch, you can pretty much get anything you want: salad (dressed anyway you like it) or fish and cottage cheese. Substitute two low-calorie appetizers for the main course at dinner. Crab legs, unpeeled shrimp, and an artichoke (remove the hollandaise)—it will be a laborious process, but no one will notice that you're not eating much.

Banquets are especially challenging since you are presented with a plate full of food that you would never choose to eat. Shred any veggies and protein that you can find, and take your time chewing. Delay the arrival of a syrupy dessert by spreading the remaining portion over your plate and manipulating it. In order to resist the persistent attempt by the too enthusiastic waiter to bring you a slice of pie, grab a black coffee and set it firmly on your table.

Because you normally know the hostess and want to avoid making a terrible impression, hosting an event at your home adds a new layer of difficulty. No one wants to see you go all out at their party, so just say you have allergies. You can fool everyone into thinking you're drinking nothing by bringing along a bottle of club soda or mineral water.

These small adjustments, when added up over time, can make a big difference to your weight. Be prepared to meet your daily nutritional needs with a health shake or liquid protein if you're hungry upon returning home.

Step two: Work out.

Joining a gym is something that millions of us do sincerely. Long lineups would form outside their locations if everyone utilized them as often as they say they will. Since health clubs anticipate that the number of regulars will remain relatively constant and that new members will arrive with a flurry of excitement but quickly lose interest, they may maintain adding members at a steady clip.

Regular commitments are hard to make unless you have a job with set hours, which isn't something many of us are happy about these days. Whenever we plan to travel, something unexpected happens, like a major meeting, our significant other demands our attention, or the kids beg us to take them somewhere.

Due to our hectic schedules, we rarely get outside to exercise. Home workout machines that claim to sculpt our complete bodies, define our pects, and flatten our abs abound on television. We already knew that our flats couldn't fit a Bowflex or Nordic Track, even though they said the equipment folded up effortlessly. Who are these purchasers? In the suburbs, we imagine, where the pricey machinery promptly finds a home in the garage or basement, where it will collect dust until the next yard sale. Except for simple devices like hand weights and elastic bands, using equipment is a major pain and requires too much time to set up.

Exercise is more likely to become a regular part of your routine if you choose activities that don't require much in the way of setup, specific attire, or uninterrupted time. Exercises like yoga, calisthenics, push-ups, sit-ups, and weighted stretches have been around for a long time for a purpose. With no preparation required beyond a brief warm-up, they may be seamlessly integrated into your hectic schedule at inconvenient times throughout the day. This is also true of some of the more recent programs, such as callanetics, Pilates (parts of it), killer exercises, and video workouts.

Take a stroll and, if you're able to, boost its effects with an occasional session of sprinting whenever you discover a hidden half hour to spare.

While this strategy won't magically transform you into the next Mr. or Mrs. Universe, it will keep you flexible and somewhat fit without subjecting you to the draining guilt that comes from having lofty goals but never achieving them.

3. Making sure you're healthy.

Everyone here is familiar with the story of how Cleopatra supposedly bleached and smoothed her complexion by bathing in asses' milk. For crying out loud! She was a queen! There was no need for her to brave the morning rush hour traffic on her way to the office. There was no obligation for her to tend to a spouse, a home, or a kid. You would have plenty of time to take a relaxing bath if you weren't so busy with household chores, laundry, completing an office report, assisting children with their homework, preparing supper, and collecting up Aunt Mildred from the airport.

Our need for self-care is something we are well-aware of. We aim to engage in the practices that will delay the inevitable onset of aging. Every day, we fantasize about indulging in a luxurious bath or shower, exfoliating our skin with a loofah and scrubbing powders, clinging to skin softeners and lotions, and treating our hair and face to specialized cleansers, masques, and skin brighteners.

Once more, our lives intervene. Our regimen consists of a cleanser, a toner, and a moisturizer. Whenever we get the chance, we wash our hair, and every once in a while, we treat ourselves to a facial or an oil treatment. Because the effects of aging are so transient, it is difficult to maintain a high level of motivation. We keep promising to get to it when we have more free time. After twenty years, our skin bears the marks of time, including wrinkles, sagging jowls, and the effects of gravity, wind, and sun. Then we lament the carelessness with which we've treated our appearance throughout the years and work to reverse the effects of gravity.

Stay true to your fast-paced daily schedule if you must. You could get more self-care done if you got up earlier, but you're already sleep-deprived, like most Americans of working age.

Pick a time each week when you can give yourself a break; that should work. When they're busy taking care of other people, women tend to neglect their own needs, which leads to self-sufficiency. Make sure that two hours is yours as if it were your last. It is solely for your use. Use it to give your hair or face a deep treatment. Listen to music, take a rain dance, or just relax with it. Let it soothe your mind, soul, and body. Put your thoughts, aspirations, and aspirations into action by using it. Put it to good use by reflecting on your blessings and how far you've come. Make it your best buddy and confidant, and utilize it to map out your future self-improvement.

Our desires and basic necessities go unfulfilled because our lives are constantly consumed by obligations. There is always time for ourselves, no matter how hectic our calendar is, but we have to be firm about it. You need to start being confident in yourself right now. You also merit a little sunshine.

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