6 Small Tweaks to Burn Fat Faster and Lose Weight
According to the result of two different surveys conducted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults in the United States are considered either overweight or obese
Because of that, a deluge of exercise and calorie restricting diets have flooded us in the last few years with “get slim quick” approaches. But the problem has never been “Can I make these radical changes?”. Rather it often is, “Can I stick with these radical changes to my life”
Often times that question is answered in the negative.
We all know that Exercise and Restorative Yoga and Diets are helpful and indeed advisable. But I am sure you have wondered if there are no easier methods.
Don’t worry, below are a few easier tweaks that you could incorporate to still lose fat fast without having to make a radical change:
1. An Early Morning Intensive Five Minute Workout
Hitting the Gym is fun…initially at least, but then you have to keep going and going and spending. It is usually at this point that we lose steam and motivation. Going to the gym with your friends might just be a motivation, but what happens when none of them are around and you still need to go?
What if you feel embarrassed to go to the gym? Well, simply reducing your intake of fatty foods (not like a diet or something) while substituting gym time with an intensive early morning five minute workout will do wonders for your body.
All you need are a mat, a towel, a skipping rope and you are good to go. There are a number of proven workout routines and you could pick out which suits you best.
The good news is that you can lose weight fast right there in your living room.
2. Eat an Apple a Day
Researchers have long known for a while that too much white fat in the body is what causes unhealthy weight. Brown fat on the other hand, is actually healthy and helps in weight loss by sucking white fat out of our system.
The roles of these two kinds of fat have been studied further and ways have been discovered for increasing our brown fat levels.
Researchers at the University of Iowa for instance, found that ursolic acid which is an acid found in apple peels boosted brown fat in mice, even when they were fed a high-fat diet.
The effect on humans is the same. One apple or maybe even two a day can keep the fat away.
3. Stimulate Your Body’s Melatonin Production Levels
Far too many people are stuck with food supplements and all the other drugs that are supposed to prevent weight gain or increase weight loss. They don’t know that it is better to stimulate your own body’s natural production of melatonin.
Melatonin does not just regulate our sleep-wake cycle; researchers have found that it increases the production of “beige fat” which is similar to brown fat in its fat burning capacities.
To stimulate the production of melatonin in our systems, we may need simple tweaks like:
- Taking in good sunlight during the day
- Avoiding trudging about at home and
- Avoiding nighttime exposure to light from TVs, computers and other screens.
This means you may have to start getting all your work done during the day time.
You should also stock up on natural melatonin inducing fruits like; almonds, tomatoes, tart cherries, cardamom, and coriander.
4. Embrace a Little Frost
One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, revealed a fat burning benefit to low temperatures. The study looked at 12 young men with a less than average amount of active brown fat. They sat in a 63-degree Fahrenheit room for two hours a day over the course of six weeks.
The results were amazing; they burned an extra 108 calories in the cold compared to normal indoor temperatures. And after six weeks their bodies were burning an extra 289 calories in the cold. So turning down the thermostat just might be the tweak that helps you lose more weight.
5. Try A Little Mood Lighting
To lose weight you have to not over eat if you are prone, that is a no brainer. The problem is usually in implementing the decision. A few people find it challenging to recognize when they have over eaten, they just eat.
There are a few psychological tweaks that can help you eat less. A study from from Cornell University says the secret to eating less and feeling more satisfied with what you do eat could be as simple as some mood lighting.
In this study, people who ate a meal under soft, warm lighting consumed 175 fewer calories and finished 18% less food on their plates than those who dined in brightly lit places. Those in the darker rooms also rated food as more enjoyable than the other group.
Scientists speculate that the harsh fluorescent lights in restaurants may create a psychological need to rush food and thus eat more. Try eating at home and pull out the candles…you’ll be pleased at the results.
6. Go to Bed Earlier
One study from the Mayo Clinic shows getting less than 6½ hours of sleep a night can lead to consuming as many as 500 extra daily calories. Sleep deprivation can raise appetite hormones and cause an increased amount of calorie intake. This is one main reason for heavy night snacking.
Your willpower may not be able to work effectively, but sleeping more effectively will help a great deal in reducing your appetite for more calories.
Radical changes to our routines and our meals involve a lot of reliance on discipline and willpower. These small changes on the other hand are so negligible and involve little exertion, but they yield great results. There is no reason why you should buy that smaller outfit in anticipation.
