You’ve probably been told that if you want to lose weight, you need to exercise. But that’s not exactly true. Exercise’s role in losing weight is not that crucial or significant. There are numerous ways to shed pounds without going on that treadmill, and some of them are more effective than exercise.
Diet, Diet, Diet
Even serious exercise programs will admit to the 80/20 ratio between nutrition and exercise. Eighty percent of your weight-loss will be because of proper nutrition. Even if you are unable to exercise, nutrition alone will help you drop those pounds. Cut the carbs and double your protein intake. You might need to see a nutritionist if you have conditions that require a particular diet. However, just increasing your protein intake should be enough to make a difference.
Sticking to the diet is one of the harder parts of losing weight as you can easily “fall off the wagon” when eating out. If that happens often enough, there’s a good chance you’ll forget about dieting. One way to stick to your diet in those crucial first months is by packing fully prepared meals. You can prepare all your meals for the week in one day and pack them in freezer-friendly containers. If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to make your meals yourself, you can probably find a food delivery service nearby. Choose one that specializes in organic and nutritious food and tell them about your dietary needs.
Take Cold Baths
When it gets cold, your body burns fat to keep your core temperature at normal levels. This biological reaction is called thermogenesis, and you can manipulate this reaction to speed up your weight loss. Take short (15-30 minutes) baths in cold water. The water doesn’t need to be painfully cold, 60F is enough — the same temperature you like for your soda (which you shouldn’t be drinking). Water disperses your body heat at a much higher rate than air, and using cold water forces your body to turn up the (thermogenic) heat. Thirty minutes of soaking in a cold bath burns as much as a 30-minute walk. However, soaking in cold water and activating thermogenesis in your body will increase your appetite and hunger, so you have to bear with it.
Exercise without Exercising
Electronic muscle stimulation (EMS) has been used to combat muscle atrophy from coma victims to astronauts, and you can use that same technology to shed a few pounds. EMS devices, particularly those that use high-frequency currents, have been proven to be effective in stimulating muscles as well as facilitating the lipolytic process — the process that breaks down fat. High-frequency currents are quite effective in removing cellulite and fine fat particles.
In the end, remember that losing weight without exercise is possible. However, unless you have mobility issues or specific conditions, you should still try to get a little bit of exercise. Stick to your diet, keep it cold, and zap the fat away until you shed those pounds.
