An Effective, No-Hype Weight Loss Tactic That Actually Works

Picture this; You wake up in the morning, just in time to for a quick run, a hot shower, and a large cup of coffee. Then it's off to the office for a full day's work. After waiting in traffic for an hour, you finally get home at 6:30 pm. So you pop in a microwave dinner, take a seat on the couch, and watch reruns of Seinfeld as you mindlessly chow down on your mediocre 300-calorie Alfredo chicken dish and some left over French fries from lunch.

Maybe that sounds a bit like your daily routine. After all, for many Americans, it is. As they live out this lifestyle, they wonder why the weight slowly packs on. After all, isn't it healthy to eat under 1500 calories a day and run every morning?

The truth is, when it comes to weight loss, most Americans don't see the full spectrum. Cardiovascular exercise,
although undeniably important, is only one aspect of staying fit. Strength training, which is often underrated, is just as important to incorporate into your lifestyle.

But the way in which we feed ourselves is perhaps the biggest culprit of weight gain out there. Much to many people's surprise, micro-managing calories will not keep the pounds away permanently. Why is it then that all over the media, we see the message that we can eat 80-calorie yogurts loaded with high fructose corn syrup or replace meals with 200-calorie protein bars and stay thin? These foods are often genetically modified, and if the truth is that "you are what you eat," then how can we expect to stay thin eating this way? As best-seller Michael Pollan says in The Omnivore's Dilemma, "Don't eat anything your grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."

It's no secret. When we find a balance between real, wholesome food, and healthy, mindful exercise, we cultivate a relationship with ourselves that is so life-affirming, we notice we are naturally fit without even trying. But when we do things like over exert ourselves and eat genetically modified foods containing ingredients we can't even pronounce, we no longer have a healthy relationship between mind and body. And so many people fail to notice that a disconnection between what we eat, when we eat, and why we eat causes a 'disconnect' in our health. And as a result, we gain weight.

Another contributing factor to unwanted weight is Cortisol, a hormone with a heavy hand in blood sugar levels, energy, metabolism, and stress levels. Too much physical and/or emotional stress will result in too much cortisol, which can result in weight gain.

So what then is the recipe for effective weight loss? What tactics can you use that will actually keep you fit? Simple, as your nanna would say...

Pay attention to how you exercise, what you eat, and your stress levels. Try taking up a yoga practice. This fits in as physical exercise that is both cardiovascular and strength training, yet can also help you cut down on stress in your life. As a result, you will want to eat healthier and treat your body like the temple it is. And little by little, you will watch the pounds melt away.

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