Three Obvious Ways to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy

You don’t have to join a gym just yet or eat lettuce for dinner.  There are far easier and healthier ways to live a better fitness and diet lifestyle.

1. Eat breakfast.  Yes, you’ve read this for the 100^th time and you’ll probably still run out of the house and skip your eggs.  Then, drink water as soon as you get up.  It will start your metabolism and fool your body into thinking it has begun eating.  Grab an apple.  Don’t like fruit?  Drink a glass of milk.  Lactose intolerant?  Buy a large container of a fruit smoothie, like Bolthouse Farms or Naked.  Just plain lazy in the morning?  Make yourself a peanut butter sandwich at night before bed so that it’s ready in the morning.  Get nauseous when you eat too early?  Add a few drops of lemon into your water.  If all else fails, grab a piece of toast, but whatever you do, do not eat chips, cookies, or cake for breakfast.  Like sugar in the morning?  Buy a whole grain cereal and sweeten it with honey.  Can’t stand the taste of honey?  Use Sugar-in-the raw.  Stop making excuses and do it.
2. Move.  Walk.  Participate in gym class.  Join a sport.  Walk home, if you can.  Go the long way to class.  Go up street hills—don’t find the quickest route.  Too tired?  Watch your favorite shows while on the floor, stretching and doing resistance exercises for at least one 30 minute show.  Parents won’t let you outside?  Walk in place—jump in place.  Take breaks from sitting at the computer.  Use the stairs whenever possible.  Don’t let 20 minutes pass by while you are awake when you have not gotten off of your butt!
3. Worry about nutrition.  Eat the cherries not drink the cherry soda.  Bake the potato not gobble up the bag of potato chips.  Sometimes eating what your body needs is not up to you—true.  Your parents do the food shopping.  Don’t get caught up with microwave dinners or food with high sodium contents.  Just buy the celery sticks and eat them, will you?  Ask for the graham crackers and fruit jams instead of the hard candy bags and donuts.  Use your head.  You know that eating junk food is going to hold you back.  So, knock it off.  Eat whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, fruit, and cook!  Steam your chicken.  Grill, don’t fry.  Use less cooking oil.  Tell your parents to buy less “ready-made” food and offer to help with cooking.  Is every day a special occasion that you need to eat out?  I didn’t think so, so stop eating out!  Food does not make you fat.  You make yourself fat with bad choices.  Make yourself thin with healthy choices.

Tips for a good day of eating:

Drink a glass of water with fresh lemon, no sugar

Drink a glass of milk, soy milk, or fruit smoothie or a cereal bar

Drink another glass of water, or go to the water fountain, about an hour before lunch

Eat a sandwich or well-balanced meal, minus chips or excessive sweets—get into fruit

Eat some nuts or eat a yogurt in the afternoon—snacking is great for you!

Eat dinner by 7 p.m.—gives your body more time to use up calories

Drink water an hour or so before bed, fills you up and gets the pee our before bedtime