Spend ten minutes a day walking up and down stairs

Spend ten minutes a day walking up and down stairs
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Walking of any kind is one of the best and easy ways to lose weight, but stairs in particular work wonders for weight loss. Research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that stairs training in short bursts, for two to 10 minutes a day, helps lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health – allowing you to train even more.

Here are 50 things doctors wish you knew about weight loss. 

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Walk five minutes for at least every two hours

Walk five minutes for at least every two hours
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Stuck at a desk all day? A brisk five-minute walk every two hours will parlay into an extra 20-minute walk by the end of the day, and getting moving is more beneficial than a standing desk. And research shows that exercise in just five-minute spurts could help improve your health and reduce the risk of death.

Here are some lazy ways to burn more kilojoules. 

You’ll lose weight and fat if you walk 45 minutes a day, not 30

You’ll lose weight and fat if you walk 45 minutes a day, not 30
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Research shows that 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most sedentary people, but exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 1250 kilojoules a day with five kilometres of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 13 kilograms in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.

Here’s what happens to your body when you start walking 10,000 steps a day. 

Try to avoid prepared food…

Try to avoid prepared food…
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… that lists sugar, fructose or corn syrup among the first four ingredients on the label. You should be able to find a lower-sugar version of the same type of food – especially foods that often contain hidden sugars, like salad dressing or pasta sauce. Also, avoid partially hydrogenated foods, and look for more than two grams of fibre per 400 kilojoules in all grain products. Finally, a short ingredient list means fewer flavour enhancers and empty kilojoules.

Learn 50 of the unhealthiest foods at the supermarket. 

Put your fork or spoon down between every bite

Put your fork or spoon down between every bite
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At the table, sip water frequently. Intersperse your eating with stories for your dining partner of the amusing things that happened during your day. Your brain lags your stomach by about 20 minutes when it comes to satiety (fullness) signals. If you eat slowly enough, you’ll give your gut microbiome time to alert your brain that you are no longer in need of food.

Throw out your “fat” clothes for good

Throw out your “fat” clothes for good
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Once you’ve started losing weight, throw out or give away every piece of clothing that doesn’t fit, and fill your closet with clothes that do. The idea of having to buy a whole new wardrobe if you gain the weight back may serve as an incentive to stay fit.

Close the kitchen for 12 hours

Close the kitchen for 12 hours
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After dinner, wash all the dishes, wipe down the counters, turn out the light, and, if necessary, tape closed the cabinets and refrigerator. Late-evening eating increases the overall number of calories you eat, studies found.

Walk right after dinner and you’ll trigger more weight loss

Walk right after dinner and you’ll trigger more weight loss
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A small study found that walking right after you eat can increase weight loss over holding off on a walk for an hour.

Make one social outing this week an active one

Make one social outing this week an active one
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Pass on the movies and check out the views of a local park instead. Not only will you sit less, but you’ll be saving kilojoules because you won’t chow down on that bucket of popcorn. Other active ideas: a tennis match, a guided nature or city walk (check your local listings), a bike ride and bowling.

Here are 10 leisure activities that burn more kilojoules than you realise. 

Use a step tracker, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day

Use a step tracker, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day
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Are you feeling like you need to move more? On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight; adding more than that is one of the easy ways to lose weight – and the 10,000 step ideal is definitely in your reach.

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