6 Gym-Free Tricks to Lose Weight

A healthy lifestyle is an ongoing process that involves making good choices on a regular basis. This concept can feel overwhelming for many people, especially if you don’t know where to start. Here are some simple activities and food choices you can implement right away that won’t overwhelm you and will cut and burn calories on an ongoing basis with minimal disruption to your everyday life.

You need to make a point of raising your heart rate for at least 10 minutes a day, although a 10-minute block is ideal, it doesn’t have to be all at once.

1. Take the stairs

Take the stairs every time it’s an option. Don’t even think about it, just do it. If you are carrying shopping bags or a small child, even better! It might not be fun at first but you’ll quickly start to increase your endurance and lung capacity. The act of taking the stairs works your quadriceps, the largest muscle group in the body. When activated for 3-6 minutes, it helps raise your metabolic rate as well as raising your heart rate. To increase this challenge, try taking two stairs at a time.

2. Dance

When you’ve got a moment alone, turn on your iTunes, crank up your favorite song and dance around the house however you want! Two or three songs later you’ve engaged in an aerobic activity for 10 minutes and had a blast doing it! Dancing will pull you out of a bad mood, too. It releases endorphins, gets you out of your head and connects you to your body. If you never find yourself alone, go into the other room, close the door and dance like no one's watching!

3. Walk don’t drive

Walk instead of driving whenever possible. Even if it means parking farther away from your destination. If point B is within walking distance from point A, do it. Every day after lunch or dinner take a walk, clear your mind - even if it’s just around the block.

4. Portion control

When you go out to dinner with a friend, share a meal. When that isn’t an option, try eating half of what’s on your plate. You don’t always have to eat everything. Generally speaking, restaurant portions are too big, have too much salt and too much sugar (even the so called healthy places).
Do not add salt or sugar to anything served at a restaurant.

When cooking at home keep the salt and sugar to a minimum you will begin to crave them less and you might actually start to enjoy the taste of the food itself!

5. No soda, no fruit juice.

Swap out your soda and fruit juices with seltzer water. As the saying goes, eat your fruit; don’t drink it, unless it’s freshly made at a juice bar. Seltzer has the same bubbly thirst-quenching effect as soda without all the sugar, chemicals and calories. Not to mention, it keeps you hydrated.

6. Stick to all-natural food.

If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, chances are your body doesn’t know what to do with it. If your body can’t use it as a fuel source, it gets stored, instead of being used. That means potentially putting on extra weight.

Instead of snacking on potato chips or other salty fried snacks, try carrots and celery sticks. You can even dip them in all-natural salsa. Try a handful of unsalted nuts. My favorites are almonds, peanuts, walnuts and cashews are all good options. You’ll enjoy the crunch and your body will be able to utilize the nutrition.

SOURCE: Foxnews