Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Healthy Guide to Losing Weight this Spring

By Andrew Mitchell

With summer fast approaching, its time to get that beach wear out of the closet and see if last years mini skirt still fits. But when the button isnt closing and the waistband is not stretching, it can only mean one thing: you have gained weight.

Everyone wants to look their best this time of year, and many resort to yo-yo diets and crazy exercise regimes to trim off those layers of winter insulation. Nutritionists, health gurus, and osteopaths point out that we dont necessarily need to drink vitamin shakes, starve yourself, or go to the gym for hours on end to lose weight; there are much healthier and simpler ways to get your body to look and feel great. Here are some healthy, natural ways for you to slim down this spring:

Eating Right

It may seem clich, but the most basic thing you can do to help rid your body of those unwanted pockets of fat is to eat the right foods. While carb counters fuss about the amount of carbohydrates in each meal, doctors say that carbohydrates are essential sources of energy for the body, and therefore must not be avoided.

So what foods are particularly important? To detoxify your body, it is recommend to consume acidic fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. Other foods such as green tea, broccoli, and oatmeal are excellent for your metabolism. But remember, it is just as important monitor how much you eat as well as what you eat. If you try to have many regular light meals throughout the day, as opposed to huge quantities at a time, you will start to feel healthier and fitter almost immediately.

Modify your Metabolism

It is wise to limit your food intake, but dont starve yourself. Many people think that by skipping meals they are sparing themselves the opportunity to gain weight. This is not true. Whenever you skip a meal, your body responds by slowing down its metabolism to help you conserve energy. In order to lose weight you need to speed up your metabolism " not slow it down.

By boosting your metabolism you speed up the rate at which it converts food to energy, and you are preventing your body from storing it as excess fats. Eating five light meals a day at regular times ensures that your metabolism also regulates itself, becoming faster and better at converting foods to energy instead of fat.

The Power of Sleep

Dont underestimate the power of a good nights sleep when it comes to losing weight. Many people might be surprised to hear that in those eight hours we spent lying in our beds every night, our bodies are working hard to regulate the hormones that impact our appetite. Research has revealed that when we deprive ourselves of sleep, these hormone levels get disrupted, causing you to gain more weight. And sleep is important for recharging the entire body " so what do you have to lose (other than weight, that is) by turning in early?

While these natural weight loss solutions all but comprehensive, they do give us a general idea of how our body works in relation to weight loss. As long as the right foods and sleep are combined with regular exercise, you should be able to slip right into those mini shorts before summer. - 14130

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