Healthy Diet for December 29 – Boost Your “Burn”

You know the basics: a pound of body fat equals 3,500 calories. To trim down, eat fewer calories, burn more, or do both. You get out of it what you put into it. So, the more often you’re physically active, the longer you do it, and the harder you move, the more calories you burn. Just showing up for exercise or socializing your way through its motions won’t burn much.

To boost your burn:

• Pump it up. Use hand weights when you walk. Wave your arms as you dance.
• Just add five. Five more minutes of physical activity daily add up to more than 30 minutes a week. So, if you burn 18 calories for every 5 minutes of brisk walking, that’s 126 calories a week more—if you just add 5!
• Switch gears. Simply walking more and sitting less makes a big difference. Take the stairs, do housework, shovel snow.