Chew more to lose weight

Last week, I talked about walking as a simple exercise to kick start your day and reduce your weight. Today, I am talking about a habit which is often overlooked. But, it is the key to enjoy food and derive all the vital nutrients from it. Developing this habit would need a more conscious effort than others but it is the one which pays out the maximum.

Today's Habit: Chew every morsel of your meal 35 times before swallowing.

More you chew the food, more you are diluting it and breaking it down. Obviously, by doing this, you are helping your body to extract nutrients from it and digest the leftover and pass out the waste from the system. Chewing your food more sends your brain signals when you are full and need not eat more. This is not possible when you are, literally, galloping your food down your oesophagus. And, not only that, chewing restricts the amount of food you intake putting a control on over-eating tendencies. Thus, you consume less calories, extract more nutrients and help your body ingest those nutrients easily. This also increases the body metabolism as it has less work to do. 

Breaking down the food is a very huge process for the body which needs lot of energy and sometimes, the food is excreted out of the body as it is without the nutrients being extracted from it which means you just added fat to your body but no vitamins or minerals. When you chew the food, your taste buds derive more pleasure with all the tastes. So, if you ever meet a food critic, you would notice they chew more to analyze every bit of taste which is brought to their palette. Become a food critic and remain thin. 

I know it is almost impossible to develop this habit. Even, I had to instruct my mouth consciously to chew every morsel I eat at least 35 times. But, it was worth the effort. So, next time you sit down for a meal, remember to count 35 every time you put something in your mouth. Some of the food gets dissolved before you chew it 35 times but some foods need more chewing like salads and rice. To break them down, continue chewing till they completely dissolve in your mouth after counting 35. The effects will show in a month of your developing this habit. You would feel more fuller with less intake and more healthy than ever before.

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Walking for Weight Loss

In the Lose Weight with simple Habit series, last week we discussed how drinking adequate amount of water can help you to lose weight. Today, I would be talking about another very simple habit which will help your body improve its metabolism and consequently, help in burning the fat more efficiently.

Today's Habit: Take a 20 minutes walk or stroll daily

Walking is among the most effective form of exercises without over-straining you. And, it is also one of the most effective weight loss exercises you can do. A 20 minute walk daily provides enough of the physical exercise you need to keep your fat burning consistently. Walking improves your metabolism and the amount of oxygen you inhale daily. Oxygen is important for the proper functioning of the organs and more oxygen you inhale, the better would the results be. Improved metabolism helps burn fat more efficiently and helps with easy digestion of the food. If you have ever thought of an exercise which will take care of every part of your body, Walking is your answer. You can walk any time of the day with whatever speed you are comfortable with. You need not do 'running walk' to help your body. A peaceful walk at a normal pace is enough to give your body a boost and if you are consistent, you would realize that your pace of walking improves day by day. One thing to remember is to take care of your posture while walking. Keep your back straight and chest stiff. Do not slouch while walking.

Walking in the early morning is a very good way to give your body the fresh oxygen available. The air in the morning is purer than that in the evening. A slow walk in the morning air will awaken all your senses and you will feel your body has rejuvenated. It will keep you energetic all day long and your quality of sleep will improve if you stick to the habit. Do not forget to have a glass or two of water before beginning your walk. If you get bored of walking (which is kind of difficult), try to change your surroundings everyday. Walk along different paths everyday. Ask a friend to accompany you, take a jukebox along with you or observe nature on your walk. You can even plan on your day or take a 'me time' during your walk. When you make walking a part of your daily routine with such involvements, it will not feel as work but rather become a habit without which you will not be able to live. So, go ahead and take a walk now and feel the difference. 

A tip: A Walk on soft green grass (wet with dew) early in the morning with naked feet. It is an acupuncture therapy and is great for eye sight.

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