When you think of weight loss you tend to immediately think of exercise.
This brings negative connotations into your mind.
After all, who wants to exert a lot of effort, get all sweaty for an hour or so, and then purposely repeat that every day? However, the key to healthy weight loss is more than just exercise.
It is the combination of six key elements that are crucial to a lasting lifestyle change.
Diet.
Exercise is important.
However, your diet is just as important.
Your body has a built-in mechanism that preserves itself if it is ever faced with a lack of fuel.
Feeding your body the right foods assists and keeping your body healthy and running.
Also, feeding your body the right kinds of foods several times a day is crucial for effective weight loss.
Self starvation is never a healthy option, nor recommended.
Water.
The majority of your body is made up of water.
It is necessary to keep replenishing your body with water.
This assists in proper digestion and in assisting the kidneys and liver in filtering toxins from the body.
Many believe that water retention is the result of drinking too much water, when in fact this is just the opposite.
When your body does not have enough water it will hold onto the water that it does have, the same way it will hold on to fat when it is not being given enough to eat.
Drinking a minimum of 64 ounces a day of water is recommended for continued replenishment.
Exercise.
We mentioned earlier that exercise isn't always a positive connotation when we think of weight loss.
However, consistent exercise can aid in significant weight loss results.
If exercise is a daunting task to you, there are ways to make it enjoyable and even pleasurable.
Walking is still the most healthy, low impact activity that a person can do to aid and healthy weight loss.
Even 10 minutes a day to start, will yield positive results in both your physical and mental states.
If you enjoy playing a sport or an extracurricular activity such at martial arts or dancing, these are also great exercise activities which do not feel like work and have a tendency to burn a lot of calories in a shorter amount of time.
Sleep.
One of the most overlooked aspects of healthy weight loss is getting enough sleep.
Your body uses the time that you slumber to repair itself and rebuild.
If you short change yourself sleep, your body does not have enough time to rejuvenate itself, and therefore will not function at its optimal best.
Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night.
Make sure that you are not sleeping with the TV or other distractions, as this does make it difficult to achieve a peaceful sleep.
Supplements.
With a diet exercise and sleep plan, you're well on your way to achieving at healthy weight loss.
Supplements are an excellent addition to your new program.
They fill in the gaps of necessary minerals and nutrients your body needs.
With all of the processed foods today, it is impossible to get all of your nutrients from food alone.
Supplements help to ensure that you get those nutrients.
State of Mind.
Finally, the most important element in healthy weight loss is your mindset.
Every other element that you follow means nothing if you do not do it consistently.
Negative self talk, or self doubt will sabotage any efforts toward healthy weight loss.
You must prepare yourself ahead of time to commit to a program and to stick with it.
That means understanding that at times you may slip on your program.
The most important factor is that you forgive yourself and move on.
This will determine whether or not you meet your weight-loss goals.