Even latest Mayo Clinic research believes that it’s not your gym but your everyday activity, pacing, fidgetiness, and restlessness that count more while losing weight. The study was centered on coach potatoes and their excess weights resulting due to sedentary habits. And the study reveals that the people if comprised activity regimen while sitting, standing, walking, and talking, they can lose calories faster. As we all know, any good diet regimen has to be coupled with exercise regimen for better and long term results. You use any diet pills or weight loss regimen, there is no alternative to bodily activity while losing those extra pounds.

Is it possible to burn calories without exercising?

Kames Levin, an MD at Mayo Clinic, calls this process as NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis). But over the years, due to technological advancements, our day to day caloric burn is reduced a lot, thanks to the machinery and equipments that help us reduce our work. Therefore, he suggests if we can increase our activity time everyday even by some time, it will help us lose extra pounds with ease.

What activities can be inculcated in our day to day life to burn more calories effectively?

1)    Shopping- Yes, your favorite hobby, shopping can help you burn more calories, especially if you like to shop in a supermarket stylishly while pushing the cart up and down the aisles. Pick up the most nutritious and healthy food items, pack them in cart yourself, and take it to counter. You will burn upto 250 calories without doubt!

2)    Laundry- well, even if you use washing machines, folding your clothes everyday gives you enough exercise if you do it for 15-20 minutes. Yes, you have chance to burn around 100 calories just by folding your clothes.

3)    Wipe and make it shine- have you tried wiping your tables, drawers, shelves etc? If you do this cleaning business for 30 minutes a day, you can lose around 100 calories!

4)    Cleaning around- feeling filthy about dirty neighborhood? Why don’t you take initiative and clean it coming Sunday for 2-3 hours? Yes you have chance to lose whopping 2000 calories!

5)    Use your feet for corner shop instead of driving. If you do this every time you need something, you tend to lose calories. Also good habit to inculcate in children from young days.

6)    Using cycle at least once or twice a week is the best form of habit you can inculcate in your daily routine.

7)    Walk to bus stop- may be this sounds foolish, but walking to catch your bus or train by walking till bus stop or station burns more calories as you always are hurried to do the same.

8)    Parking your car little away from your destination can give you pretty good exercise.

9)    Start loving the stairs instead of lift at workplace or home.

10)    During lunch break, have a brisk walk for about 10-15 minutes.

11)    Do not use phone or email while contacting an office colleague. Go to him and talk. Will strengthen your bonds too while reducing bulges over long period.

12)    At home, play actively with your kids. It can be one of the greatest exercises in day to day life.

13)    Gardening once a week will give you amazing exercise.

14)    And finally, dance around the house while listening to your favorite music!

The list above is definitely not very hard to inculcate in your day to day life. Just you need the motivation to shed those extra kilos that have potential to burden you with life-threatening disorders. If you want to save yourself with the hassles later, start with the day to day activity regimen today and find the difference!

A novel approach to look at diet regime:

The times when weight loss was restricted to crash diets, Atkins diet came over as the surprise. The diet regime comprised choosing the right food that suits your body and avoids fat deposits. It never ever recommended crash diets; rather it was totally against the harsh treatment to body. No wonder many food enthusiasts embraced Atkins diet with open arms. When they came to know that use of rich cream, cheddar cheese omelet, and smooth avocado cream soup are not a strict “no” in Atkins diet, they were ready to go for it without any inhibitions!

What is the theory behind Atkins diet or low-carb diet?

1)    It is seen that over-weight people tend to consume lot of carbohydrates in their diet. Though the body burns fats and carbohydrates both for release of energy, the carbohydrates are utilized first. Therefore, when we reduce carbohydrate intake drastically, the body naturally burns the stored fat first and thus the weight is reduced.

2)    When the carbohydrates are restricted to fraction of our usual diet, the body tends to go into a state called ketosis. This is the state in which the body burns its fat stores for getting fuel.

3)    Also ketosis is the stage in which the body feels a false feeling of satiety, thus the person tends to eat less.

4)    However, if you consume high-carb diet (white flour and sugar especially), the sugar from carbohydrates enters the bloodstream and to keep check on it, body tends to secrete more insulin. Because of insulin, the extra sugar gets stored in liver and muscles. But when these are filled to their capacity, the insulin converts sugar to fat.

5)    When the body keeps on making more insulin, obviously over a period of time, it becomes less responsive to insulin, thus resulting in diabetes.

6)    So, Atkins diet recommends reducing carbohydrate consumption drastically and increase fat and protein consumption so that the consequences of high-carb diet over long term can be avoided.

Why Atkins is considered the best weight loss program by weight watchers?

•    Atkins diet turns your body into a fat burning machine

•    It teaches you how to select your food appropriately

•    Lot of dietary options are available with Atkins diet thus making it fun to lose weight

•    Enjoyable, flexible, and affordable diet plan

•    Scientifically backed diet formula that has lot many success stories available

•    Enjoying healthier life for long time to come is possible with Atkins maintenance diet

What can you eat in Atkins diet?

In the initial induction phase of Atkins diet, the beginner should reduce the carbohydrate intake to 20 grams of the net carbs. He can eat-

1.    Proteins- All meats without bread and high-carb sauces are acceptable. However, be sure to know the sugary meats like hams or luncheons. You can also consume sea-food and eggs preferably without egg yolks.

2.    Veggies- you can eat 12-15 grams of vegetables per day. Thus you can consume sprouts, lettuces, spinach, chard, mustard greens, kale, Radicchio, parsley, basil, rosemary, celery, radishes, sea-veggies, mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, etc.

3.    Fats and oils- for Atkins diet, adequate fat intake is vital according to nutrition experts, though one should go for natural fats and strictly not for trans-fats. Consume plenty of cold water fish with high omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, peanut or grapeseed oil, full-fat mayonnaise, some portions of butter and saturated fats, 3-4 ounces of cheese per day, etc.

4.    Beverages- Water! Yes, Atkins diet recommends maximum intake of water that keeps you healthy by making you eat less. But beware not to drink sugary beverages. You can also drink herbal teas, coffee without added sugar.

5.    Fiber- Atkins diet also advises to choose food that is high in fiber.

Thus, if you are considering the best option for your weight loss regime after giving up many other regimes, Atkins diet is sure to help you achieve desired results. For beginners as well as weight watchers in long run, Atkins diet furnishes variety of dieting options that are digested well by food enthusiasts too!