Think slimming down and getting healthy needs to be difficult? Not so! These easy, scientifically-proven weight-loss secrets pull dual purpose, melting pounds while spiking your energy and lifting your spirits, which means you look and feel your best.
Read a magazine to shed weight and slash worry.
To lose weight faster on any diet, flip through the health pages of the Woman's World magazine! South Dakota State University investigators say regularly catching up on articles offering healthy nutrition and fitness advice helps you drop pounds 60 % faster by keeping your motivation high.
Another perk: British researchers say relaxing with a magazine or book you like sends your stress threshold plunging nearly 70 percent in only six minutes!
Drink water to enhance your metabolism and strengthen your immune system.
Think the only way to supercharge your capability to burn off fat is as simple as practicing a marathon? Thankfully, that isn't so! German researchers discovered a surprisingly simple way to keep the metabolism humming: Simply sip 16 oz. of water, and you'll spike your metabolic rate by 30 percent for an hour. Water fuels mitochondria, those tiny power plants within your cells that stoke your metabolism, helping you melt fat faster.
Another reason to fill your water bottle? British scientists say folks who drink only under three glasses of water each day are nearly four times more likely to get the flu compared to those who drink eight glasses. That is because keeping the nose's mucous membranes hydrated allows this first type of defense to trap bacteria and viral invaders before they reach the lungs.
Use the opposite hand to feel full and enhance focus.
One good way to effortlessly eat 30 % fewer calories: Switch your fork to your opposite hand. According to University of Southern California scientists, eating with your non-dominant hand can make you decelerate, which allows the body additional time to release appetite-taming hormones which help you register that you are full. The good thing? Researchers say because this trick boosts satiety, you'll consume less food without feeling hungry or deprived!
Another bonus: Making familiar activities seem new and different – such as brushing the teeth with your other hand or walking your usual route in reverse – causes the body to produce an outburst of focus-enhancing brain chemicals that British scientists say increases your mental energy, attention and multitasking ability by 45 percent within A minute.
Take a dance break to snack less and increase energy.
We've all given in to snack attacks occasionally, and it's especially easy when we're spending more time at home. The fix: Do a little jig around your kitchen area. Dancing illuminates the reward center of your brain, curbing the impulse to treat yourself to “extra” food. Actually, a study in Marketing Letters shows when you truly enjoy any kind of exercise, you consume 35 percent less immediately afterward and 50 % fewer snacks that day!
Dancing has another benefit, too: Moving the large muscles inside your legs increases your energy by 80 percent for 1 hour 30 minutes, say Canadian scientists. Short bursts of movement help muscles soak up significantly more energizing glucose.
Do a crossword puzzle to curb cravings and sharpen your memory.
When ice cream appears to be calling your name, reach for an enjoyable brain game just like a crossword puzzle or sudoku before digging in. Whenever you challenge proper effort into a puzzle, scientists reporting in PLOS ONE found it dampens activity in the area of the brain linked to less-than-healthy addictive habits (like overeating and smoking), noticeably shoring your willpower and making unhealthy foods seem less desirable.
Plus, as it happens bolstering your willpower is a boon for the brain. Doing puzzles regularly acts as a mental workout, helping your mind perform up to eight years younger with regards to short-term memory, based on investigators from the U.K.'s University of Exeter.
Snack on almonds to shrink your waist and get more sleep soundly.
Trimming stubborn stomach fat could be a challenge. Luckily, Purdue University scientists have found a tasty method to whittle your middle. They are saying eating a number of raw almonds daily helps folks drop more than double the amount weight – especially in the midsection – than those who eat the same number of calories but no almonds. Nuts' healthy fats turn on your body's fat-burning mechanisms, while protein ups satiety.
