My Five Essential Weight Loss Tips for Making a Healthy Lifestyle Simple & Easier

It’s time to start replacing diet with a lifestyle

The word ‘diet’ signifies many negative aspects for certain people.

It reads deprivation, starvation, moodiness and a drain on your life and energy.

But, of course, no one wants to diet, do they? I am not too fond of the negative connotations myself.

I no longer use the word ‘diet’ in my vocabulary, replacing it with ‘lifestyle’.

That makes everything more manageable because it’s a way of life rather than a restricted timeframe.

Why do we have to change our language regarding healthy eating?

Words have a significant impact on what we think, say and how to feel.

Using words that pertain to a negative or restrictive meaning can bring out that rebel within us that wants to exercise their right to break free (no pun intended!).

It’s a way to self sabotage your results — and usually, you won’t even notice until the weight starts to pile back on again.

I did this for years on end, never once stepping back to assess why it was happening.

As a result, I went from achieving success with my weight loss goals, and then I was right back where I started.

After a while, I saw this happening to many people too. It left me helpless because I wasn’t in control of my results.

See, it’s not just about changing your eating habits — you also have to change those mental ones too!

When we change our mindset, things start to shift more positively.

With little pivots, I see this part of our journey as a lifetime of work in progress.

You might stumble and fall — but you realise what’s going on and get back to where you left off.

Although I can’t tell you what occurs in your life, you may have to stop and observe what patterns appear as the weight starts to climb.

You should also pay attention to your environment — as that can influence your choices.

Both of these factors can create some harmful results.

Whilst you constantly stay in tune with your thoughts and feelings, here are five tips you can throw in the mix that will help you gain clarity.

Don’t forget — go easy on yourself.

These things take time, and eventually, you will uncover the secrets that lie beneath and uncover something about yourself you never even knew existed.

And it’s just uphill to get to that goal!

One: Throw in strength training about 3–4 times per week

If you are new to weight training, results usually start to appear about 2–3 weeks into your training regime — if you lift weights regularly, eat well and know what you are doing.

The problem is that most people don’t know the basics of weight training fundamentals.

If this is you right now — don’t worry.

No one is expected to know straight away.

It all takes time, and that might involve;

• Getting your trainer
• Watching many youtube videos
• Buying an exercise app and working from those guidelines
• Training with someone that knows more than you do whilst showing you the ropes

It’s imperative to do the exercises correctly, knowing your form and doing the right amount of reps and sets.

As frustrating as it is, you must invest in something to help you — and even if you have been training for a while, there are still many more concepts to master (if you are passionate about them).

Don’t be like the gym-goers that exercise incorrectly for about four or more years and proclaim that lifting weights doesn’t work.

It’s like any strategy — you do the work necessary very carefully, step by step, to get the results.

But, unfortunately, sidetracking or missing one part means you may not get their — or arrive with half-arsed results.

Speaking from experience — the best investment I made was in a personal trainer, and it’s set me up for training properly & getting results without the expense — 8 years + later.

Two: Eat more veggies, then eat a bit more

I don’t know many people who eat enough veggies.

What I do see instead is people eating those awful muscle meals, canned soups, and processed garbage at work.

Most of these meals have barely any veggies, let alone fibre.

I don’t understand how they do number two without great difficulty!

Give me an abundance of veggies every time, and I’ll gobble them all up and feel full longer than a person who just had steak.

I talk so much about veggies because your body can’t get enough of them!

Veggies are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients — therefore, extend your lifespan.

Meats and processed foods have no power to do this whatsoever!

So, for a healthier life filled with energy now and when you get older — think about how many veggies you can eat and slot them into your healthy lifestyle.

Keep them seasonal or grab some frozen varieties — they all count.

Three: Be active and encourage others to do so as well

Sitting down is bad for your health, and although you might be exercising, it negates the effort you made — and every other day too!

When I first read that in a research paper (and it was a long time ago, so I cannot quote the source), I became so disappointed.

All that hard and heavy lifting I did meant nothing — because I had a job that required me to sit on my arse all day long.

But now, I negate that by getting up all the time — and I mean every hour.

So here are some tips to get you moving as well!

• I drink lots of water, a small bottle, so it gives me an excuse to keep getting up to fill it.
• As I drink a lot more water, I want to go to the bathroom regularly. That means more walking.
• I make it an essential non-negotiable to get outdoors for at least 30–45 minutes for a walk. I still get out despite the rain (with all that rain in Sydney, I invested in some contemporary work gumboots to eliminate the excuses!)
• I have a standing desk at work and at home. Get your boss or company to invest in them. There are no excuses for companies to say no anymore. You can also buy one for yourself to stand when working from home.
• Use your legs to talk to someone in the office — or at home, instead of texting or emailing.
• Find a coffee shop that’s a bit of a walk away, and go to it with your colleagues (or yourself if at home).

These are just some of the things I have come up with to make walking and staying active a daily part of my life.

They are all embedded habits now and help me exceed my step goals.

Four: Don’t get annoyed, but HIIT is great, and I have a more straightforward concept for you!

My journey of researching many fat loss alternatives brought me to a simple one — using a bike instead of the treadmill.

You don’t even have to resort to this measure because HIIT can be anything, like circuit training, sprinting on the cross trainer or doing any vigorous activity for 20 seconds and then resting, only to start again.

Whenever I write tips on HIIT, I can sometimes get some negative comments, and I understand that. But unfortunately, not everyone can sprint their heart out.

I suggest the bike going all out (peddling as fast as possible) and then resting.

Do that on and off for 20 minutes, and you are done!

The same concept can be applied to circuit training with bars, kettlebells, and handheld weights.

Why not use all of these alternatives so that every time you perform HIIT, it brings variety into your workout strategy.

Variety makes working out a lot more exciting, and you also benefit by changing things up in your workout.

Doing the same workout every time you hit the gym causes plateaus, and your results will start to stagnate or drop off.

Adding some point of difference will kick start you into getting results again.

Five: spend less time obsessing about your weight every day

You might be doing everything right, yet it’s not working.

We all go through that stage, and all it takes is a shift in our diet, exercise, or perhaps it’s as simple as sleeping more and not stressing as much!

Some days will be just plain hard, and I get that.

I still get them 20 years later, but I don’t take them too seriously.

After I had my hysterectomy, I knew I would have to stop training for a while, and then it would take me a significant amount of time to get back into it.

I felt awful — flabby, frumpy, and my toned look went quite ‘soft.’

After a few weeks of training, I knew that as my strength began to build, I would get back to where I was.

And that requires a dedicated amount of time to training and proper nutrition.

But then, we have to factor in sleep, stress, and relaxation.

No one can balance all of those plates 100% of the time — and if you do, please tell us all how (or me at least)!

Day by day, take it as it comes and don’t stress too much.

Our bodies sometimes need a little time to get there.

You will get there with a goal, dedication, purpose, and hard work.

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