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7 Steps to Staying Slim and Healthy

1. Hit The Scale

It’s easier to keep weight off than to lose it, so successful losers from the National Weight Control Registry weigh themselves often to spot kilogram creep, then take action.

 

2. Run An Extra Kilometre or two
(Or 10 To 15 Minutes)

It’s a surefire way to increase your weekly kilojoules out. Do it by adding a 1K warmup and cooldown to every run, or simply by taking more walk breaks to increase the time on your feet.

 

3. Add Fun To Your Run

Researchers found runners who rated their race as fun were more likely to choose a healthy bar over a chocolate bar when offered a post-event snack. The expert take? “Listening to music during a run or watching a video [on] a treadmill may be more related to weight-loss success than previously thought.”

 

4. Go Light On The Refuel

After you run, drink water and maybe eat a little fruit. And that’s it. Otherwise, you’re likely to go overboard. “Most people are very bad at estimating how many kilojoules they consume,” notes Leanne Redman, Ph.D. “You have to be careful not to over-reward yourself after a workout.”

 

5. Strength-Train

Your metabolism slows with age in large part because you lose muscle mass. Muscle itself doesn’t burn many more kilojoules, despite common thinking. But it keeps you moving, and movement burns kilojoules.

 

6. Invest In Tech

Apps and wearable tech that tally things like distance, kilojoules burned, and sleep time can help guide, reinforce, and reward your weight-loss efforts. “It might even help us show people that exercise is more palatable – more fun – than kilojoule-restricted diets,” says Robert Newton, Ph.D.

 

7. Join A Support Group

Obesity has been shown to act like the flu: If a lot of people around you are overweight, you face an increased risk of catching their disease. Surrounding yourself, physically or virtually, with healthy people can inoculate you. Join a run club or an online group focused on weight loss and/or fitness goals.

 


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