Walking for Weight Loss: The Benefits of Taking a Walk on National Walking Day

With your Nutrisystem weight loss plan, you are already on the path to a healthier and happier you. The next step is to turn up your daily activity level, which will keep your metabolism burning off excess pounds all day long. Good news: the simplest activity—walking—is all you need to tone your muscles, shed extra inches from your waistline and speed up progress towards your weight loss diet goal. To help you celebrate National Walking Day (on April 1, 2020) and inspire you to keep on walking, we’ve compiled this list of smart reasons to take a walk on this special day.

The American Heart Association’s National Walking Day is the perfect time to kickstart your spring fitness routine. Taking place on the first Wednesday of every April, this essential day brings awareness to the importance of physical activity in all of our lives. So, grab your favorite pair of walking shoes and head outside to gain the many benefits of taking a leisurely stroll—just be sure to continue practicing social distancing during this time, maintaining a six-foot distance from strangers and non-immediate family members while walking.

Before you get to stepping, making sure to download the NuMi app so that you can keep track of your daily exercise! Easily connect your Fitbit device and Apple Step Tracking and make logging your activity a breeze. You can also manually log activities like walking and include details like distance, duration, speed and number of calories burned. Never forget to exercise again by setting up handy personal reminders for activity, water, snacks and more. NuMi is the ultimate weight loss sidekick and will help you reach your health and fitness goals.

10 Must-Follow Safety Rules for Walkers

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Here are eight reasons why you should take a walk on National Walking Day:

1. Visible Results

Walking has the ability to make your healthy diet plan even more effective. In a 12-week study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, a group of overweight individuals followed a diet plan and walked five times per week. Researchers found that those who walked experienced significantly greater improvements in their waist circumference compared to a similar group that followed the diet alone.

2. Steady Burn

You might not think of plain old walking as a good exercise. However, a 150-pound person strolling at an average speed burns almost 100 calories per mile, says The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Want to burn even more and have some extra weight loss motivation? Walk uphill, which requires more energy, stokes your metabolism and uses up more calories.

3. Take 10

Nutrisystem weight loss experts recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of daily physical activity. Don’t have time in your busy schedule for 30 minutes of exercise? No worries! With the My Daily 3 activity plan, you’ll find that three 10-minute walks each day—whenever is convenient for you—adds up to the same benefits as one 30-minute session. To boost your burn, combine your walk with one of these simple 10-minute workouts! >

5 Sporty Gifts for the Walker on Your List

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4. No Pain, All Gain

Jumping into a difficult full body workout routine when you’ve been inactive can lead to sore muscles and even injury. Your body is already well-adapted to walking, so you can gradually increase the distance and time without feeling too beat to do it again the next day. This low-impact activity is great way to stay active without the high risk of getting hurt or sore. However, always speak to your doctor before starting a fitness routine to ensure it is safe for you.

5. Cost-Free

You can forget about costly gym membership fees or buying expensive fitness clothing and gear. If you have a pair of supportive shoes and a safe place to take a stroll, you have everything you need to include a calorie-burning walk in your daily weight loss diet routine. If it’s nice out, head to a local park or walking trail. If the weather isn’t agreeing with your walking plans, take a trip to the mall and walk indoors safely without the elements.

6. Good for Your Heart

According to Harvard Health, several reliable studies show that walking regularly decreases the risk of “cardiovascular events” by 31 percent and the risk of dying by 32 percent in both men and women. They explain that these benefits were even seen at shorter distances of 5.5 miles per week and at “casual” paces of just two miles per hour. So, don’t be afraid to walk at your own pace and enjoy a workout that is comfortable for you.

Check out these seven delicious foods for a healthier heart! >

Walking or Running a 5K? 6 Things You Need to Know

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7. Prevents Diabetes

Walking after eating a meal for just 15 minutes significantly improved the blood sugar levels of people at risk for diabetes, according research by the American Diabetes Association that was published in Diabetes Care. The study showed that the benefits of a post-meal walk lasted all day for the participants. Pair your walking with some of these delicious and beneficial foods for diabetes and take your health and well-being to new heights.

8. Daily Dose of D

Vitamin D deficiency is common among people who are overweight. A study, published in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine, found that taking vitamin D supplements made a significant difference in reducing the subjects’ weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Your body naturally produces vitamin D when you are exposed to sunlight. Taking a walk outside in the sunshine also ensures that you have a healthy supply of vitamin D.

Not sure if you’re getting enough vitamin D? Click here for seven common signs of a D deficiency >

Looking for more low impact exercises to incorporate into your fitness routine? Click here for seven of our favorites! >

Must-Have Fitness Gear (Walkers, Prepare!)

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The post Walking for Weight Loss: The Benefits of Taking a Walk on National Walking Day appeared first on The Leaf.

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10 Easy Home Workouts You Can Do in Your Living Room

Staying active and fitting in workouts while staying at home can feel challenging. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get the weight loss benefits of regular exercise without going to the gym. Physical activity of all kinds keeps your body burning calories and shedding excess pounds at a steady rate. That’s why Nutrisystem experts recommend that you get in 30 minutes of activity each day.

With gyms across the country closed due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), you might be feeling stumped on the best way to keep up your fitness routine. To inspire you, we’ve compiled this list of simple home workouts you can do right in your living room—no special equipment or training needed. Each takes about 10 minutes. To get in your 30 minutes of daily activity, you can do three of them in a row or spread them out over the day and get the same benefits.

Bonus: Exercise reduces stress and helps you to sleep more soundly, which will both make you feel better when you’re stuck at home and speed your progress to your weight loss goal.

Stuck at Home? 10 Healthy Lifestyle Tips to Stay on Track

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Here are 10 easy workouts you can do at home in your living room:

1. Calisthenics

You might remember these exercises from high-school gym class. Jumping jacks, squats, lunges, sit-ups (or crunches) and push-ups are easy to do anywhere. Plus, they stoke your metabolism and tone your muscles. If you haven’t done them in a while, start with five repetitions (or even three) and gradually increase the amount until you can do three sets of 10 for each exercise.

2. Planks

Want to tone up your belly and your arms as you burn calories? Try this: Get into a push-up position with your hands on the floor directly below your shoulders with your arms and legs straight. You can also drop down to your forearms for a more challenging abdominal workout. Now hold the position for 30 seconds (or as long as you can). Remember to keep breathing so your muscles don’t cramp. Repeat three times. As soon as you can, hold the plank for 10 seconds longer and continue increasing at 10-second increments. Stop when you get to three repetitions that you can hold for a full minute.

3. Weight Lifting

Muscles burn calories even when you’re at rest. Strength training turns fat into muscle mass, keeping those calories burning and helping you to look good as you drop the extra weight. And you don’t need dumbbells or other free weights to get in a good strength-building workout. Fill up your reusable water bottles and use them as weights. When full, a 1.5-liter water bottle weighs a bit more than three pounds.

Hold the bottles in your hands as you lift both arms straight out to the side five times. Also try five simple curls and 10 one-two punches with alternating arms. Want to work with heavier weights to gain even more strength? Use gallon-size plastic milk jugs—when full of water, they come in at about eight pounds each.

9 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain While You Work from Home

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4. Stair Stepping

Climbing stairs tones your core muscles, strengthens your heart and lungs and burns more calories than simply walking. For an easy stair-stepping workout you can do in your living room, set up a sturdy box or milk crate in front of your TV. Step up and down, alternating legs for 10 minutes while watching your favorite shows.

5. Mountain Climbers

Here’s another easy workout to do while watching TV that will tighten your core, arm and shoulder muscles while you burn off calories. Start like you are doing a plank, with your hands below your shoulders and your arms holding you up with your legs straight behind you. Bring each knee up to your chest, alternating them as you go. The movement will seem as if you are “climbing” up the floor. Do 10 repetitions with each leg and gradually increase your speed, if you can.

6. Jumping Rope

If you think jumping rope is just for kids, try it for just one minute. You’ll quickly realize it challenges your coordination and stamina more than you may remember from your days on a playground. If you devote a few minutes to jumping rope each day, you’ll notice that you are gaining strength in your legs and core muscles, while exercising your heart and lungs, too. To jump rope indoors, be sure that you have about a four-by-six feet clearance in the area around you, with about 10 inches of clearance above your head.

7 Low Impact Exercises You Can Do at Home

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7. Pilates

You can build up your arm and leg strength, improve your flexibility and posture and tone up your belly with home workouts known as Pilates (pronounced pill-ah-tees). It involves a series of movements with names like the “Elephant” and the “Swan” that are low-impact, so they don’t put too much strain on anyone who is new to exercising. Plus, they’re easy to do at home!

You can purchase a DVD with home workouts to follow along with or just learn the moves from videos online. It may not look challenging when you watch. However, once you try it, you’ll see why it’s one of the most popular exercise routines for people of all walks of life.

8. Tai Chi

Millions of people in Asia practice this traditional form of martial arts for their daily exercise. Tai chi (pronounced “tie chee”) is a low-impact activity that builds your strength and balance. It also reduces stress and encourages mindfulness or being aware of your body and thoughts. Tai chi home workouts typically consist of a series of postures or poses that are done slowly and with relaxed “flow.” Some tai chi routines include breathing exercises and simple stretches. Check out videos online for a relaxing yet effective workout.

9. Dancing

Make a playlist, get your body moving to the beat and you’ll burn calories as you feel the joy of letting yourself go to the rhythm of your favorite tunes. If you have a partner handy, try a waltz or foxtrot, which burn about 112 calories in 30 minutes for a 155-pound person, says Harvard Health. Like a faster pace? Disco or square dancing can melt off as many as 205 calories in a half hour.

Our Dietitian Weighs In: Foods to Stock Up on During Social Distancing

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10. Housework

Being stuck at home can be a great opportunity to get your house or apartment as tidy and clean as you always want it to be. Better yet, vacuuming, mopping and other cleaning chores help you to burn calories, too—up to 167 in 30 minutes for a 155-pound person, says Harvard Health. That’s about as many as calories as it takes to do moderate calisthenics for the same period of time. You might call that a great two-for-one deal: losing weight while making your home your safe haven.

The post 10 Easy Home Workouts You Can Do in Your Living Room appeared first on The Leaf.

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11 Cheesy Recipes for a Healthy Pizza Night

Pizza holds the top spot on your list of favorite foods: The zesty sauce, tender crust—and all. that. cheese. When you’re trying to lose weight, you know picking up a pie from your favorite shop can derail your goals. But it’s tough to give up that little slice of heaven. Guess what? You don’t have to with these healthy pizza recipes!

With these 11 healthy pizza recipes, you still get the tastes and flavors you love, but with diet-approved ingredients to help reduce the fat and calories.

1. Eggplant Margherita Pizza >

For the pizza purist: Marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and handfuls of fresh basil top eggplant round “crusts” for a more nutritious version of a plain pie. Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes and voila—yummy, melt-in-your-mouth mini pizzas. Can’t stop at one? Not a problem. You can indulge in four pies for only 120 guilt-free calories. On Nutrisystem, one serving counts as one PowerFuel and one Vegetable. Now that’s one healthy pizza recipe!

6 Amazing Pizza Options From Nutrisystem

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2. Sausage and Pepper Eggplant Pizza >

Meat lovers can have their pie, and eat it too. Circles of eggplant serve as the base for browned chicken sausage, provolone cheese, sauce and slices of green bell pepper. Two hearty pizzas weigh in at 224 calories, and count as two PowerFuels and ½ Vegetable on Nutrisystem.

3. Air Fryer Mexican Pizza >

All the south-of-the-borders flavors you want, with mucho less fat and calories—thanks to the air fryer. To make this healthy pizza recipe, first brown some ground turkey with cumin, chili and garlic powder and toss with cilantro and green onions. Spoon the zesty turkey crumbles on top of a tortilla, along with a handful of spinach and shredded Mexican cheese, and bake in the air fryer. Serve with salsa and sliced avocado for a delicious Flex Meal fiesta. Each serving counts as one SmartCarb, two PowerFuels and one Extra.

4. Deep Dish Pizza Cups >

Smooth sauce, melted mozzarella and your pick of pizza topping—all nestled into one delicious whole wheat cup. Whether you opt for zesty sliced peppers or mini pepperoni, savory mushrooms or sautéed spinach, you can personalize each bite with your favorite flavors. One serving contains 148 calories, with nearly seven grams of satisfying protein and three grams of filling fiber. The best part: It’s ready in 10.

10 Kitchen Hacks for a Weight Loss Win

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5. Pizza Stuffed Chicken >

Sure, you can put chunks of chicken onto your pizza and call it a day. Or you could flip that dish inside out for an inspired twist on a traditional pie. Stuff a boneless breast with the pizza standards: Tomato sauce, turkey pepperoni, shredded cheese and lots of minced garlic. Then top with more of the same deliciousness and bake for a meal will no doubt impress even your pickiest dining guests. On Nutrisystem, it counts as one PowerFuel and one Extra.

6. Roasted Red Pepper Eggplant Pizza >

Give your pizza a Mediterranean makeover—complete with hummus, thinly-sliced roasted red pepper, sautéed spinach and garlic and even crumbled feta. Each eggplant pie contains enough healthy fat to satisfy your hunger, but is light enough at 260 calories for four pizzas to leave a little room for dessert. One serving counts as one PowerFuel, one SmartCarb, and one Extra on Nutrisystem.

7. Ricotta Pesto Eggplant Pizza >

This pizza might take the win for best presentation: Rounds of eggplant, layered with bright green pesto, creamy ricotta and thin slices of delicate figs. Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic for a pie that will please your eyes as much as your palate. Two pizzas contain 153 calories.

11 Healthy Meals That Make Flexing Easy (& Delicious!)

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8. Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza >

You’ve mashed it like potatoes and riced it like, well, rice. Not try your hand at morphing cauliflower into light, low carb crust. Trust that it’s worth the effort: This cruciferous veggie is low in calories and packed with nutrients and filling fiber. And its mild flavor makes it the perfect base for other healthy pizza recipes and your favorite pizza toppers—like red peppers, mushrooms and spinach. On Nutrisystem, one serving counts as one PowerFuel and three Vegetables.

9. Thai Eggplant Pizza > 

Peanut butter. That’s right—creamy, spicy peanut butter is the “sauce” on this unique healthy pizza recipe. The heat comes from the chili paste; the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil add the Asian flavors. On top: Chicken, red peppers, green onions—and of course mozzarella, plus a sprinkle cilantro for a burst of freshness. Who ever said healthy food was boring? One serving contains 146 calories and counts as one PowerFuel and one Extra.

10. Roasted Garlic Eggplant Pizza >

Roasted garlic. Need we say any? If so, this clove of deliciousness combines with creamy ricotta cheese and mozzarella, spinach and oregano seasoning atop an eggplant round for a perfect mix of flavors. Enjoy two for only 104 calories.

8 Nutrisystem Melts That Will Melt Your Heart

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11. Air Fryer Pizza Rolls > 

Forget those pizza bites you had as a kid from the frozen food aisle: These homemade versions are so much healthier, and so easy to make. All you need is four ingredients: Sauce, cheese, turkey pepperoni slices and ready-made wonton wrappers. Pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes, and out come crispy, golden brown pizza bites that are lower in calories and packed with flavor. Two pizza rolls weigh in at 67 calories and count as two Extras.

The post 11 Cheesy Recipes for a Healthy Pizza Night appeared first on The Leaf.

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I will never reach my goal weight

There, I said it. I will never get there. Why? Because every time I do, my “goal weight” changes. The further along in this journey I go, the more I’m realizing that it’s not about the number on the scale anymore. It’s about how I FEEL. Am I comfortable in my own skin? Am I healthy? Am I happy? Does my doctor think I’m healthy? I’ve been able to answer “yes” to all four of these questions for a while now, and I STILL try and lose those last 3lbs.

But why?

I have this notion in my head that once I get to whatever my next goal weight is, I’ll be even happier/even more comfortable in my skin. To date, this still hasn’t happened by getting to whatever my next goal was.

For what feels like forever, my entire world has revolved around weight loss. I have lost more than half of my body weight. I recently decided: no more. No more trying to lose weight. I’m done. I am well within a healthy BMI range, I’ve accomplished all of my non-scale goals, and I’m happy. Why do we always have to have more?

Maintenance mode is a weird place to be for me, mostly because I have never been here before. This is uncharted territory. But I have worked my ass off to be here (literally, it’s gone). Here we go, cheers to maintenance mode and all that it entails, even if I’m 3lbs heavier than I thought I wanted to be!

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Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Wednesday, 01 April 2020? Start here!

Today is your Day 1?

Welcome to r/Loseit!

So you aren’t sure of how to start? Don’t worry! “How do I get started?” is our most asked question. r/Loseit has helped our users lose over 1,000,000 recorded pounds and these are the steps that we’ve found most useful for getting started.

Why you’re overweight

Our bodies are amazing (yes, yours too!). In order to survive before supermarkets, we had to be able to store energy to get us through lean times, we store this energy as adipose fat tissue. If you put more energy into your body than it needs, it stores it, for (potential) later use. When you put in less than it needs, it uses the stored energy. The more energy you have stored, the more overweight you are. The trick is to get your body to use the stored energy, which can only be done if you give it less energy than it needs, consistently.

Before You Start

The very first step is calculating your calorie needs. You can do that HERE. This will give you an approximation of your calorie needs for the day. The next step is to figure how quickly you want to lose the fat. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound of fat per week you will need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE (daily calorie needs from the link above). 750 calories less will result in 1.5 pounds and 1000 calories is an aggressive 2 pounds per week.

Tracking

Here is where it begins to resemble work. The most efficient way to lose the weight you desire is to track your calorie intake. This has gotten much simpler over the years and today it can be done right from your smartphone or computer. r/loseit recommends an app like MyFitnessPal, Loseit! (unaffiliated), or Cronometer. Create an account and be honest with it about your current stats, activities, and goals. This is your tracker and no one else needs to see it so don’t cheat the numbers. You’ll find large user created databases that make logging and tracking your food and drinks easy with just the tap of the screen or the push of a button. We also highly recommend the use of a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Knowing how much of what you're eating is more important than what you're eating. Why? This may explain it.

Creating Your Deficit

How do you create a deficit? This is up to you. r/loseit has a few recommendations but ultimately that decision is yours. There is no perfect diet for everyone. There is a perfect diet for you and you can create it. You can eat less of exactly what you eat now. If you like pizza you can have pizza. Have 2 slices instead of 4. You can try lower calorie replacements for calorie dense foods. Some of the communities favorites are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash in place of their more calorie rich cousins. If it appeals to you an entire dietary change like Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian.

The most important thing to remember is that this selection of foods works for you. Sustainability is the key to long term weight management success. If you hate what you’re eating you won’t stick to it.

Exercise

Is NOT mandatory. You can lose fat and create a deficit through diet alone. There is no requirement of exercise to lose weight.

It has it’s own benefits though. You will burn extra calories. Exercise is shown to be beneficial to mental health and creates an endorphin rush as well. It makes people feel awesome and has been linked to higher rates of long term success when physical activity is included in lifestyle changes.

Crawl, Walk, Run

It can seem like one needs to make a 180 degree course correction to find success. That isn’t necessarily true. Many of our users find that creating small initial changes that build a foundation allows them to progress forward in even, sustained, increments.

Acceptance

You will struggle. We have all struggled. This is natural. There is no tip or trick to get through this though. We encourage you to recognize why you are struggling and forgive yourself for whatever reason that may be. If you overindulged at your last meal that is ok. You can resolve to make the next meal better.

Do not let the pursuit of perfect get in the way of progress. We don’t need perfect. We just want better.

Additional resources

Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.

• Quick Start Guide - Build your foundation!
• Loseit Compendium - Frame it out!
• FAQ - Answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions!

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Feeling Discouraged/Confused after Starting Weight Loss Journey

Hi all,

So I started my official weight loss journey about a week ago- today will be day 7. I've been closely monitoring my food intake and exercising vigorously for 30-120 minutes every. Single. Day.

I am a recovered anorexic and normally gain/lose weight at an extraordinarily rapid pace- crunching the numbers of what I've been eating/calories burned, I thought I would have lost at least 1 pound by now, but my scale is still reading as it always has. It fluctuates up and down within 2-ish pounds throughout the day (as bodies do) but it doesn't seem to be different. I know that I need to give it more time, but I'm worried that in another week, or even 3, I still won't see any progress. I'm eating significantly cleaner, eating low cal, and exercising....anyone have any tips on what I may be doing wrong? When can I see for-sure weight results that I can rely on and know aren't just part of the body's cycle?

TIA!

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[Directory] Find your quests here! -

Welcome adventurer! Whether you're new on this quest or are towards the end of your journey there should be something below for you.

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Daily journal.

• [Q&A] "I have a question."
• [Day 1] "I am starting my weight loss journey."
• [SV/NSV] "I have an accomplishment to share."
• [24hr Pledge] "Today I am going to..."

Interested in some side quests?

• [Motivation Monday] Share some motivation, get some motivation.
• [Tantrum Tuesday] Need to vent? People getting on your nerves?
• [Weigh-In Wednesday]
• [Track with Me Thursday] Did we just become best friends?!
• [Free Talk Friday] What's on your mind?

Community bulletin board!

• [Running with Loseit] Run with losers. Avoid arrows.
• [Maintenance Monday] Lost it? Work on keeping it.
• [Wecipe Wednesday] Swap and discuss recipies!

Need some questing buddies?

• [US Accountability Challenge]
• [EU Accountability Challenge]
• [Travel to neighboring communities!]

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If you are new to the sub, click here for our posting guidelines

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