10 Fast Weight Loss Tips (Part 3)

10 Fast Weight Loss Tips

 

Set Aside Leftovers

"Serve yourself, then immediately pack the leftovers in a Tupperware container and store in the fridge."—Maria Ricapito, Health contributing beauty editor.

 

Serve From The Stove

"Leave serving dishes on the stove instead of at the dining table and you'll eat nearly 10 percent less. [And] pack snacks into single-serving bags. Eating out of a large container ups consumption by 61 percent."—Brian Wansink, PhD, director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.

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10 Fast Weight Loss Tips (Part 2)

10 Fast Weight Loss Tips

 

Floss For Dessert

"Brushing my teeth after dinner makes me less likely to eat again before I go to bed."—Jo Miller, Health photo director.

 

Take a 'Before' Photo

"Before I got in shape, a friend convinced me to take photos of myself wearing nothing but a sports bra and underwear. Anytime I fall off the wagon I look at those pics—that's all the motivation I need!"—Rozalynn S. Frazier, Health assistant fitness editor.

 

Avoid Liquid Calories

"Cut out drinks with calories—juice, lemonade, and, hardest of all, after-work wine."—Lisa Lombardi, Health executive editor.

Break Out The Skinny Jeans

"Wear something tight! It provides the extra bit of motivation to lay off the fries."—Ilana Blitzer, Health beauty/fashion editor.

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10 Fast Weight Loss Tips (Part 1 )

10 Fast Weight Loss Tips

 

Put Away The (Food) Scale

"Portion control isn't about measuring; it's about ordering two appetizers instead of an entrée and cutting back on bread if you have pasta."
—Bethenny Frankel, author of Naturally Thin

 

Stash Fruit

"Keep fruit at work. It helps during the I-need-chocolate part of the afternoon."
—Diana Cerqueira, Health beauty assistant

 

Shake Chocolate

"When I'm trying to drop a few pounds, I carry around a shaker cup of chocolate protein powder. If I'm ravenous, I add the water, and it fills me up so that I don't eat something highly-calorific instead."
—Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

 

Set Limits, Then Go Nuts!

"In the cafeteria I use a 4-by-4-inch Styrofoam box, and I put whatever I want in there. It's almost impossible to overeat."
—Ellen Kunes, Health editor-in-chief.

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Blast It Off With Yoga! (Part 3)

Blast It Off With Yoga!

 

For Toned Thighs

Targets legs, butt, shoulders, arms and abs...

Turn your right foot forward, and slide your left leg back; bend your right knee (keep it over your ankle) to come into a long High Lunge Pose. Bend your elbows to bring the weights up to shoulder height, palms facing in; tighten your abs. Inhale and straighten right leg as you press the weights up toward the ceiling for an overhead shoulder press.

 

For a Trim Waist

Targets waist, abs, butt, back, hamstrings and triceps...

Take a step back with your left foot. Engage your abs, and hinge forward at the waist as you lift your left leg straight up behind you until your foot, torso, and head are all in one straight line and parallel to the floor for Warrior 3 Pose. Bend your elbows to pull the weights up to hip level, palms facing in.

Exhale; keeping your upper arms still, straighten your elbows to reach the weights straight out behind you for triceps kickbacks. Inhale as you bend your elbows to bring weights forward again. Do 8–10 reps, then return to standing with feet together; repeat on the opposite side. After the last rep, lower your right foot, and step both feet together.

For Gorgeous Arms

Targets biceps, triceps, legs, abs and  hips...

Holding both weights in your right hand, use your left hand to help lift your bent left leg and place it in Tree Pose with your left foot on the inner thigh, knee, or calf of your right leg. Transfer one weight back to your left hand, and tighten your abs. Extend your right hand toward the ceiling, then bend your elbow to bring the weight behind your head so it rests near your upper-right shoulder blade.

At the same time, slightly bend your left elbow to bring the weight alongside your thigh, palm facing up. Exhale as you extend your right arm back overhead in a triceps overhead press; at the same time, curl your left hand up to your shoulder in a biceps curl. Inhale as you return your arms to the previous position. Do 8–10 reps, then return to standing with arms down and repeat on the opposite side.

For Awesome Abs

Targets entire core region (especially lower abs and inner abs) and legs (particularly inner thighs)

Set weights down, sink back onto your heels, and drop your hips to one side. Swing legs in front of you and set feet on the floor, knees bent; hold one weight between your feet. Engage your abs and lift your bent legs so your lower legs are parallel to the floor; hold the other weight between your hands at chest level in Half Boat Pose.

Inhale, hinge torso back, and allow thighs to lower slightly for Extended Half Boat Pose. Exhale and tighten abs to lift back up. Do 6–8 reps, rest for a moment, then do 1 more rep. Return to standing.

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Blast It Off With Yoga! (Part 2)

 Blast It Off With Yoga!

 

For a Strong Chest

Targets chest, mid-back, obliques, core, thighs (inner and outer), butt and hips...

Wrap your left leg over your right leg, touching your left toes to the outside of your right foot (or crossing them behind your right calf, if possible); lower into a squat for Eagle Pose. Inhale as you raise your arms out to the sides to shoulder height, and bend your elbows to 90 degrees for chest flys. (Keep your thighs squeezed and abs engaged throughout the move.)

Exhale and contract your chest muscles as you bring your bent arms together in front of you, then inhale as you contract your shoulder blades to open them back out to the sides. Do 8–10 reps, then return to standing and repeat on the other side.

For a Beautiful Back

Targets back, triceps, shoulders, waist, thighs, hips and butt...

With arms down by your sides and palms facing in, step your left foot back, and turn it out to 45 degrees, pressing the outer edge into the floor (both hips should face forward). Bend your front knee to 90 degrees to come into Warrior 1 Pose, then hinge forward from the hips, keeping your abs engaged.

Exhale as you bend your elbows to pull the weights up to hip level, squeezing your shoulder blades together for back rows; inhale as you lower the weights. Do 8–10 reps, then return to standing and repeat on the opposite side.

 
 

For Shapely Shoulders

Targets tops of shoulders, back, arms, inner thighs and butt...

Turn your left foot in to come into a wide straddle stance. Walk your feet a little closer together, then turn both feet out to 45 degrees. Push your butt back, and lower into a sumo-type Yogi Squat (keep knees over ankles); let your hands hang down in front of your body, palms facing backward.

Inhale as you straighten your legs and lift your elbows up toward the ceiling, raising the weights to shoulder height for bent-arm shoulder raises. Exhale, lowering your arms and returning to squat position. Do 12–15 reps, then rise up with your arms lowered.

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Dance Your Way Slim Or Blast Off Pounds With Yoga ( Part 1)

Dance Your Way Slim

 Want to firm up, slim down, and have a blast? Invite your girlfriends, swap your dumbbells for dancing shoes, and host a calorie-sizzling dance party.

"With dancing, you don't realize you are exercising," but getting down for an hour torches between 200 and 600 calories, says Susan Biali, MD, who is a trained flamenco dancer. Plus, it helps build strength, increase flexibility, and even slow the aging process. What's more, grooving with friends equals high-quality bonding time—and that can boost your mood in a big way. Here's how to host your own dance class and treat pals (and yourself) to a fun fitness change-up.

Dance option #1: Enlist an expert
Not everyone is born bouncing like Beyonce. Consider hiring a pro to teach you and your gang the latest moves. "This takes the pressure off people individually," Dr. Biali says. "Everyone is learning and making mistakes together, so each person feels less self-conscious." To score a top-notch teacher, ask your local gym or dance studio for a suggestion, or log on to dance-teachers.org. Had a great session? Bring your pro back for a weekly dance-off-the-pounds party.

Dance option #2: See it, shake itIf you can't swing an instructor or would rather keep things informal, pop in a DVD like Dance with Julianne: Just Dance! ($15: amazon.com) or Dancing with the Stars: Fat-Burning Cardio Dance ($15: amazon.com) These high-energy, easy-to-follow routines can help you blast fat and have lots of fun.

 Blast It Off With Yoga!

 

Blast It Off!

By Su Reid-St. John
Want a fat-burning workout that’s fast and blasts away your stress, too?

Use this flowing, yoga-with-dumbbells routine from Health’s own yoga guru Kristin McGee to build strength, double your calorie-burn, and decompress. “Concentrating on the movements gets your mind off all of the distractions around you, leaving you feeling peaceful and relaxed,” McGee explains. The result? A calm, fit, and incredibly gorgeous you!

 

Get Firm Fast

Hold a 2 1/2- to 8-pound weight in each hand and go through the sequence 3 times, flowing smoothly from pose to pose, for a 30-minute, full-body routine. Do it 3 times a week, and you’ll look firmer all over in as little as 3 weeks.

For a Firm Butt

Targets butt, hips, thighs and abs...

Stand with feet together and arms by your sides, shoulders down. Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths; open them, draw in your lower abs, and begin Chair Pose squats: Inhale as you bend your knees, and push your butt back as if sitting in an imaginary chair; exhale and return to standing while squeezing your butt and thigh muscles. Do 20 reps.

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Dive Into Your Best Body Ever

Dive Into Your Best Body Ever

 

Swim Your Butt Off...

By Rozalynn S. Frazier
From Health Magazine
Slip into your swimsuit and treat your body to one of the best all-over toners. Not only will swimming keep you cool during those dog days, but it also torches major calories (more than 600 an hour).

Want to get serious about your strokes? Follow these pointers from Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard—and get more benefit out of your pool time.


 

To Get Faster, Focus On…

Breathing

It’s all about timing—breathing too often can slow your stroke. The ideal: Inhale on every third stroke, then exhale while underwater. There isn’t enough time to breathe in and out when your mouth breaks the surface; if you try, you’ll gulp water instead of air.

 

To Get Stronger, Focus On…

Your stroke

Every swimmer has her go-to style. But to build power you need to mix things up. Freestyle is great for total-body toning. Breaststroke will give you leaner legs and a shapely butt. Butterfly improves upper-body strength. And backstroke results in a trim, powerful core. Swim at least one lap of each stroke during your workout.

 

To Get Motivated, Focus On…

Teamwork

Swim team isn’t just for kids! Join a Master’s team (find one at usms.org/placswim)—you’ll get coaching and organized workouts, plus the chance to participate in clinics and competitions.

What’s more, getting your group on makes you more likely to stick with the workout schedule, since people are counting on you to not bail on the team.

Bonus: Training with more-advanced swimmers can spur you on, making you work even harder in the pool.

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