Ten quick ways to lose weight and become more healthy

You don’t have to spend hours on the treadmill or go on a punishing diet to start getting into shape.

The road to better health can start with adding simple things into your daily routine – like chewing your food longer, taking deeper breaths and cutting down on how much alcohol you thrown down your neck.

Ok, the last one is not that simple. DietPixie’s writers have always been partial to the odd drink – or seven!

But then again, being a former rock star who has toured with the likes of Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne and worked with people like Roger Daltry and Courtney Love, so has Myke Gray.

So what has the former Skin songwriter got to do with it, you are probably asking. Well, it turns out he also knows a thing or two about fitness.

Since ditching his guitar for medicine balls and dumbbells, the former Skin songwriter has become a successful fitness expert, based at The May Fair Personal Training Suite at London’s May Fair Hotel. And, besides, with him being a pretty good kickboxer as well, we would not want to argue.

Anyway, his book, 20 Steps to Well Being, is a pretty good guide on how to get into shape quickly.

So good, in fact, we have decided to crunch it down into 10 nice-easy tips for you to digest – just don’t wash it down with a double gin and tonic!

1. The secret to weight loss
It’s not about calories, it’s about glucose. Whether you eat carbohydrates, fat or protein, it all gets turned into glucose, but at different speeds. If you eat more food than you need, the excess glucose gets turned into fat. As long as you don’t eat more than you need, you won’t get fat.

2. Chew your food
Chewing for longer fills you up quicker, so you don’t eat as much. Simple! But don’t overdo it. You’ll get a sore jaw and you’ll look like a cow.

3. Exercise daily
Exercising stimulates your metabolism, improves digestion, helps relieve stress, and strengthens your heart. Cardiovascular work will have a metabolic change on the body for two to three hours; resistance training or weight training will have a metabolic change for eight to ten hours. Because one pound of muscle burns on average 150 calories an hour, weight training can help you burn more calories than cardiovascular training.

4. Avoid too much salt or sodium
One gram of sodium will make you retain 70 grams of water. A diet high in salt can lead to water retention and bloating.

5. Avoid refined sugar
Refined sugar contains no fibre, no minerals, no vitamins, no protein, no fats, no enzymes; all it contains is empty calories. Refined sugar robs the body of calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium. One 12oz can of coke contains approx 11 teaspoons of sugar - about 40 grams of sugar.

6. Never miss breakfast
When you first wake up your blood sugar levels will be low because you haven’t eaten for several hours. Your body needs balance to be restored as soon as possible. Try to have some protein in the morning. This will slow down absorption and stop you craving sugary snacks.

7. Breathe deeper
The immune system can be stimulated by up to 70 per cent by the way you breathe. Your breath is your most powerful waste removal system. It also means you can breathe more easily about your health. Get it?!

8. Drink enough water
Water is our most important nutrient. We cannot live without it. As little as one per cent dehydration can cause significant mental impairment and psychological difficulties. The organs most at risk are the brain, kidneys and heart. If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Ideal water consumption is half your body weight in ounces every day. For example: 175lbs = 87.5 ounces of water.

9. Avoid too much alcohol
From the second we put alcohol into our body, our body does everything it can to get it out, and in doing so, depletes you of vital vitamins and minerals. Annoying, isn’t it?

10. Eat good fats
One quarter of your brain is made up of Omega 3 essential fatty acids and a deficiency can lead to depression, low IQ and memory impairment. You can find Omega 3 in oily fish and grains and seeds.

To find out more about Myke, check out his MySpace profile here.

Pics: Morguefile