Speed up your weight loss

Eating healthily and in the correct proportions will help you lose weight, however the most dramatic weight loss occurs when you increase your activity levels. Extra activity helps not only because you will be burning more calories but also because you will be developing muscle. This is important because, by developing muscle you create a major calorie-burning instrument, due to the fact that to sustain muscle mass your body needs to burn even more calories. Additionally, activity encourages your body to continue burning calories for an extended period of time after you’ve finished. Not only that, it stimulates the mind to be more productive.

Any form of exercise is beneficial for not only losing weight but also increasing your fitness and energy levels, this in turn improves your self-esteem and state of mind. So for your eating and lifestyle plan to be really effective for weight loss and general well-being you need to incorporate the most amount of activity into your lifestyle you can and importantly, enjoy.

Now activity can be seen as anything apart from sitting still or sleeping (although you do burn more calories while sleeping) realistically it is anything that requires you to utilise some form of energy. So, standing is an activity as you do burn more calories compared to sitting still, walking burns more calories than standing etc. It’s about finding an activity you enjoy.

However as most of us are capable of more than just standing, you can start by increasing the number of manual tasks you do at home or at work. This can be something as simple as performing a task standing instead of sitting. You can take on a “go get” attitude, instead of asking for someone to pass you something, get up and get it yourself. Try and do as many manual tasks or chores as possible. The idea is to get you up and moving more often to increase your calorie burn. This is the foundation for speeding up the process of losing the weight - increasing your activity levels.

If you happen to have a desk job or alike then you should aim to get up from your desk more often and stretch your legs. Apart from the beneficial mental break you will get, the movement will help your metabolism to keep going rather than stalling. Try performing more tasks standing up, like taking phone calls or reading a document whilst standing. Furthermore try taking the stairs instead of using the lift, walk that little bit further to go get your lunch.

Taking this to the next level you should go for a walk, swim, cycle, get a group together and play your favourite sports in the back yard or park. Just try to do anything that is more physically demanding where possible. Remember the more active you are the more calories you burn. To further increase your calorie burn pick up the tempo and go jogging, running, do laps at the pool, join some exercise classes or get a group together and hire a personal trainer for a group session. The list of possible activities is endless and there is sure to be something out there that you would enjoy.

We do however recognise the desire to see quick results. So we have come up with the following suggestion to kick-start your eating & lifestyle plan in a positive way. We suggest that you start by cleansing your body. This is done by taking a detox product, which is aimed at cleansing your body of toxins. Due to the nature of the detox courses it has the added effect of some weight loss if you are overweight. If you go on a detox course and then follow it with your eating and life style plan, you will not only have the benefit of the initial weight loss and a detoxified system. You will also have a huge confidence boost to help you on your way to a new way of life.

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Remember to achieve the best weight loss results it is important to increase your levels of activity and exercise while implementing your eating plan. There is no substitute for exercise when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off.

Of all the physical activities that you could do, the ones that would generally encourage and maintain the greatest amount of weight loss are the activities that encourage muscle growth. Remember, to maintain muscle mass your body needs to burn more calories.

The best form of activity to build muscle is resistance training, which uses weights to build muscle.Now you don’t need to develop a hulking frame for this to work as we are talking about lean muscle, which keeps you within your bodies natural boundaries. Before you start thinking you need to join a gym or buy loads of expensive equipment, which you can do if that is what will motivate you. But for those of us who feel embarrassed or intimidated in public or do not have the inclination to join a gym, or would prefer to start in the privacy of our own homes you can build muscle by purely using your own body weight for resistance. This can be achieved by a whole multitude of exercises of which you would recognise the following; sit-ups, crunches, chin-ups and push-ups to name a but a few which use your own body weight for resistance. In our book selection you will find a book called Weight-free Workout with equipment free exercises to work all areas of the body.

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One piece of fitness equipment we do recommend you invest in which will not break the bank is a pair of dumbbells. Dumbbells are great because they allow you to incorporate so many more exercises into your workout routine. Also there are numerous exercises you can do with dumbbells whilst standing. This is hugely beneficial because you burn more calories, exercising in an up right position compared to doing exercises whilst seated. When buying dumbbells it is recommend you buy a pair, which is adjustable (has the flexibility to change weight) making them more versatile, with a selection of light to heavier weight plates. If they are adjustable this allows you to start with a light weight and then down the track, with strength and fitness levels increasing you can adjust the weight of the dumbbells to meet your current needs. As opposed to solid weights (moulded) where you would have to buy a new set rendering the lighter solid weight dumbbells obsolete.

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You should speak to your doctor prior to commencing exercise or taking supplements, as they should be able to advise you on any health factors that affect your plans.