How to Lose Weight at Home

You can lose weight right where you are.

A gym membership doesn't necessarily make weight loss any easier - especially with Covid-19 and other factors getting in the way of a good workout routine.

If these recent events have taught us anything, it is how to not rely on one singular exercise routine forever. So 'how to lose weight at home?' becomes a very good question.

There are some things that we should all do in order to keep those pounds off forever. This simply requires a little shift in your lifestyle. You can't expect to keep the weight off if you are not willing to change a few habits.

The hard reality is that diets typically don't work long term unless you make some serious lifestyle changes.

Follow these easy steps.

How to lose weight at home

1. Change your mind set about weight loss 

2. Sit less and exercise more

3. Get proper sleep

4. Keep a food journal

5. Avoid processed food

6. Stick to your new habits

95% of all diet efforts fail. You are bound to give up if you feel like you deprive yourself for the sake of health. You will only stick to something if you enjoy it.

It is not about losing weight, but rather about creating a healthy lifestyle that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

If you have decided that you want to work towards putting your health first, recognize that fun is the key to longevity and living your best life. Let's get to it.

1. Change your mind set about weight loss 

This is everything. If you think that losing weight is a sacrifice, you are bound to fail.

You have to make a mindset change about your lifestyle. Change the person that you want to be in your mind. Let go of the person that decides whether or not you're going to have a whole frozen pizza.

When you create a change in your mindset, you actually love making healthy choices. You enjoy defying your prior habits like avoiding exercise or grabbing an unhealthy snack.

It’s almost like tricking your brain into becoming a better version of yourself. This is how you can achieve permanent weight loss and a true fitness lifestyle.

You can enjoy healthy habits.

2. Sit less and exercise more

Our culture has gradually become more sedentary - and it's having a bad effect on our health.

A lifestyle without exercise affects more than your weight. It negatively affects your immune system, digestive system, and mental health as well.

Start slow with your workout and build up to higher levels.

Try to exercise for 10 minutes a day and then move up to 15 minutes or more every day.

Also have backup plans in place so that you are never one excuse away from not being able to work out.

You don't need to run a marathon.

3. Get proper sleep

There is overwhelming evidence that sleep plays a vital role in weight management - along with diet and exercise. A lack of sleep can raise cortisol levels and lead to fat retention -especially around your core.

We know that when you are tired, it is really hard to muster up the willpower to do much of anything. Consult a sleep doctor and try to set a more regular sleep routine in place so that your body can become accustomed to sleeping at certain hours of the day.

This will make a huge difference on your outlook of life. You will have more energy and you will have a stronger will power to become a better version of yourself.

Remember that 7-8 hours is the recommended sleep time for an average adult.

Get enough sleep.

4. Keep a food journal

A food journal that tracks everything that you eat will force you to be accountable. When we are held accountable for our actions, we achieve more.

You don't have to write down every calorie or every macro nutrient down, but keep track of your overall food intake.

It is really useful because you can then look back and make the right changes and adjustments. Most people don't know where to begin until they look back at a food journal after a week or two.

You will see new habits emerge when you do it this way. Test it for a week and thank me later!

Accountability improves your success rate.

5. Reduce processed food consumption

Many of us eat too much processed food. Processed food generally has high levels of sugar and carbohydrates.

We reach for a piece of bread and think that it will satisfy our hunger cravings. We are left just as hungry two hours later. Healthy food that has lots of fiber will keep you fuller for longer.

Bad carbohydrates (carbohydrates that make you fat but don't add any nutritional value) are everywhere. They are easy to choose because they are typically cheaper and arguably taste better.

We have been conditioned to become addicted to these foods. But did you know you can crave fruits and vegetables?

Some people are better at this than others. Some of you may be able to reject processed food in an instant. Others may have to wean off of them slowly.

It is easier to avoid these foods if you simply never buy them. If it's not in your house, you're can't eat it when you're at home.

Keep in mind that you are saving money in the long run. Future medical bills and future medications are what you really want to avoid. These are much more expensive than healthy foods like vegetables!

Health is satisfying.

6. Maintain positive lifestyle changes

Don't approach this journey like it is a one-time diet. Plan beyond your short-term goals - or else you will end up in an endless cycle of weight loss and weight gain. Keep yourself inspired by watching fitness channels on YouTube and subscribing to blogs that inspire you.

You deserve better; so go out and get what you deserve.

Motivation makes all the difference.

Four easy exercises to do at home

1. Walking or running on a treadmill

Depending on your level of fitness, an exercise bike could be better than a treadmill. Check with your doctor and stay within your current limitations. You don't want to push yourself too hard and give up. Small steps are better than no steps at all.

Build yourself up to higher and higher levels. Start with 20 min of walking, for example. Do 2 minutes of jogging and 8 min of walking (alternating on and off) for 30 minutes on the next day.

Slow progress is still progress.

2. Basic Crunches

If you are looking to get those pounds off of your midsection, it is going to be a long journey. Start now.

This exercise is a classic. It is great for beginners to start engaging the abdominal muscle group.

3. Burpees

There is a reason why this exercise is so effective. It is a full-body exercise that is used by almost every age group. Burpees are incredibly effective at burning fat quickly.

4. Jumping Jacks

No one can deny that working multiple muscle groups at the same time is the fastest way to achieve weight loss. You’ve probably been doing these exercises since elementary school. It is a proven fat-burning exercise, so use it wisely at home.

You can do these exercises right now.

Conclusion

Weight loss at home is only difficult if we make it difficult. Start with a mindset change and then work your way into new habits that will influence you, and the other people around you, to have a great lifestyle.

*This is a Guest Post submitted by Jonathan from the Flexible workout blog and edited by Saguren Redyrs.

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Health and Fitness Quotes (page 38)

Health and Fitness Quotes (page 38)

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1. You can't be productive 100% of the time

First health and fitness quote

This is how bodybuilders earn their income.

2. You can't control every situation but you can control your reaction

Second health and fitness quote

You should drink lemon juice if you exercise regularly.

3. You can't get everything that you want right now but you can plant today what you wish to reap tomorrow

Third health and fitness quote

This is how you make friends at the gym without irritating people.

4. You can't get very far without an above average work ethic

Fourth health and fitness quote

Sports like bodybuilding increases your IQ.

5. You can't go anywhere without consistency

Fifth health and fitness quote

Read this if you want bigger calf muscles.

6. You can't have a new beginning without the end of the old

Seventh health and fitness quote

This is the most intense muscle building exercise program out there.

8. You choose what causes you fear and what doesn't

Eighth health and fitness quote

Squats are the best exercises that you can ever do.

9. You come alive when you serve something greater than yourself

Ninth health and fitness quote

Do better on the bench press.

10. You create you

Tenth health and fitness quote

Read this inspirational story about a man who became a bodybuilder despite his severe disease.

I hope that you enjoyed these quotes. If you did (or didn't), please let me know in the comments below. Your feedback helps me to give you more of what you want. Stay Strong!

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Health and Fitness Quotes (page 32)

Health and Fitness Quotes (page 32)

Hover over the images (or tap on them) to share these health and fitness quotes to social media.

You may share them directly to your social media through our social sharing buttons. You may also save your favorite images to your phone.

If you want to upload these images from another device, or share them elsewhere like on your own website; please provide accreditation back to us. You can do that simply by linking to this page or our site in general (saspotters.blogspot.com).

Jump to different quotes pages:

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1. Those who act like they don't need love are the ones that need it the most

First health and fitness quote

These exercises can help to prevent knee injury and knee pain.

2. Time and effort determine what you will achieve

Second health and fitness quote

Take a walk after every large meal to improve your health.

3. Time can do amazing things

Third health and fitness quote

Use these exercise to build a good chest.

4. To live will be an awfully big adventure

Fourth health and fitness quote

Evaporative coolers are healthier than air conditioning.

5. To succumb to insult is to give your beauty away to somebody who cannot see it

Fifth health and fitness quote

Lucky Charms might be healthier than no breakfast at all.

6. Time heals many things

Sixth health and fitness quote

This avocado chicken salad has many super foods that will benefit your health.

7. Today's actions are tomorrow's results

Seventh health and fitness quote

Excessive thirst from exercise could be a sign of another health issue.

8. Tough times never last but tough people do

Eighth health and fitness quote

Learn about the 7 healthy habits.

9. Treat everything with respect

Ninth health and fitness quote

Artificial sweeteners are making you fat.

10. Treat the cause - not the symptom

Tenth health and fitness quote

Too much oatmeal is bad for you.

I hope that you enjoyed these quotes. If you did (or didn't), please let me know in the comments below. Your feedback helps me to give you more of what you want. Stay Strong!

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Natural Ways To Boost Testosterone

Image Source: Paulaowens.com

Testosterone is often referred to as the manly hormone. People with higher levels of testosterone build muscle faster and are stronger. They have more energy and burn fat more effectively. There are natural ways to boost your testosterone levels. I have searched the web to find the best ways you can increase your natural testosterone levels.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels

1. Do Compound Exercises

Compound exercises like squats, pull-ups and even push-ups increase natural testosterone production. These compound exercises also increase other muscle building hormones like growth hormone. Make sure that a big enough portion of your workout routine involves compound movements that stimulate more than one muscle group.

2. Get Enough Rest

Over-training can decrease your body's ability to produce testosterone. Make sure that your rest days maximize recovery. Allow your body enough resting time to recover and rebuild. Take a rest week every few months for deep recovery and re-calibration. I've found that I come back stronger after a good rest week (one that is earned, of course). Sleep is also very important. Sleep is the critical time for most bodily changes. Besides building muscle, your body also uses sleep to regulate hormones like testosterone. Not enough sleep will deplete testosterone production.

3. Get Enough Zinc

Fitness.mercola.com says that consuming enough zinc to maintain testosterone levels is very important. It states that besides the muscle growth, hair retention and reproductive health benefits of testosterone; it is needed for maintaining bone density and keeping an optimum red blood cell count. It sites a study where increasing zinc levels for 6 weeks increased this hormone's levels in men who had low testosterone levels to begin with. Getting less zinc reduced testosterone levels and zinc protects you from exercise-induce testosterone reduction. Foods that are high in protein are usually high in zinc. Natural sources of zinc include meat, fish, dairy products and beans. Zinc is also important for regular body maintenance and growth. It is needed for immune function, recovery from injury and blood function. Zinc is also touted as a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer. Since conventional farming methods that use a lot of chemicals can deplete zinc content, try to eat as organic and free-range as possible to increase zinc consumption. Go easy on the tabs, though. Zinc supplementation can benefit those who are deficient on zinc, but too much can restrict iron and copper absorption.

4. Stress Less

According to Authority Nutrition, the stress hormone cortisol will decrease testosterone levels if there is too much of it in your body for a long period of time. Cortisol can reduce testosterone levels very quickly. It says that when cortisol levels are high, testosterone levels are reduced and vice versa, since they balance each other out. Not only does cortisol negatively affect your testosterone levels directly; but indirectly as well. Cortisol makes you eat more food and produce more bad fat, which will also decrease the amount of testosterone that your body creates. Consider what makes you stressed and find ways to deal with these situations. Learn to cope better with situations that you can't change. Dedicate enough time to leisure and pleasurable activities and attempt to find a good balance between work and play. Things like exercise, healthy food, laughter and companionship decrease cortisol levels.

5. Eat Fat

www.jackedfactory.com explains that fat is needed to produce testosterone and that low fat diets hamper hormone production in general. Saturated fats (like the cholesterol found in egg yolks) are dangerous in large quantities, but small amounts are needed for the body to function properly. This saturated fat is needed for a strong heart and testosterone function, among other things. Testosterone is actually formed using cholesterol. Fat sources should make up 30% of your total caloric intake. 15-25% of these fat sources should consist of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy foods. You don't need any Trans fats, so you can steer clear of those. Trans fats are found in processed oils, baked foods like cakes and biscuits and fried foods. Fats from avocados, fish, nuts and seeds are good for you (when you get them from the food source, not processed).

6. Get the D

www.bodybuilding.com said that vitamin D is arguably the most important vitamin for testosterone production. It cites a study that found that people who were deficient in this vitamin had less testosterone than those who had higher vitamin D levels. You get vitamin D from the sun. Looks like tanning is good for you after all! Just be safe and don't get burnt - that's when skin damage and cancer becomes a risk. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and combats depression, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. People who have more fat often have lower vitamin D levels. This is because fat gets in the way of this little vitamin. Studies have found vitamin D to speed up weight loss in obese individuals. Salmon and mackerel are good food sources of vitamin D.

7. Avoid Alcohol

The Editors of Men's Health say that alcohol decreases testosterone levels. They referred to a study where men drank a medium amount of alcohol every day for 3 weeks. These men had 7% less testosterone than before they started the drinking study. Men’s Health recommends limiting yourself to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine per day to protect your precious testosterone levels. Alcohol also hampers your body's ability to build muscle. When there is alcohol in your blood stream, your body prioritizes the metabolism of the alcohol instead of turning protein into new muscle tissue.

8. Ginger Ninja

Eat ginger and add it to your food whenever you can. www.mensfitness.com states that ginger is one of the best foods for increasing your T-count. In a study, ginger was found to increase testosterone levels and even increase semen quality in infertile men. Ginger is regarded as a super-food because of its many benefits. These benefits include relief from nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, morning sickness and pain. It is a powerful immune booster and aids in cancer prevention. It has been shown to decrease the duration of illnesses like flu or colds and make them more bearable. Some even eat it to decrease muscle pain from exercise so that they recover quicker!

I would like to hear other great ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels in the comment below. STAY STRONG!

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Benefits of Squats

Squatting is arguably the best muscle building exercise out there. We've decided to compose a list of the benefits of squats that you might (or might not) already know. There are over 100 benefits of exercise in general. You might also be interested in the benefits of push ups or pull ups as well.

Facts about squats

1. Squats work the entire leg muscles

Squats are good for growing the quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes generally. They also work the ankles, abs, oblique muscles and lower back. Yes, they will help to improve calve muscle size.

2. Squats increase human growth hormone

Squatting regularly will increase your body's production of Human Growth Hormone, a hormone that speeds up muscle recovery and aids muscle growth. See here the muscle building hormones that get stimulated through strength training.

3. Squats also increase natural testosterone levels (and production)

The body responds to squatting exercises by producing more testosterone, the hormone which (among other things) determines muscle size. There are other natural ways to boost testosterone too.

4. Squats give you a good-looking, sexy bum

Squats make your bum look more aesthetic and more attractive to the opposite sex. This is true for males AND females. Guys can get a perfect jock-bum, while girls can use squats to add tone and shape.

5. Squats increase your endurance

The more you squat, the easier the rest of the exercises that you do at the gym will be, no matter what you goals are. This is because squats are so intense. Doing these high-intensity movements will increase your intensity tolerance and therefore increase the amount of physical pressure that you can take in one go.

6. Squats increase blood circulation and oxygen usage

The more you squat, the better your body will be at performing other physical tasks. Since squats are so intense, your body learns to get better at using oxygen and other nutrients in your blood to recuperate. This raises your immune system, metabolic rate and natural energy levels.

7. A squat burns fat at a faster rate than running

Squatting continuously for the same time as jogging, for example, will burn fat faster whilst still increasing muscle mass. Squats take a lot of energy to do (but take a lot less time and space). Here are the calories that different sports burn per hour, on average.

8. Performing semi-squats decrease mobility over time

Like with any exercise, use the full range of motion. Squats are no exception. Doing half-rep squats could negatively impact the general mobility of your muscles and joints over time as you train to work within lesser motions.

9. Doing squats properly actually improves your knee health

Doing squats regularly without overdoing it to injury will actually build your knee/ankle joints and their surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons over time. Squats are used in some rehabilitation courses to help people rebuild knee and ankle strength. It is important to always use full range of motion and correct form. 

10. Squats are good for digestion and help keep you regular

Can't produce squat in the bathroom? Try producing squats at the gym!

11. Squats help to build and maintain muscular balance and posture

The better you can hold your squat, the better your body can hold itself throughout the day. Squatting teaches you to keep your back straight and is great for programming your body to keep the right, healthiest posture without effort.

12. Squats strengthen your core

The better your core strength, the stronger your other lifts will be. A lot of physical power is generated from your core. Note that it is important to still do additional core strengthening work outside of squat exercises.

13. Squats will make you jump higher

The strengthening of the leg muscles used during the squat means that you will have more power accessible for jumping and power exercises. 

14. Squats can help your run

Since squats help your leg muscles so much, they can add power to your sprint and offer joint protection for long-distance runners, too.

15. Get mentally used to intensity

 If you can squat with heavy weights almost to failure for a few reps regularly, you won't have a problem with added intensity in your other exercises. Since squats are one of the most intensive exercises, once you've got this one down it will be a lot easier to deal with other physical challenges during training.

16. You can squat easily

Squats, push-ups, planks and pull-ups make a great almost-full-body-workout when you can't get to the gym and don't have any equipment with you. Luckily, this means that you can get bigger and stronger no matter where you are!

17. Squatting undoes all of the negative muscle-moves that we do daily

Nothing like some good squats to counteract all the bad postures we put ourselves through in daily activities like sitting, working on the computer and driving.

18. Squatting can help eliminate back pain

This is because it undoes negative posture moves like in the point above, and because it helps strengthen the lower back muscles.

Can you think of any other reasons why squats are so great? Do you know of any other interesting facts about squats? Let us know below.

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