The Holidays can wreak havoc on your waistline.
Researchers for a 2013 edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted a study of both men and women and found that the average participant gained 1.7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.(1)
An earlier study, published in Nutrition Journal in 2006, analyzed weight gain among college students during the Thanksgiving holiday.(2)
Results showed that the average student gained 1.1 pounds during Thanksgiving alone.
If you gained weight during the Holiday season, you may be one of the millions of people who aim to lose weight during the New Year.
Read on to learn about five easy ways to stick to your New Year’s resolution and drop the weight for good.
1. Mix up Your Workouts
If you typically do only cardiovascular exercise, you may want to mix things up during the New Year to boost your weight loss.
According to a 2012 study published in the journal BMC Public Health, individuals who did a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training lost more weight than those who did either type of exercise alone.(3)
To reap the benefits of doing a combination of exercises, alternate aerobic exercises, such as running, with sessions of;
√ squats,
√ bench presses,
√ push-ups,
√ and bicep curls.
2. Increase Your Fiber Intake
Adding fiber to your diet could help you to consume fewer calories this year.
The authors of a study published in a 2010 edition of the Journal of Food Science hypothesized that people would feel fuller and consume fewer calories after being given a drink supplemented with fiber.(4)
They gave half of the study participants a drink supplemented with fiber, and half of the participants were given a drink that did not contain fiber.
Those who were given the drink with fiber consumed fewer calories at their next meal than did those given the drink without fiber.
! Take advantage of this effect, and munch on a small, high fiber snack, such as an apple, before meals.
3. Enjoy a Cup of Coffee
Sipping a cup of java coffee could help you to melt away pounds during the New Year.
Researchers for a study published in a 2014 edition of Food Research International analyzed the impact of two different coffee blends on weight, body fat, and food intake.(5)
One of the blends was a 100 % Arabica dark roast, and the other was a medium roast commercial blend coffee.
Results indicated that both coffee blends significantly reduced body fat, and the Arabica blend significantly reduced body weight.
In addition, the Arabica blend produced a significant reduction in calorie intake. It is noted that study subjects consumed black coffee.
! Go ahead and enjoy a warm cup of coffee, but be sure to avoid high-calorie sweeteners and creams, so you don’t cancel out the fat-burning benefits.
4. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training into Your Routine
Now is the time to incorporate high intensity interval training into your exercise regimen.
This type of exercise, which involves alternating periods of high intensity effort with lower intensity recovery periods, could help you to fight against fat this year.
In a study published in 2013 in the Journal of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, study participants did three high intensity interval training sessions per week for a period of six weeks.(6)
These sessions involved alternating sprint repeats with 20-30 seconds of recovery between sprints.
Results showed that both body fat percentage and body mass index decreased significantly among study participants. In fact, body fat dropped an average of 4 percent during the six week study!
You can easily do this type of exercise at home on a treadmill or exercise bike, or you can head outside.
For example, you could run at 8 miles per hour for two minutes and then recover with a slow jog for three minutes before doing another two-minute run at 8 miles per hour.
Repeat this cycle until you have exercised for 30 minutes.
5. Ditch the Sugary Drinks
You can prevent weight gain during the New Year by giving up sugar sweetened beverages, such as juice and soda.
A 2014 study published in the Journal of Community Health found that adults who drink sugar sweetened beverages consume nearly 200 calories per day from these beverages.(7)
In addition, compared to those who don’t drink sugar sweetened beverages, those who do take in an additional 572 calories per day, on average.
! Stick to water, and you can avoid taking in extra calories.
Conclusion
By eliminating sugary beverages and making other changes to your diet and exercise routines, you can easily lose weight this year.
Chances are that sticking to your New Year’s weight loss resolutions will bring you more happiness than sugary sodas.
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Researches and references
(1)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23695203
(2)http://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-5-29
(3)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23006411
(4)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2895513/
(5)http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996914003378
(6)http://jmj.jums.ac.ir/files/site1/user_files_204932/eng/admin-A-10-1-119-2237049.pdf
(7)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4008944/
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