With the holiday season (read: eating and drinking) upon us, many people have a tendency to pack on the pounds. If you’re wary of holiday weight gain – and who isn’t – heed the following fitness and diet tips from 20 Small Changes that Yield Big Results by Rebecca Black.
20 small changes you can make now to build up to big results in the future:
1. Stop drinking soda and calorie dense beverages and switch to water
2. Add spicy foods to your plate to decrease appetite and burn more calories
3. Eat ½ grapefruit and ½ cup of steel cut oats for breakfast each morning (Check with your doctor or pharmacist first to see if grapefruit is contraindicative with any medications you may be taking – ML)
4. Box ½ of your meal before you even leave the restaurant and ask the waiter to keep the bread in the kitchen
5. Try 1 new fitness class a week
6. Don’t sit for long periods at a time. Get out of your chair and take a walk around the block or around your office
7. Park at the farthest parking space and take the stairs wherever you go
8. Eat vegetables at every meal
9. Add foods with high fiber content to leave you feeling fuller longer and reduce the need to go for seconds or pick at snacks
10. Use appetizer plates for dinner plates to prevent yourself from consuming too much food
11. Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Studies have shown that the right amount of sleep leads to greater weight loss
12. Add high intensity bursts to your workouts for an added calorie blast
13. Cut out one bad food at a time from your diet until they are all gone
14. Try to eat out only 1 time a week
15. Have sex at least twice per week to maintain intimacy with your partner and burn calories
16. Use a trainer once or twice a month to learn new exercises and tools for weight loss
17. Brush your teeth after eating to reduce cravings and the need for a second helping
18. Don’t skip meals
19. Limit time on social media, texting etc. Spend a small amount of time per day on these time suckers
20. Laugh each and every day
About Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black is an ACE/ACSM certified personal trainer, fitness guru and entrepreneur who has competed in several fitness competitions across the country. Next up for Rebecca is the 2012 Arnold Amateur Classic – Bikini division, where she beat out thousands of women for one of the coveted spots. Nike recently featured her in their “Women Make Your Spotlight” campaign and Rebecca’s tips for staying fit can be seen on SELF.com and the April issue of Oxygen magazine. Expanding her business to far beyond personal training, Rebecca is gearing up to open her own boutique fitness center, Bexa Body Fitness in early 2012. The Bexa Body Fitness studio will offer group training, boot camps, personal training, running coaching and more building a real community and support center for women who want to get fit.
