SHARES
With Chinese New Year literally just around the corner, I’m pretty sure everyone wants to look good to present themselves well at family reunions. We all want to look our best; fitting in clothes perfectly and taking good photos at your best form. So I’m quite sure you would want to drop some pounds before the celebration so you can make more space to tuck into those delicious New Year cookies and reunion dinners! Therefore, I am compiling some useful tricks in keeping yourself in shape and lose weight fast in these few days. If you stick to your routine strictly, you will see obvious results!
1. Choose your carbohydrate smartly to lose weight fast!
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A successful transformation is composed of 30% gym and 70% diet, making the food we eat actually affect how we end up being. So what type of carbohydrates are we talking here? White rice, noodles, white bread and even potatoes like fries. These kinds of simple carbohydrates can cause bloating around your belly region and since they are digested very quickly, it will leave you constantly hungry and increase the tendency of overeating.
Choose your carbs smartly to help you control your body weight and sugar level. Good carbs like sweet potato, brown rice only will control your blood sugar level – hence you won’t feel hungry so soon, and it can provide you energy in longer time.
2. Drink more water!
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Yes, drink more and only water! Water has zero calories and close to no sodium (which holds water together in the body) so it’s the perfect guilt-free thirst quencher. Drinking lots of water also help out in flushing excess water weight. Aside from that, water also speeds up your metabolism; something you need to take note because a fast metabolism rate helps your body process nutrients into heat and energy easier. This prevents your food from getting stuck in your belly and thighs as fats.
Tip: At any point you might get bored of drinking plain water, you may add some lemon slices or even mint leaves to make it interesting.
3. Do 30 minutes of daily cardio!
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Cardio can be anything that gets you pumped up. It can be swimming, running, jogging, kickboxing or even dancing (intense ones, of course!). Any one of these activities done for half an hour could burn some 200 to 300 calories while toning your body along the way.
Tip: Incorporate interval training by switching from high and low intensity exercises alternately; it gets more calories burned per session. Another tip to boost the number of calories burned is by doing cardio routine that uses multiple muscles simultaneously.
4. Sleep more at night!
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Regardless of how long (or short) you sleep at night, let’s give 30 minutes more to it. Sleep earlier so you don’t mess up your daily activities. Having extra sleep can help in allowing you to make better food choices, make you more energized and there will be less likelihood of skipping the gym. Getting 7- 8 hours of sleep would optimally boost your metabolism hence aid in losing more weight.
Tip: since your body builds muscles as you sleep, having more sleep can increase muscle toning!
5. No more desserts!
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That’s right, cut down all the sugary fatty food. At least just for the week to present the best side of you during reunions! It might be difficult to give up your daily fix but giving up these delicacies can make a big difference in terms of the calories you gain in your diet. Perhaps eventually you would gain tolerance over it and stop the habit of snacking too! That’s a long term benefit!
Can´t renounce completely? Understand, but why not change to healthier alternatives? Healthy snacks are proven to bring you health benefits, for example cashew nuts is a good option for diabetic. There are available and freshly baked tastes even better, isn´t it? What’s even better, you can now have them delivered straight to your doorstep!
I’m actually following some of what is written above but not for the sake of Chinese New Year only, but also for the long run (hopefully). Are you up to bring down the weight?
by Nicky Lee
Your typical neighbourhood ah pek who roams on the internet to satisfy his curiosity. Bold. Loud. Talkative. View all articles by Nicky Lee.
