The Real Secrets of Weight Loss

For most people, finding an effective way to lose weight and keep the weight off seems like a daring and confusing adventure straight out of a movie. In actuality, it's nowhere near that difficult. By following a natural lifestyle the weight will melt away. Secret 1: Exercise more The healthiest way to lose weight is not with crash diets, fad diets or sudden bursts of exercise. The body likes slow changes and maintenance of those changes. For example, someone who has not exercised for years should not rush into running three miles every day. Exercise needs to be increased slowly. Introduce changes gradually. But introduce them! Even relatively light exercise such as a short walk may be beneficial if done frequently. Any amount of exercise is good if you are doing none. The hidden secret for exercise is to make it fun! Thankfully, each of us has different likes and dislikes concerning exercise and, therefore, exercise in a variety of ways. It is essential that you find an activity or a couple activities that are enjoyable, appropriate, accessible and affordable for you. That way you are far more likely to build them into your routine and continue regular exercise, despite the inevitable setbacks due to illness, family commitments, schedule changes, etc. A couple popular ideas to choose from may include walking, swimming, gardening, sports, weight lifting, running, yoga, pilates, any form of aerobics either in a class or by yourself, hiking, biking, tai chi, etc. You can imagine that a complete list would be rather extensive. It is possible to find activities you really enjoy that make it possible for you to feel your best and lose weight. Secret 2: Eat Right Many people believe it is best to reduce their calorie intake by eating less. It is not necessary! This usually ends up with the person either feeling starved, getting bored, getting weaker or giving up completely in desperation. This in turn can lead to a yo-yoing effect of the weight loss - weight gain cycle. Eating an appropriate diet is the best way to lose weight. Not all weight is fat. Some is water and some is accumulated toxins stored from inappropriate food or chemicals added to food. Cutting calories only may lead you to still be storing water weight and toxins, which will impede your weight loss and keep you feeling less than optimal. The optimal diet for humans is fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and perhaps some grains. It is best to eat a wide variety of these foods and eat them to your heart's content. If you eat mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains you will experience weight loss and elevated health. The key is to eat as much of your food as you can in its fresh, uncooked state. Raw food is tasty, nutritious, filling, and you can literally eat as much as you would like without gaining weight. You will have the energy to exercise and feel better than you thought possible. Foods to cook lightly to enhance their digestibility are potatoes, sweet potatoes, hard squashes, and sometimes broccoli, cauliflower, and artichokes. Nuts and seeds may be soaked and sprouted to enhance their digestibility, nutrition, and flavor. Grains may be sprouted for the same reasons. Manna breads and Ezekiel breads are available that are made without flour and are sprouted. Food to avoid are all fried foods, heavily cooked or overcooked food, sugar, salt, flour products (bread, donuts, cereal, bagels, etc.), soda, canned or bottled juices, and any food out of a box, can, or bottle. Buy fresh or frozen fruits, vegetables, greens, nuts (unroasted, unsalted), seeds, and whole grains. Meat of very high quality (organic), some dairy (organic, raw), and eggs (organic) are health promoting to some people and decrease vitality in others. You will have to find your balance with these through time and testing. Raw honey, bee pollen, and other bee products are also high energy and health enhancing foods that promote weight loss. Secret 3: Weigh Yourself Only Once Each Week >From the day you decide to lose weight, weigh yourself once a week before breakfast. Keep a record of this weight and see the pattern that develops. You may opt for a scale that tests for water and fat percentages as well as weight to have a better idea how your body is changing. Every single time a person exercises and eats health-enhancing food, their body rebuilds itself with healthier tissue and discards fat and toxins. Avoid being impatient and remind yourself that the results will slowly manifest themselves. Remember that there are no shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way. Women need to remember that due to hormonal changes throughout their menstrual cycle their weight may fluctuate more than expected. Water retention, eating habits, hydration, recent exercise, and hormones will all play their roles and women may notice unusual weight gain or loss seemingly overnight. Be patient, do not stress, and the changes will even themselves out and weight loss will continue. Secret 4: Sleep Sleep is the great equalizer. All your body systems depend on proper sleep for their function. Weight loss, hormone patterns, thought clarity, energy, creativity, patience, detoxification and toxin removal, proper growth and repair from exercise, etc, all depend on quality sleep. Go to sleep as early as you feel tired, but at least before 11pm. Before 10pm is even better. It is said that the hours of sleep before midnight count as double of those had after midnight. Try to get a good, restful sleep and awaken naturally, if possible. If you must awaken to an alarm, at least make sure you awaken at the same time each day and are not waking up feeling groggy and fatigued. If you need more sleep, get it! Other helpful secrets: Drink enough water daily so that you do not feel overly thirsty, dry, or light headed. Have a rhythm to your day that works for you. If you awaken every day around the same time, go about your day in the same way, exercise, sleep, eat, and work the same ways, your body gets used to the rhythm and it is easier for you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is much more difficult if every day is different and you need to plan and structure then restructure, trying to make things work and fit things in. It is easier to let healthy choices go and get caught in the stress cycle. Enjoy time outdoors every day, if possible. In sun, rain, snow, hot, or cold, the outdoors is good for the body. Being outside is invigorating and inspirational. The Vitamin D produced by your skin from the sun is excellent for building bones and maintaining energy. Don't be fooled and wear sunscreens constantly, get your sun and outdoor exposure every day! Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, exercise when you feel energetic, work when you feel creative, sleep when you are tired, and play as much as you can. Having fun with your life and enjoying it is a great way to find balance and losing excess weight will come naturally.