Tips For Losing Weight

by Phillip Hart D.C.

A hot topic today is weight loss. But losing weight is easier said than done.

Sure metabolism slows down with age and there is "no time" to work out. However, are these just excuses? For the most part, yes. Metabolism slows down with age but not enough to have a big weight gain. Not having the time may be an issue but, perhaps, is more of an excuse than reality. In our society, thinness might look good but there are reasons other than ascetics for losing weight. Health is a good reason to shed those pounds. Not the five to ten pounds that won't go away.

The unhealthy weight is when you get the "you need to lose this weight" lecture from your primary care physician. This type of weight is unhealthy for many documented reasons. This article, however, is not about the health risks of being overweight but tips on how to lose that potential unhealthy weight.

Tip #1: Use Cortisol To Your Advantage

Cortisol is the buzzword now. What is it? Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in the body. It is released when the body is under stress. The big thing with this hormone is it slows down metabolism (leading to potential weight gain). This hormone is elevated naturally when the body wakes between 6-8 am. If your stress hormone is elevated at this time, then this is the time you should exercise, or stress, your body. Sure, your cortisol may elevate throughout the day but the best time to take advantage of this stress hormone is when it is elevated. For this reason, exercise in the morning when cortisol is elevated instead of the evening where cortisol may elevate in response to the workout.

Tip #2: Exercise In the Morning

To piggyback on tip # 1, early morning workouts are perfect for naturally elevated cortisol, however exercising in the morning also helps to stimulate the body's metabolism for the day. After a nights sleep, the body has recuperated from the previous days wear and tear and is ready to start up for the day. The best type of exercise for starting body metabolism is aerobic. Research has shown aerobic exercise help increase metabolism so walking, running, biking or swimming in the morning would be perfect.

Tip #3: Weight Training

Weight training, lifting weights or muscle toning (all the same terms) is great at building lean muscles. The importance of lean muscle is it helps burn fat. In turn burning fat helps with losing weight. Once again, weight training should be done when the cortisol spikes in the early morning. Weight training should be weight bearing with free weights, machine or even resistance band. All are great for building lean muscle.

Tip #5: Eat

If a person does not eat they starve. Essentially, that is what is happening when a person goes on a low calorie diet or eats very little. The body will go into a starvation mode. Which means it does not want to metabolize or lose weight. It wants to hold onto what it has because the body is not sure when it will eat again. Also considering the fat you have is "being stored", the body want to keep it as much as possible when in starvation mode. Eating 4-6 small meals a day should keep the body effectively full and out of the starvation mode. Plus, the digestive system can handle the smaller meals and run much more efficiently.

Tip #6: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Maybe mom was right. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake especially raw. Raw fruits and vegetables are easy for the body to digest because they contain the enzymes, vitamins and minerals your body needs to make healthy metabolism possible!