1. Swap out your usual step class for a Soul Spinning class once per week. It’s stationary cycling with some drama for the ride.
2. Experiment with lean cuts of red meat, like bison. Broil a bison burger with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy over a salad for a super lean protein-packed meal!
3. Snowing by you? Shovel snow— 30 minutes of shoveling snow will clear away 200 calories along with the snow!
4. Eat pistachios with shells! A recent study found that eating nuts with shells resulted in participants consuming 86 calories, as compared to 211 calories when eating nuts without shells.
5. Chew on this! Chewing gum for 45 minutes can decrease caloric consumption by 10 percent during a meal. People who chew gum eat fewer calories and have less sugar cravings.
6. Go sledding! It’s not just for children— an hour of sledding will burn around 476 calories.
7. Warm up with a low-calorie version of hot cocoa. Heat a cup of fat-free milk in a microwave safe mug. Mix in one tablespoon of cocoa powder for baking and sugar substitute to taste. Just don’t burn your tongue!
8. Replace two long distance running sessions per week with HIIT running intervals.
9. Have a whey protein shake at least once per day! A recent study by the American Society for Nutrition found that the thermic effect of whey protein was greater than casein, soy and high-carbohydrate meals.
10. Keep a food diary. Holding yourself accountable by keeping track of the foods you eat helps you be more consistent in your weight loss program and reminds you when you’re falling off the weight-loss wagon.
11. Grab a partner. Using the buddy system to keep each other motivated can make workouts more intense and more fun.
12. Pop a fish oil cap every day. Fish oils have been shown to help burn belly fat.
13. Make it a habit to try out a new healthy meal at least once a week— for example, you can devote Sunday dinners to experimenting with a new recipe. Check out Alli’s Slim Pickins recipes for ideas.
14. Get creative— swap out high-calorie ingredients for healthy alternatives in your favorite meal. Check out this printable Healthy Recipe Substitutions chart for ideas.
15. Heat things up. Instead of your standard yoga or Pilates class, try the “hot” version. You’ll boost your metabolism and sweat more, too.
16. Take up snowboarding for a full-body cardiovascular activity.
17. Plan a healthy dinner party with your best friends. Have everyone make their favorite lean and healthy recipe along with index cards with the recipe listed; everyone gets to sample the food and take home their favorite recipes.
18. Commit to a 5K. Get your friends to join you. Set up a training schedule and prepare yourself for success.
19. Try CrossFit, a training program that aims to improve general physical fitness by incorporating gymnastics, endurance training, Olympic lifting, plyometrics and calisthenics.
20. Start the day off with a high-protein breakfast. Researchers found that eating a protein-rich breakfast promoted satiety (feeling of fullness) and prevented hunger.
21. Love to hate burpees. Add ‘em in to your workout in between sets or in a series of plyometric movements for a fat-blasting boost. Burpees, a combination of a push-up, leap and a jump, pack an extra punch because they take extra effort to complete.
22. Eat blueberries. Anthocyanins found in dark berries like blueberries may help prevent the accumulation of body fat.
23. Treat yourself to a cute new workout outfit. Feeling good about the way you look in the gym mirror will help keep you there longer.
24. Try a milk alternative, like unsweetened almond milk, in your morning cereal. With only 30-40 calories per serving, it’s lower in sugar than cow’s milk.
25. Prunes aren’t just for Grandma. They’re loaded with soluble fiber and help to ward off cravings. Toss two to three in to your smoothie or have a few as a snack or with breakfast for an added boost.
26. Stay positive and determined no matter what obstacles you face in your journey to be fit. Check out this Fitness Reset article for tips on getting back on track after a setback.
27. Give it a rest. Overtraining is stressful on your body. Stress can hinder fat loss. Be sure to take at least one day off per week. If you must train, make it an active rest day by going for a jog or participating in a light game of Wii Golf.
28. Drink oolong tea. Studies show that a mix of caffeine and antioxidants burns approximately three percent of calories over 24 hours. Squeezing in some lemon will add vitamin C that may help you absorb antioxidants more readily.
29. Get your beauty rest. Sleeping seven to eight hours per night is essential for efficient fat loss.
30. You can do real push-ups. Real push-ups are the ultimate in single move body busters. They work the core, upper body and cardiovascular system all at the same time.
31. Snowed in? Pop in a workout DVD or try one of Jennifer Andrews’ Fit Fast workouts that you can do right in your living room.
32. You might not know what to eat, but you know what not to eat. Don’t eat it.
33. Run the stairs at your local stadium. If it’s too cold outside, use the stairs you have in your house or apartment building. Your glutes will thank you.
34. Feeling extra adventurous? Commit to an adventure race like the Tough Mudder or Rugged Maniac. Look them up online for more information.
35. Challenge yourself: Sign up for a month-long diet or boot camp challenge.
36. Ramp up your jump rope. Try double unders— sending the rope under your feet two repetitions per jump. Traditional jumping burns up to 11 calories per minute, but ramping up the intensity ramps up the calories burned to about 20 calories per minute.
37. Eat what’s in-season for winter. Winter fruits and vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, grapefruit and kale are loaded with vitamins and minerals and promote weight loss, too! And for produce that’s out of season, check out this guide to finding fresh items in the frozen aisle.
38. Invest in a great pair of shoes to work out or run in. You’ll be able to work out longer and harder!
39. Get creative with white types of fish. Studies show that eating cod, a popular white fish with a mild flavor that is low in fat, may promote weight loss. Cod-eaters showed a decrease in blood pressure, triglycerides and insulin.
40. Find a tennis court and mix it up. Try sprinting to each marked quart, stop and perform 20-30 squat jumps, pop squats, burpees, lunge jumps, or the like then sprint to the end of the court and do another 20-30 plyo jumps. Rest 30 seconds and do it again. Do this for a total of 10 rounds. Try using a different plyometric exercise between each sprint.
41. Don’t be a commitment-phobe: schedule your workouts into your day, that way you’ll be less likely to skip out.
42. If you think you’re working out hard enough, work out harder!
43. Take shorter rests between sets to keep your heart rate up and burn more calories.
44. Try Tabata intervals. Perform 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. You’ll be working for only 4 minutes but it’s a grueling 4 minutes of work! Choose any exercise like squats, push-ups, box jumps, burpees, etc.
45. Invest in a juicer for a nutritional and detoxifying boost to your diet that can help you lose weight. Here are more benefits and tips to get started.
46. Don’t skip breakfast. Momma always said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” She’s right— countless studies have proven eating a well-balanced breakfast of lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates boosts metabolism, provides energy and helps you avoid binging all day!
47. Walk more! Trade your power mower in for a walking one. Take the stairs every chance you get. Sign up for charity walks. Park your car at the back of the lot. The list goes on!
48. Share it! Dying to try the chocolate cake for dessert? Share it with the entire table so you don’t overload on empty calories.
49. Use child-size dinnerware. If you can only fit so much food on a small plate— you’ll probably eat less. Try it.
50. Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Set daily goals and weekly goals. Over time you’ll reach your long-term goal and it will be time to make a new one.
