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Want a workout you can do that will boost your metabolism in 15mins?
4 Sets of the following;
15 pullups (or 50 jump pullups)
30 walking lunges
15 pushups
30 situps
30 squats
You can vary the weights used (if any) and play with the tempo/speed to make it harder/easier as well as the more strict you are with form and range of motion the harder the exercises are.
This was told to a group of four year olds. They were left in a room for 45 minutes with 1 marshmallow and told that if they could resist the temptation by not eating it, they would receive a second marshmallow after the 50 minutes.
Most of the kids ate it as soon as the man left the room. Some licked it, some pressed it up against their eyes, some of the kids smelt it like it was the greatest smell in the world. The end result was that 2/3 ate it and 1/3 didn’t.
When they looked forward 15 years they found that the 1/3 that didn’t eat it where more successful in life (school, grades, work) than the 2/3’s that did eat it. Because the 1/3 of the group was willing to sacrifice immediate gratification in order to gain more in the end. I really like this but I thought it would apply much more accurately to our desire to eat as it relates to achieving a healthy and lean body.
When it comes to eating healthy I see 3 groups of people. One group of people just don’t care and will eat anything they want because the reward is not as important as the satisfaction of taste and their immediate desire to eat (like the kids that ate it as soon as the man left).
Another group will have a very hard time and will try really hard to convince themselves they should wait but can’t help themselves but cheat, they are the type that will end up eating a bowl of ice cream and Doritos at night because they were good during the day, and then tell me that they are following their diet (like the kids that licked it or ate the inside to make it look like they didn’t eat it).
Then there’s the last group. The serious group who we admire for having the self-discipline, except we sometimes call them boring to make us feel better. This is the group who will stick to it, the one’s that drink soda water at a party, that don’t even think of having desert, that carry around there food in a Tupperware.
So think of these kids next time you go to reach for some bad food and remember that the reward of stepping away and not eating the marshmallow will be well worth it in the end.
Pre-water it
Try drinking 2 large glasses of water before you eat, this will help fill you up with good healthy water to reduce the feeling of starvation you get before supper.
Slow down your speed
It takes the brain about 10 minutes to realise that the stomach is full, so slow it down. Eating fast is not good for the digestion system and makes you over eat. Try to make a conscious effort of chewing your food a lot, taking breaks while you socialise and try to avoid working or watching TV at the same time as eating.
Fibre first
Fibre helps you feel full so why not take those 2 big glasses of water with a little bit of fibre before you eat a meal. The added bonus is most people don’t get enough fibre in their diet in the first place. If you’re not that “hard core” try to eat your salad first, take a little break and then eat the rest of your food.
Sugars again
I’ve said it before and I'll say it again. The more sugar you have in your diet the more cravings you will get. Try to reduce those sugars so you’re not tempted to eat desert after you just ate your food.
Set rules
All of these 4 appetite suppressing techniques will not work if you just don’t care. Your goal needs to be more important than the short term satisfaction of the taste of food. Setting yourself rules always helps. Your rules could be “no deserts” or “only one cheat a week” or “no drinking on weekdays”.
A word about mindset: My mother in law cooks great deserts and always tells us that she doesn’t like the taste of deserts and even chocolate, whether or not that’s true or it’s just her way to psych herself out of them, kudos to her for sticking to her rules. Whatever rules may be, make sure that you stick by them no matter what situation you’re in.
Eatingwell.com is a website that I was recently introduced to. From what I have seen so far, it seems like a great website where you can find healthy recipes and many healthy cooking tips and articles.
Sleep is an important aspect of weight loss and overall health. Many people think that getting only 5-6 hours of sleep is sufficient since they feel ok day to day after having a coffee or 2.
This is not normal nor healthy. We really do need 8+ hours of sleep a night and the hours before midnight are the most important. So early to bed - early to rise is key.
So if you're eating well and training hard and not sure why you aren't as lean as you want to be perhaps taking a better look at your sleep pattern and changing it around might be the missing link.
