5 Tips for Getting Fit and Healthy

Now, there's no magic pill that's going to make you thin and healthy. But there are some tricks you can use to help yourself get healthy and stay healthy. By using these tips, you give yourself a better chance for being fit. You can create a life that makes it easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

1. Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals

If you frequently overeat, you have a stomach that is stretched out. In order to feel full, you have to eat a large quantity of food, consuming more food than your body needs. Therefore, it stores all those extra calories as fat.

In order to bring your eating under control, you must stop eating large, heavy meals. It will be slightly uncomfortable at first, especially if you are used to filling your stomach to capacity. You won't be entirely full after a meal. But that's okay. Your body will adjust. Just give it some time.

The benefits of eating small meals? You get to snack! If you eat a small breakfast, you can have a healthy mid-morning snack. If you eat a small lunch, help yourself to another healthy snack at 3:30. It will help to curb your hunger and get you through the rest of the afternoon. Also, having snacks helps to prevent overeating at dinner, especially if the snack has protein in it.

2. Drink Water and Chew Gum

Often, when you think are you are hungry, you really suffering from dehydration. Most health officials recommend drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day. But do you really want to count glasses of water throughout the day? No. Instead, just follow this rule: Every time you feel hungry, first drink a glass of water. Then, before every meal, have a glass of water. The water will help to fill up your stomach, causing you to eat less food, while rehydrating your body.

Chewing gum can also be helpful, especially if you have a sweet tooth. If you are really craving that chocolate cake that somebody brought to work, pop a piece of gum into your mouth. It can stave off your need for dessert.

Note: Be cautious of sugar-free gum. Many people have sensitivity to sugar substitutes, such as sorbitol and sucrolose. Both have been linked a range of gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea, bloating, cramping, constipation, and these chemicals have even been linked to migraines and skin rashes. A stick of gum containing real sugar only has only 5-10 calories, so stick with the real stuff. Don't take chances.

3. Share Your Fitness Goals

Chances are good that you know somebody else who wants to get into shape. Make a fitness pact with that person. Decide that you will eat healthy lunches every day and take a walk together after work. Or make a decision to meet at the gym three days a week and work out together. Vow to give up sugary drinks for a month.

When it comes to making life changes, give yourself as much support as you can. Sharing your goals will not only encourage you to keep your word, it can help you to share the responsibility for getting into shape. If you are really craving an ice cream sundae, tell your fitness buddy. Maybe he or she can help you make a wiser food choice.

Other ideas: Start a fitness challenge at work or within your own family. If you have no family nearby, correspond by email. State your goals, then send weekly updates keeping everyone appraised of your efforts. If you want to make it interesting, have everyone kick in $25 and whoever loses the most weight gets the prize.

4. Never Eat in Front of the Television

People who eat in front of the television are eating mindlessly. You are not paying attention to the needs of your body. Instead, you are paying attention to the television and shovelling food into your body, even if your body doesn't want or need food.

The facts? People who eat dinner while watching television commonly eat 200 additional calories than people who do not. And if you watch television with an open bag of snacks in your lap? You will eat more than if you put a portion of snacks into a bowl. Why? Because when you eat out of an open bag, you have no "stop point." You just continue eating, often until the whole bag is gone.

Eat dinner sitting at a table with your family or a friend. If you have a television in your kitchen, get rid of it. Sell it and use the money to buy yourself a new pair of skinny jeans!

5. Don't Make it Easy to Gain Weight

If you normally keep several sizes of clothing, just in case you gain or lose weight...stop! This is a notoriously bad idea that only grants yourself permission to gain weight. Really, it makes gaining weight a little too easy, a little too comfortable. The only clothes that should be in your closet are the ones that fit you TODAY. All others must go.

Why? If you only have one size of clothing, you are more likely to stay the same size. Because if you find that your clothes are getting tight, you have no "backup" clothes. You simply have to lose a few pounds. You must take off those extra pounds now, so those three pounds don't turn into an extra thirty pounds.

If you start getting more exercise and your clothes get too big, good for you! Celebrate by buying new clothes! Of course, all your old clothes must now be donated in order to make room for your new wardrobe. Help yourself stay slim. Don't sabotage your weight loss by keeping those bigger clothes.

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