Walking for weight loss

Autumn is the perfect time to take a walk and boost your fitness...

Walking is one of the easiest and best ways to boost your fitness, lift your mood and beat stress. ‘A brisk walk can burn up to 100 calories per mile. It’s also a great way to clear your head, reduce stress and release mood-boosting endorphins,’ says Rory James Manning, managing director of RJ Fitness (rj-fitness.co.uk). We help you make the most of every stroll with these top tips.

Bring a friend

The best way to get into walking is to simply start – but it helps to have company. ‘Walking with a friend, partner, family or in a group is a great way to make new friends and keep motivated,’ says Rory. So, enlist a buddy – or even your dog! – and head outdoors. 

What’s your fat type?

Want to unlock the secret to long-term weight loss? Louise Pyne discovers exactly what’s standing in the way of your slimming goals

‘No matter how much you cut back on calories, you won’t lose weight unless you get your liver health on track’

‘We often consider sleep more of a luxury than a necessity, but getting adequate time in the hay is vital for keeping your figure in check’

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to successful weight loss. We all have our own unique individual make-up, which means we’re prone to carrying pounds in different areas of our bodies. ‘The causes of obesity are complex and multifaceted. Genetics certainly play a role, but the extent of this impact over other causes such as diet and lifestyle choices is difficult to assess,’ says Sophie Enever, nutritionist at Upbeat. Here, we discover the most important pieces of the beat-the-bulge puzzle.

Alkaline diet

Slim down in just THREE days with this alkalising diet

Lacking in energy? Need a quick pick-me-up? This super-fast detox might be exactly what you're after! As well as giving a much-needed boost to energy levels, it'll kick-start your weight loss too. Did we mention that it only takes three days? Yep, really. And, as if that wasn't enough, you'll feel lighter, your skin will be clearer and you'll be much more focused. What are you waiting for?

Happy tum

An effective digestive system is the key to a slim and trim bod. But sometimes this vital system needs a bit of a nudge to boost its performance. If you can't shift the pounds, or you're feeling bloated or lacking energy, it's time to give your system a break. When you eat, your gut breaks down food, separating nutrients from waste and eliminating leftovers via your bowel. It sounds simple but this fine-tuned process is actually pretty complex. And there are a whole host of ways you could be preventing this system from working at its full capacity. Gulping down food quickly, making poor meal choices and overdoing the alcohol can put a strain on digestion, making it harder to supply your body with the goodies it needs.

How to get rid of your muffin top

Stubborn weight around the middle? Eugh, we hear you! Use our diet and exercise tips to beat that muffin top

That weight around your middle sure can be stubborn to shift. Anyone who's tried to get rid of their muffin top can vouch for how difficult it is to get rid of. If you want to tackle your wobbly tum and sides, or just want to tone up your middle area, use these tips along with a healthy diet (think nutrient-dense veg, high-quality protein and LOTS of water) and you might be on to a winner...

Rounded tum:

Get good abs with... crunches and a clean diet! 

Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent at a 90o angle. Think of creating a concave stomach by pulling you belly button in towards your spine and then curl your truck up, keeping your head and neck tall and in line with your body. Keep pulling your navel in towards your spine during the whole movement. Do three sets of 25 reps.

Green tea weight loss

Coffee is so last year. Switch to green tea with all its great health benefits and you won't look back!

When that coffee calls mid-afternoon, pick up a green tea instead. It contains levels of caffeine, although a lot less than what's found in a coffee, so it's a great way to reduce your daily intake of the hard stuff. It's also a weight loss wonder, health booster and performance enhancer! Still not convinced? Here are seven reasons why you should be drinking green tea.

1) Boost your metabolism 

Drinking green tea may increase your metabolism and reduce body fat and weight – it’ll also help to keep you hydrated, which is vital for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate.

10 ways to exercise without trying

No time for exercise? Try these sneaky tricks to work out with almost no effort at all...

1) Wash the car

Go on, it needs a good clean, anyway. If you’ve got a van, then you’ll really work up a sweat. Make sure to switch hands when you’re scrubbing to get a good, even workout. 

2) Get off your trolley

No, not like that! Opt for a shopping basket rather than a trolley if you’re not planning a huge shop, and really work your upper body. If you really must use a trolley, once you’ve bagged everything up, carry it back to the car by hand.

How to lose fat

Want to look trim in 2015? Follow our top tips for beating the bulge.

What's your diet goal for 2015? To beat the bulge and get into shape? A MORI survey found that the average British woman will spend 31 years of her life on a diet – sad, eh? There's more to life than restricting calories. In fact there are tons of easy ways to fend off the extra pounds without miserably totting up your daily calorie intake. Try these super-easy tips and tricks to help you reach your ideal weight and stay there for life!

Refuelling hazard

The more you exercise, the hungrier you get and so you might eat more or believe you ‘deserve’ to eat more after a good workout. In some cases you might just want to eat more as a reward for having survived the session. It’s important to eat according to our whole day’s activity level, not just according to how hard you’ve exercised in the gym, particularly if you have a sedentary job.

Core workout routine

Become you own personal trainer and tone your abs to perfection with these easy core workouts

Wouldn’t it be terrific to peel off your kaftan this summer and feel more confident about your abs than ever before? The good news is, you can; we’ve got all the moves you need to tone your abs to perfection.

Bloated tummy

Gassy, bloated tummies don’t only look unattractive, they’re also uncomfortable and a sign that your digestion isn’t happy. ‘Focus on having your meals at the same time every day, and avoid carbs or fruit after a meal,’ suggests Winhoffer. ‘Eating fruits after a meal causes the food to ferment, which then causes bloating and gas. Making your meals consistent also allows your stomach to become accustomed to what it has to break down on a daily basis.’

Best way to lose belly fat

Change your diet and stay on top of cardio to lose the stubborn pounds from around your stomach

‘If you have excessive fat around your belly, this suggests you have high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol,’ explains women’s BioSignature Modulation practitioner, Niki Rein. ‘Stress raises your blood pressure, while also increasing the flow of glucose into the blood stream. High cortisol levels caused by lack of sleep or work-related stress raise your insulin levels, and result in excess sugar being stored as fat.’

A fitness ritual for fat loss

Follow this fitness ritual to shed those last few pounds

Ever wondered what the most successful people on the planet do every day to keep fit and healthy? If only you could find out, emulate it and become amazing, too. Guess what? You can! 

We’ve tapped into eight of the greatest fitness minds to discover which daily rituals they complete without fail. And, after spending a fortnight doing 6am sun salutations and chowing down on beetroot crisps, we’ve learnt which tricks work best for optimal living – and they’re much more manageable than you might expect.

Easy weight loss tips

Simple steps to shed the pounds and feel healthier

If you want to feel better, healthier and slimmer, Personal Trainer and fitness motivator Jodie Bell of Healthy Habit Dorset (www.healthyhabitdorset.co.uk) has given us her top tips on how to drop pounds - without even thinking about it!

1. Walking

Walk a bit further. Park further away from the shop entrance in a car park. Get off the bus/train one stop earlier. Take the stairs! This will increase the number of calories you burn per day which over time will help you drop pounds

10 ways to lose your love handles

Feel and look better with these top tips

1 Keep a food diary

Aside from helping you stay on track with a healthy diet, keeping a diary allows you to pick up patterns in your eating habits. If you notice that you’re eating the same things regularly, aim to get more daring with your palate to keep your body guessing and your digestive system cranking.

2 Lift weights

If cardio is your exercise tipple and you’re neglecting weight training, you need to get to grips with the barbell. Big, heavy lifts like squats and deadlifts will build lean muscle mass to rev up your metabolism, as well as mix up your workout.

Eat a better breakfast

Get a better breakfast with our hints and tips

You've probably heard that it's the most important meal of the day and for good reason. Research shows that eating breakfast can boost your metabolism, keep your blood sugar steady and give you energy throughout the day. One study showed that obesity and insulin resistance rates were 35-50 per cent lower among people who ate breakfast every day, compared to those who didn’t. But if you really want to experience the benefits of breakfast, you need to include the right fuel.

Best detox juices for a post-party season cleanse

Overindulged this Christmas? Need to cleanse and revive your body? Here are 6 superfood juice recipes for every ill.

The Energy Booster

‘This is definitely my bestselling breakfast smoothie. We call it the Get up and glo! Bananas contain both quick- release glucose and slow-release fructose, giving all-round energy, while dates release their sugars slowly and have a prolonged effect. For a real boost, you should add some maca to the smoothie. Maca is a Peruvian root and belongs to the radish family. It has been used for centuries to give energy as well as balance and help restore hormones.’

Stop! How fast are you eating?

Want to slim down? Slow down! Aoife Stuart-Madge reveals how eating on the hop is sabotaging your weight and health

‘One of the first stages of digestion involves simply thinking about food which, literally, gets your digestive juices flowing’

Whether it’s grabbing a bite at your desk in between meetings or shovelling breakfast down before work, we’re all guilty of not making enough time for a meal at some point in our busy lives. But while most of us know that eating on the run isn’t exactly the healthiest way to refuel, the true extent of the damage speed-eating can do to your body is shocking.

Bloated stomach solutions

Stop the bloat with these slimming strategies

So, you're on the quest for a flat tum? Here's how to beat the bloat.

Little and often 

Keep your meals small and regular. A big meal sitting in the stomach will produce a pot-bellied look even in the slimmest person, whereas eating little and often won’t overtax your digestive system, and is less likely to spoil your silhouette in that little black dress. But good news for baked bean-lovers – plant-breeding programmes have made these beans lower in raffinose, the sugar that causes wind.

Detox your body in 24 hours

Whether you’re partied out and need a boost or simply feeling flat, here’s how to supercharge your system – pronto!

Even the healthiest among us let our guard down over the Christmas period. A January detox is the perfect solution to get you back on track, increasing energy levels, boosting skin health and helping you shed those pesky pounds that sneaked on in December.

Fortunately, detoxing doesn’t have to be about restrictive diets and deprivation – factoring some savvy diet tips and lifestyle tweaks into your day can be an easy way to give your insides a spring clean and make you feel your best ever. Get started with our round-the-clock guide to feeling fab from morning to night.

10 Healthy weight loss tricks

Start the New Year off on the right foot with these simple diet tricks

The New Year is the perfect time to rethink what you eat. Eating clean feeds your body the goodies it needs to run smoothly and fast-forward your weight-loss results. Check out our experts’ top tips to get started – there’s no calorie counting involved!

Load up on lemon and ginger

This duo works together as a powerful
and all natural weight-loss aid. Ginger is known to be a thermogenic food. It raises the temperature of the body and helps speed up the metabolism. ‘It’s also a natural appetite suppressant and has a beneficial effect on the entire digestive system by regulating and assisting the movement of food through the stomach and intestines,’ says nutritionist Hanna Sillitoe (beyondfit.co.uk).

Lemons are the ultimate weight-loss booster. ‘They keep the body’s pH balance trending towards alkaline, which has been proven to help achieve optimal weight. Juice a chunk of lemon and ginger with a whole apple or pear, and drink it like a shot before breakfast,’ recommends Sillitoe.

Pop a probiotic

Sadly, there’s no magic pill for instant weight loss, but
if it’s a flatter tummy you’re after, pop a
daily probiotic supplement. Probiotics can help restore the balance of good bacteria in your gut. ‘If you combine a good-quality supplement with a healthy diet, you’ll prevent yeast and bad bacteria from overgrowing in your gut and causing bloating,’ says nutritionist Sharon Morey (questexcellence.co.uk).

Beat hunger pangs

When you’re looking to shed the pounds, snacking can either make or break your diet goals. Keep low-GI snacks such as nuts, fruit and oatcakes in your handbag to help you power up on the go, and remember to eat slowly. ‘Gulping down food makes you swallow too much air, which gets trapped in your digestive system causing pressure, bloating and gas,’ says Morey.

Read more: CLICK HERE

Soak your cells

Not getting your eight glasses of water a day? You could be stalling your weight- loss results. Chugging back water keeps your body’s cells working optimally, helps to ward off hunger, keeps bloating at bay and even improves skin health. ‘Water flushes out toxins, regulates certain body functions and delivers essential nutrients to your cells,’ says Sillitoe.

Fool your tummy

Beans and lentils have a reputation for causing bloating and gas, but these underrated ingredients are packed with super powers, including protein and fibre, which stop you from packing
on the pounds.

‘Lentils contain a type of resistant starch called amylose, which is resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes and reaches the large intestine essentially intact, thus escaping digestion and absorption in the small intestine,’ says Morey. For an
extra de-bloating effect,
season legumes
with fennel seeds,
ginger and cumin,
which have
gut-soothing
properties.

Make yours a matcha

If you’re looking for a vitality kickstart with super fat-burning properties, replace your morning latte with matcha tea. While coffee is dehydrating and releases stress hormones, this naturally bright green powder is made from organic green tea leaves, that have been ground down to a fine, super-concentrated form. It’s packed full of goodness and just enough caffeine to give you a buzz without the jitters.

‘Catechins – the major components of green tea – are key to its incredible fat-burning properties. They help keep blood sugar levels stable, which helps stave off cravings. They also lower cholesterol and have been shown to block the formation of plaques linked to Alzheimer’s disease,’ says Sillitoe. Try Teapigs Matcha Green Tea, from £3, teapigs.co.uk.

Start with a salad

Start your meals with a large salad and you’ll naturally eat a smaller main course! Having lots of fresh salads is a great way to increase your nutrient intake, and filling up on fresh vegetables means you’re less likely to be tempted by processed or sugar-laden foods,’ says Bonadio.

Colour code your diet

Brightening up your diet will take your wellbeing to a whole new level, so decorate your plate with the colours of the rainbow. All veggies offer great health benefits, but greens are simply in a league of their own when it comes to weight loss. High in iron and detoxifying nutrients, dark green veggies such as kale, spinach and broccoli will put your fat loss in the fast lane, thanks to their naturally cleansing properties.

‘Place asparagus, broccoli, canned chickpeas and shallots in a baking dish lined with baking paper and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 180°C. Mix the vegetables in with cooked quinoa and spinach leaves, and toss in an Asian-style dressing made from olive oil, lemon, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and tahini.’

Read more: CLICK HERE

12 tips to help you lose weight on the 12-week plan

Get off to the best possible start on the NHS Choices 12-week weight loss plan with these 12 diet and exercise tips.

1. Don't skip breakfast

Research shows eating breakfast helps you control your weight. Some people skip breakfast because they think it will help them lose weight, but missing meals doesn't help us lose weight and isn't good for us as we can miss out on essential nutrients. It could also encourage us to snack more throughout the day because you feel hungry. Check out five healthy breakfasts.

2. Eat regular meals

Some people think missing meals will help them lose weight, but it's been shown eating regularly during the day helps burn calories at a faster rate. It also reduces the temptation to snack on foods high in fat and sugar. Find out more about eating heathily.

Dieting vs. Exercise for Weight Loss

Two groundbreaking new studies address the irksome question of why so many of us who work out remain so heavy, a concern that carries special resonance at the moment, as lean Olympians slip through the air and water, inspiring countless viewers to want to become similarly sleek.

And in a just world, frequent physical activity should make us slim. But repeated studies have shown that many people who begin an exercise program lose little or no weight. Some gain.

To better understand why, anthropologists leading one of the new studies began with a research trip to Tanzania. There, they recruited volunteers from the Hadza tribe, whose members still live by hunting and gathering.

Don't Just Diet – Exercise to Lose Weight, Too

Diet alone isn’t enough, experts say.

What you eat is only one part of the weight-loss equation. Diet alone might help you drop pounds, but you'll have trouble keeping them off if you don't exercise. And that's not to mention the added benefits you'll miss out on, from improved mood, to better sleep, to disease prevention. "The exercise has to be there," says Jim White, a registered dietitian and personal trainer certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Most experts recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, most or all days of the week. Typically, 30 minutes a day offers disease-prevention benefits, while 60 minutes helps with weight maintenance. Working out for 90 minutes a day helps on both fronts – and melts additional pounds. Regular exercise also cuts the risk of heart disease and diabetes, improves blood pressure and cholesterol levels, promotes better sleep, and builds healthy bones, muscles and joints.

Weight loss tips

Many doctors now believe that when it comes to your health, your waist measurement is important.

While knowing your body mass index (BMI) is a good way to decide if you're overweight, it doesn't tell the whole story.

BMI is a measure of how healthy your weight is for your height. You can work out what your BMI is by using our BMI healthy weight calculator.

If you have a high BMI, you're likely to be carrying extra fat. But your health could be at greater risk depending on where you store that fat.

A Better Way to Burn Fat

If your weight-loss efforts seem stalled or stymied, heart-rate-based interval training may provide just the metabolic boost you need.

It’s not fair, you say: You’re eating right and you’re working out for hours every week, yet your unwanted fat is barely fazed – in fact, it’s just plain ignoring you. What gives?

Well, it could be that you haven’t yet trained your body to burn fat efficiently. Or it could be that you’ve adapted to your current program and, as a result, you’re burning fewer calories than you were a few months ago. Either way, stalled weight loss can be frustrating, but here’s the good news: Using strategic heart-rate training, you can drop those stubborn pounds.

Heart-rate training is a personalized form of cardiovascular training that serves more than weight-loss goals. It establishes optimal exercise intensities – or zones (see right) – based on your unique metabolism, heart rate, current level of fitness, and health or fitness goals.

The Smart Way to Weight Loss

Tired of trying and failing to lose weight? Don’t despair! Here’s the study guide you need to make the weight-loss honor roll once and for all.

Back in grade school, even if a given subject didn’t come easily to you, assuming you gave it your best shot, you could still get an “E” for effort. Unfortunately, when it comes to weight loss, such consolation prizes offer little in the way of comfort.

If your attempts at weight loss have met mostly with mixed or temporary successes, don’t despair. Give yourself some credit for persisting in the face of adversity. And give yourself the benefit of the doubt, too: If you’re carrying extra weight, it’s not because you’re lazy — or even unlucky, although your genes may play a role. It’s more likely because there’s a world of internal and external circumstances working against you. You can change all that, but first you have to wise up to some basic facts.

Rethinking the Rules of Weight Loss

Forget what you’ve been told. Forget what you think you know. Forget the old rules — and you might just start making some headway.

Feeling confused by all the weight-loss advice out there? No wonder. Diet trends, infomercials for exercise gadgets, ads for pills, and even the latest medical breakthroughs all promise to help you shed unwanted pounds — and they often contradict each other.

With so much weight-loss “wisdom” to wade through, many people simply throw up their hands and decide they might as well just eat whatever’s in front of them.

No surprise, then, that we just keep getting fatter: Today, nearly 69 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the heavier our nation becomes, the greater our collective risk for many deadly diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and breast, colon, and prostate cancers — to name just a few.