One misconception about losing weight is that you need money to get started. You need money for your gym registration and one year subscription that offers a high discount. You need money to buy the right clothes or gears. You need money to buy those effective pills your friend told you about. Etcetera. Hold on a second and clear your mind of those things because here we are going to talk about the 10 things you can do to lose weight without losing those bucks you worked hard for.
1. Cook at home
You may haven’t noticed it–or you may have been deliberately avoiding it–but eating outside has cost you a great deal of money over the years. You can attempt to calculate all the money you’ve spent by adding up your daily expenses over the years. It will hurt you a lot but we recommend it. The staggering amount is almost impossible to believe.
Now take into account the calories you’ve gained from those food. The burgers for lunch, the sweet coffee you so love to drink every single day of your career life, the donuts. The list goes on. Cooking at home does not only mean saving a lot of money but ultimately, it means letting go of an unhealthy diet and taking control of what you put in your stomach.
2. Always have a fruit with you
Although at the moment of sudden hunger you may think that snacks have little to no effect on your diet, they actually contribute a lot to your weight gain. Not to mention that they’re really expensive. Instead of buying snacks from the airport, cafeteria, or a gas station, make sure that you always have a fruit with you.
3. Ditch your expensive drinks
And drink water instead. Did you know that your favorite 16 ounce caffe mocha gives you 290 calories already? Your 16 ounce smoothie has 210 calories, even the lowfat chocolate drink that gives you the security of being “healthier” gives you 170 calories for every 8 ounce.
Say you consume one or two of these per day and you decide to switch it to water? Not only will it help you avoid those calories, you’re also helping your body detoxify and your wallet keep its cash. If you find yourself demotivated in drinking water, try making it more exciting by adding slices of fruits and herbs like lemon, apple, basil, oregano, etc.
4. Make your own drinks
The previous point brings us to this one. Water can be very boring as time goes on. You can only create so much flavored water and essentially, you get tired because it’s essentially the same. Have a break from your wonderful concoctions and experiment with protein shakes instead. You don’t need expensive ingredients for this one. In fact, you can make protein shakes out of any vegetables and fruits you have left in your fridge.
5. Do yoga
You may have heard of the wonders of yoga from friends and even strangers in the Internet. The thing is, all of them are true. Yoga has a lot of benefits starting from improved muscle strength to stronger bones. It will also help you alleviate stress by teaching you exercises from the most basic like breathing properly to complicated but effective poses. And on top of this, yoga can be done at home. There are a lot of classes you can find online and all you need is a mat, the willingness to learn, and the determination to have a healthy lifestyle.
6. Avoid shortcuts
There are so many products that guarantee you to lose pounds after just a few weeks. The thing with these products is they’re not only expensive, they’re are also very risky. To some people, they may work but it doesn’t mean it will work for you too. You can switch to natural and safer ways such as teaching yourself the medicinal properties of herbs and teas.
7. Get enough hours of sleep
With your work and social responsibilities, you find yourself unable to juggle all of them at the same time get enough sleep. It stresses you out, it messes up your metabolism, your body suffers, you get stressed out even more. Take a break from those things first, settle your mind, and complete the mission of having enough sleep. Just a few days doing this will do you wonders.
Studies have found that people who lack sleep tend to consume snacks that are high on carbohydrates and fats. They also tend to skip exercising because of being too tired from not getting enough sleep.
8. Join fun runs
This may seem like an impractical choice of exercise because (1) you have to pay for them and (2) it’s only for a day. The first point is right, but the second? Come to think of it, in order to be ready for the big day, you need to practice for months. That’s highly motivated exercise at a very cheap price.
One of the common problems in exercising is you just can’t keep yourself motivated all the time. It’s an effective way for losing weight because of the sense of competition you get from the fun run. The clear goal towards the end gives you a reason to keep going.
9. Study food
By this we mean, learn about what you eat. Take time to know the calorie intake you get from your foods and drinks. This will keep you in line with your ultimate goal.
10. Know that the whole world is at your disposal
The whole world is practically there for you to make use of. Instead of running on a treadmill in a gym, jog in the nearest park. If you’re getting bored of going around your neighborhood everyday, change the scene by hiking with your friends. To lose weight in a fun way, you need to be creative.
There are so many other things you can do to lose weight without spending a lot of cash. You don’t need money to be healthy. You just have to be willing enough to lose those pounds you don’t need.
