Lose 5 pounds in a week

Yes you can but you need to follow a proven program.  A starvation diet may mean you lose 5 pounds in a week but your health will suffer.   And the weight loss is likely to be temporary!

Maximise your weight loss with these five tips.  In order to obtain the optimum results you should look to

1. Become more active
   

This seems like an obvious one but the majority of people do not exercise enough. One inexpensive way of getting more exercise is to increase the amount of walking you do. You should aim for a minimum of 4000 steps per day but preferably 10,000 if you aim is to lose weight as opposed to keeping fit.

You need to walk relatively quickly i.e. your heart rate must increase as you walk otherwise it is pointless. A pedometer will help you to calculate the number of steps you have taken.

2) Keep a training diary

It is easy to over or under estimate the amount of activities you have taken part in. Mothers often forget to include those football sessions with the kids. Running around after you kids is a great way of losing calories –how many mothers of more than one young child do you know who are obese? If you keep a diary, you will be able to easily see how much (or how little) you have achieved each day.

It will help to keep you motivated if you monitor your progress and reward yourself (not with a curry or other favourite food!) as and when you reach your goals.

3) MBT Trainers

Masai Barefoot Technology trainers should be fitted by a trained expert. These trainers will help to add toning to your exercise program. Their technology works to activate muscles that we often neglect such as the hamstring or buttocks. The principle behind these shoes is that they stimulate and exercise the body’s supporting muscle system by creating a natural instability underfoot. Try them out and see do they work for you (some people cannot bear to use them but others swear they make their workout more efficient.)

4) Increase the amount of cardiovascular activities in your day

You need to add aerobic activities to your exercise regime in order to increase your heart rate, burn calories and thus lose weight. Some people immediately assume that this means you need to take up running. Whilst running is a good example of an aerobic exercise, it is pointless starting something that you don’t enjoy. You will find it difficult to motivate yourself to continue. Instead pick another activity such as swimming, cycling, dancing, skiing or even brisk walking. As with any form of exercise, check with your doctor before starting a new regime. Also make sure that you use the correct equipment depending on the chosen activity. For example: Ladies should remember to wear an exercise bra.

5) Get more sleep:

I am advocating that you increase your level of exercise but now telling you to get more sleep! Recent studies have shown that a lack of sleep will affect your body’s ability to produce growth hormones. Why should you care? Well growth hormones regulate the proportion of fat and muscle in adults so you can hopefully see why you want it working at its best. Lack of sleep has also been implicated in stimulating your appetite which leaves you wanting more food.

The amount of sleep you should have varies from person to person. Listen to your body – some of us only need five or six hours whilst others walk around like bears with sore heads if they get anything less than eight!

Following these tips will increase your chances of being successful in your goal to lose 5 pounds in a week.

Using Pilates to help with weight loss

Joseph Pilates designed an exercise system to give his own body a perfect balance of flexibility and strength. He honed his skills helping war veterans with horrific injuries sustained from the First World War which he spent interned in the UK (due to being German). His studio attracted top actors, gymnasts and athletes all desperate to improve the agility and strength of their bodies.

So what has this got to do with weight loss? You will be much more successful in your plan to lose pounds if you follow a full program encompassing healthy eating and living. Most people fail to lose weight as they only concentrate on either the diet or exercise whereas you need both.

Follow these tips from Mr Pilates to make the most of your exercise plan.

1) Relaxation

You may wonder what relaxation has to do with exercise. You run a higher risk of personal injury if you try and work out whilst you are stressed. So it is important to relax prior to every exercise session so that you can gain the most out of your activity.

2) Concentration

Exercises like Pilates or Yoga require mental and physical involvement so you should learn how to concentrate properly. You can’t be thinking of that new dress or your new man, if you want to get the most out of your regime. So postpone those thoughts until you have completed the routine for today.

3) Alignment

You will look thinner automatically if you adopt a better posture. Poor posture makes us look shorter, fatter, women’s breasts sag downwards and men lose the effect of their pectoral muscles. You need to become aware of how you are sitting, standing and exercising. If you exercise without paying attention to your body’s posture, you can risk doing damage to your joints.

A benefit of the above is that once you discover better posture, you should no longer suffer the aches and pains we get when we stand for long periods of time. Sitting slumped at your desk all day causes stress on your muscles and joints resulting in aches and pains. Developing better posture will help to relieve these trials whilst also making you look more attractive.

4) Breathing

Pilates will help teach you how to breathe properly. We all breathe every day but few of us do it in the optimum way thus denying our skin and other organs vital oxygen. Deep breathing has been shown to help reduce stress levels and thus avoid putting pressure on your heart. Pilate exercises are designed to encourage the circulatory, lymphatic and respiratory systems work better and more efficiently.

If you think of your body like your car – it is important to provide it with quality fuel, and have it serviced regularly in order to get the most out of it. A healthy eating plan combined with exercise will help you lose and more importantly sustain the weight loss.