It seems like everyone has diet advice. If one was so inclined, he could spend hours on google and health sites learning the latest tricks and tips to losing weight. As for myself, I’m not that patient. However, there’s always been a tried-and-true method for losing weight for me: Staying active.
An Active Lifestyle
It never ceases to amaze me how much weight I can lose while camping. I recently returned from a hiking/canoeing expedition in Arkansas, and the amount of weight I lost was incredible. The majority of our days was either hiking or canoeing somewhere, and hanging around a campfire at night. During meals I would eat more than I normally would at home, and usually the amount of sweets I’d normally intake was much higher. (Smores, anyone?) Yet I still lost more weight in 4 days than I had in a couple of weeks. How could this be?
The Obvious Benefits
As everyone knows, the more energy you expend in a day, the more calories you’ll burn. Also, the more active you are, your metabolism rises and you’re able to burn more calories than you normal while doing un-active things.
It’s safe to assume the amount of energy I expended each day hiking raised my metabolism considerably.
The Not-So-Obvious Benefits
I’ve been running at least 3 times a week these past few months, so it’s kind of surprising that I was able to lose a lot more weight than with my running routine. But this could easily be explained by one simple truth:
The more active you are, the less you’ll snack.
If you’re spending all day moving around, you’re obviously burning more calories, but you’re also snacking less. A sedentary lifestyle encourages snacking. I can see this in my personal life all the time.
As a freelance web worker, I spend most of my day on my keister. As I work only a few feet from my kitchen, it’s quite tempting to constantly snack. Many television zealots enjoy eating snacks while watching TV, as it gives you something to do. Popcorn, chips, candy… it all adds up.
But say you were riding a bike, or hiking a trail, or weeding the garden. It’s just not that easy to snack while being active, is it? Imagine lugging around a bag of chips while riding your bike on a trail… not fun.
So, if you’re wanting to lose weight without eating less (at meals), start becoming more active. Start finding creative ways to get up and moving throughout your day. You’ll feel better, but you’ll also be less inclined to snack less.
So here’s my question to you: What are some creative, fun ways to stay active? Comment below, and I’ll write another post on your responses. Thanks guys!
