Health On the Go

Small Changes Make a Big Impact on Weight Loss

You’re always moving, rushing to get to work or that early class. Between meetings, deadlines and family commitments, it’s hard to find time to pay attention to your own needs.

For many of us, daily life often gets in the way of healthy living and weight loss efforts. Meals are grabbed on the go, coffee is chugged as if it’s water and the days are spent sitting in class or at a sedentary office job.

There are however, many small, simple lifestyle changes that even the busiest of women can make. With a little bit of planning, you’ll save money, eat healthier and be more active throughout your busy week.

Breakfast

At best my breakfast used to consist of a large coffee and bagel on my way to work. I was spending about $5 per day and packing in 500 calories before my morning break. If I opted for a muffin, it was closer to 700 calories.

Instead, try making a batch of low fat muffins on the weekend. Freeze them in plastic bags and take one out each night, to thaw for the next morning. Pair the muffin with a piece of fruit and you have a healthy breakfast that you can eat at home, on the go, or when you get to your desk. You’ll have the energy you need to go about your day, and your nutritious choice leaves you extra calories for lunch and dinner.

Lunch

What do you do if you forget to pack a lunch? It’s likely that you opt for the cafeteria at work or school. Instead of a cheap, nutritious salad and fruit, you end up with overpriced, greasy french fries or a diet-busting burger. Or, if you do opt for a cafeteria salad, you’ll spend $6 for a bowl of veggies smothered in high fat dressing.

Instead, while your muffins are baking Sunday afternoon, cut up a large container’s worth of vegetables: broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, green beans and whatever else is lying around the fridge. Keep them in an airtight bowl and all you have to do each morning is cut up some lettuce and throw it in a container with a handful of your pre-chopped veggies. You’ve got a nutritious salad that you can pair with any low fat dressing. Add an extra chicken breast from last night’s dinner and you have a protein-packed lunch that will get you through the rest of the day. If meat’s not your thing, add some chopped nuts to the greens before serving.

Caffeine

Some caffeine is fine in your diet, but be conscious of the calories that cream and sugar add to your previously healthy drink. Instead, opt for skim milk and sweetener, or switch to green tea for a metabolism boost. If you must have the delcicious latte to forget about the cold weather, be sure to have it made with skim milk, and skip the whipped cream topping.

With healthy weekday breakfasts, lunches and coffee breaks, incorporate some or all of these minor changes into your weekly routine and you’ll be set for the next swimsuit season:

1. Always take the stairs, up and down – this will give you energy and burn more calories throughout the day.
2. Keep healthy snacks such as nuts, baby carrots, granola bars and yogurt at your desk.
3. Keep a reusable, stainless steel water bottle at your desk and challenge yourself to drinking a full bottle before and after your lunch break. Dehydration can mimic hunger so when you feel the pangs, reach for the water before the snacks.
4. Instead of sitting through your lunch break, eat your homemade salad and step outside for a ten-minute walk. If you look hard enough, you might even find a lunchtime walking club at your school or office.
5. Get up instead of sending an email to colleagues. You’ll get the answers you need quicker, and this will mean you’re frequently walking between offices, burning a few extra calories each day.
6. Avoid the candy on the desk: office workers will often have jars of candy on their desk. Instead of following the trend, opt for healthy snacks, like apples or nuts. Get the rest of the office involved in your healthy choices.
7. Apply the rule of walking to dinnertime and never sit after your evening meal. Once the dishes are washed, go outside (or on the treadmill) and take a stroll for at least ten minutes. An after-dinner walk will make you less likely to spend the rest of the evening on the couch.

Apply these rules and you’ll have more energy to get through the crazy week and your weight loss goals will no longer seem impossible.

You’ll thank yourself when you fit into a cute bikini next summer.

Next from The Healthy Woman: How to Have a Diet-Friendly Weekend.

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Tags: Caffine, Diet, Dinner, health, Healthy Snacks, Healthy Woman, Lunch, Recipies, weight-loss