Drinking plenty of water is essential for any weight loss regime, as it helps flush out toxins and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. And when it comes to drinking water to lose weight fast, you can do a few things to make sure you’re getting the most out of it.
If you are exercising and ensuring you incorporate cardio and strength training in your exercise regimen, you may need to look at how much water you are consuming daily. You may be fighting a losing battle if you aren’t getting enough water. Keep reading to discover how to drink water to lose weight fast!
1. Drink a glass of water before meals
This will help you feel fuller faster and prevent overeating. Instead of grabbing a soda, sugary juice, tea, or other sweetened juices, try drinking plain water. Most women don’t drink enough water every day anyway. Our bodies are mostly water, so depleted of water decreases the effectiveness of exercising.
2. Water lubricates joints
Water helps to keep the joints healthy by lubricating them. If one lubricates the brakes on the car or puts oil in the car to help the engine run, the joints will not perform accurately without being lubricated. Many people cause injuries to their bodies by not drinking enough water. Again using the car as an example, not drinking enough water causes extra pressure on the joints. The shocks on your car help your tires to remain inflated and decrease the wear and tear on tires.
3. Water and Oxygen
Drinking water to lose weight fast has other benefits, oxygen. Where does oxygen come from in the body? The blood. In our bodies, oxygen is absorbed by the blood. What percentage of the blood is water? 90%. What are we using a lot of when we breathe? Oxygen. What causes that oxygen to travel through the body? The blood. Decreasing your water while exercising will also impact decreased oxygenation in the body, which you need to breathe.
4. Drink water to lower your blood pressure
If you want optimum health, your blood pressure must be controlled. There are many natural ways to lower blood pressure. Exercising is one of them, but drinking water is also another alternative. The more water you drink, the more blood can flow freely. If you don’t get enough water, you will make your heart work harder, trying to disperse oxygen throughout the body.
5. Water regulates body temperature
Water helps to cool the body when you exercise in the heat. It also helps to decrease dehydration by causing the body to sweat. If you are not hydrated well beforehand, you can quickly become dehydrated.
6. Drink water before bed
This will help prevent waking up in the middle of the night and snacking. Drinking water before bed helps curb the urge to snack before sleep, leading to weight gain. Water also helps cleanse the body before you go to sleep.
7. Variety of Water
If plain water is too boring, try changing things up. Try adding lemon and lime to your water. It helps change the taste and can add vitamin C to your diet. You can also try fruit-infused water. Other options would be to add berries and a slice of an orange, and I’ve also seen people add cucumber to their water. These are healthy options and eliminate the urge to crave sugar.
8. Carry bottled water throughout the day
The key here is always to make water accessible. If it’s out of site, it won’t trigger to drink. Drinking water throughout the day helps you to burn more calories. How is this possible? Water prevents your muscles from cramping. Dehydration leads to muscle cramping. If you are exercising, you don’t want cramps. It keeps you hydrated throughout the day and during workouts.
9. Water helps to flush out waste from the body
The body has two major ways to eliminate toxins from the body, the colon, and the bladder. Water helps you to filter toxins through the urinary system. The more water you drink, the more toxins are flushed out with your urine. If your urine is foul-smelling, concentrated, and deep yellow, you must add more water to your diet. Water also helps the colon and bile move waste through the colon effectively. Constipation may result if there is insufficient water to assist in this process.
10. Ideas to get extra water in your diet
Some suggestion to get extra water in your diet is to keep water at your bedside at night. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thirsty. I keep a cup or bottle of water at my bedside to drink and go back to sleep. Keep water with you at all times. Drink extra water on hot or humid days. Lastly, eat many fruit and veggies with high water content, such as watermelon, grapes, berries, cucumber, lettuce, tomato, and melons.
How much weight can I lose in a month with increased water intake?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as weight loss will vary from person to person. However, drinking more water can help boost your weight loss efforts. Try drinking a glass of water before each meal and see how much weight you lose!
As we age, our bones start to lose density and become weak. Lack of strength puts us at risk for fractures and other injuries. Strength training helps to counter this by increasing the power of our bones. Bone strength is vital for women, who are more likely than men to suffer osteoporosis. Try exercises that put weight on the bone, such as weight-bearing exercises. Weight-bearing helps to strengthen the bones. Examples of weight-bearing exercises are elastic bands, push-ups, stair climbing, light weights, machine weights, mini trampoline or rebounder, and walking.
Strength training helps improve weight loss.
Carrying extra weight can strain our joints and lead to other health problems. When you strength train, it helps to build muscle, which in turn helps to burn more calories and reduce body fat.
Strength training increases muscle mass.
As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass. Strength training decreases the loss of muscle. If you don’t build muscle, your body fat will increase by default. Strength training for at least 45 minutes 3 days a week can change your body’s fat percentage in less than six months. Progress is the key, so if you cannot do 45 minutes, try 20 minutes. The key is to do more than your doing now consistently. Rest the muscles in-between strength training days.
Strength training and weight maintenance
Strength Training for Women over 40
Another benefit of strength training for women over 40 is that it can help with weight loss and maintenance. As we increase in age, our metabolism slows down, and we start to lose muscle mass, leading to weight gain. Strength training helps to counteract these effects by increasing muscle mass and burning calories. One study found that postmenopausal women who participated in a strength-training program lost more body fat than those who didn’t participate in a program.
Improved mood and sleep quality
In addition to physical benefits, strength training can also have positive impacts on your mood and sleep quality. Postmenopausal women who participated in a 12-week strength-training program reported improvements in their mood and quality of sleep. If you’re struggling with insomnia or low energy levels, strength training may be just what you need to get back on track.
Reduced Risk of Injury
Aging causes us to be more susceptible to injuries due to the loss of muscle mass and bone density. Strength training can help reduce the risk of injury by increasing muscle mass and improving bone density.
Improved Balance and Coordination
Balance and coordination often decline with age leading to falls and other accidents. Strength training can help improve balance and coordination by strengthening the muscles that support these functions.
Conclusion
No matter your age, strength training is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. But if you’re over 40, it’s essential. Strength training provides numerous benefits for middle-aged women, including improved bone density, reduced body fat, and increased muscle mass.
Strength training provides many benefits for middle-aged women, including osteoporosis prevention, weight loss, improved mood, and better sleep quality. If you’re over 40, consider adding strength training to your workout routine. You’ll be glad you did!
What do you think about this article and strength training for women over 40? Have you tried it yourself? Share your experiences in the comments below!
How do women improve their metabolism as they age? This post is the woman’s ultimate guide to help increase metabolism after age 40.
Something happens to a woman’s body after she turns 40. Everything slows down. Muscle Mass decreases, which leads to muscle weakness, and the body’s ability to burn energy decreases.
Women lose 3-8% of muscle mass after 30. So, if one is not careful, it is easy to put on unwanted pounds and fat. So, take preventive steps to keep this from happening. Metabolism is the biochemical way your body breaks down food and converts it to energy.
Aerobic Cardio Exercise
You probably don’t want to hear it, but cardio exercise is essential for boosting metabolism. Exercising is like starting your car. You burn energy and, as a result, burn fat. One of the best benefits of exercise is that you continue to burn energy or calories for a while after your workout.
Remember this, the more you move your body, the more fuel or calories your burn. The more energy you burn, the more muscle you build. The more muscle you make, the less fat is stored in the body.
Strength Training
Strength training is essential because it builds muscle. The more muscle power you build, the less fat you will have. The mistake some make is only doing cardio or only doing strength training. It would be best to do both to boost your metabolism and lose weight.
Try strength training using free weights or your body weight to exercise. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include pushups, pullups, planks, squats, and lunges.
Drink More Water
Most people drink less than the body’s daily requirement for water. Water helps the body to burn calories. So, instead of grabbing that warm or cold beverage, pick up a water bottle and drink that instead. Drinking water can increase your metabolism by 10 to 30 percent.
Dehydration slows metabolism and causes the body to conserve energy. Instead of burning fat, you hold on to and store it. But, staying hydrated and drinking water do the opposite. The more you drink water, the less you crave sugary, unhealthy drinks, and the more you increase your metabolism.
Increase Protein
Protein builds muscle
Protein increases a gut hormone that makes you feel full and satisfied.
Protein decreases muscle weakness from aging
Protein gives you energy
Protein burns calories. Protein requires more calories to digest. Proteins also make you feel satisfied for more extended periods, decreasing the urge to eat things that are not healthy. Healthy protein includes beans, nuts, seeds, tofu, and whole-grain foods.
Increase Whole Grains
Tufts University states that those who eat whole grains instead of refined foods burn an extra 100 calories per day! Fiber also takes up more space and has bulk. Whole grains can decrease your feelings of hunger. Entire grains include rice, wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat, bulger, Millett, whole grain bread, crackers, popcorn, and Quinoa.
Increase Fruits and Vegetables
For starters, fruits and vegetables are low in calories. Once you eat fruits and veggies, the body uses this food as fuel to burn, whereas sugary refined foods store in the body as fat. Fruits and veggies contain vitamin C, vitamin B, and Calcium. So, replace foods such as sweets, snacks, white bread, and crackers with these healthier choices.
Get Adequate Sleep
Get Some Sleep
Many negative things impact the body when you don’t get enough sleep. It’s somewhat of a domino effect. You wake up late, skip breakfast because you’re running late, and eat unhealthy options at lunch because you need something to satisfy your hunger because you skipped breakfast.
You’re too tired to cook when you get home and choose an unhealthy option. Then, you snack late at night because you haven’t eaten well all day. Oh yeah, forget about working out. You’re exhausted. Sound familiar?
Sleep is a restoration process for the body. Web MD says:
Too little sleep triggers a cortisol spike. This stress hormone signals your body to conserve energy to fuel your waking hours.
Translation: You’re more apt to hang on to fat.
Researchers found that when dieters cut back on sleep for 14 days, the amount of weight they lost from fat dropped by 55%, even though their calories stayed equal. They felt hungrier and less satisfied after meals, depleting their energy.
Eat Regularly (Don’t Skip Meals)
Food is fuel to the body. Our bodies cannot function properly without eating. Skipping meals has the opposite effect of what home people realize. Not eating regular meals causes you to conserve and hold on to fat. It’s the body’s way of preserving itself from starvation. Skipping meals does not do you any favors, but eating regular, well-balanced meals helps increase metabolism.
Eat Breakfast
If you are interested in boosting your metabolism but skipping breakfast, you are fighting a losing battle. Depriving your body of the fuel or energy it needs to burn fat is like driving a car without power. You will get nowhere. Breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism for the day. Breakfast burns more calories. Not eating breakfast slows metabolism down, and you are teaching your body to hold on to fat. Eat! Enough said.
Decrease Stress
Stress causes some to lose weight and causes others to gain. Some people who may lose weight while stressed also deal with stress by eating. What do most people eat for comfort foods? You got it, junk food. But, even if you aren’t eating junk foods but more foods over time, your body will put on pounds. Sleep increases your metabolism.
Decrease Sugar and added Sugar in Diet
Sugar is full of empty calories, so there is little or no nutritional value. If you are in the habit of adding Sugar to a lot of your food, stop this now. Secondly, these keep you craving for more. After all, they don’t fill you up because they’re lacking in fiber. So, put the breaks on things such as desserts, candy, lemonade, sports drinks, fast foods,
Eat Whole Foods
Earlier, we mentioned eating whole grains. Now let’s talk about eating whole foods. Eliminate refined foods and eat whole foods. Examples of whole foods include beans, lentils, vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, and seeds,
Get Your Thyroid Levels Checked
The thyroid has hormones called T3 and T4 that help regulate the body’s metabolism. If the hormone level is too low, it can cause you to gain weight; if it is too high, you can lose weight rapidly. Thyroid hormone influences metabolism and body temperature and helps to regulate your appetite. If you are trying to lose weight, the thyroid level may be the key to increasing your metabolism after 40.
Watch What you Say: The Blame Game
Stop blaming weight gain on your slow metabolism, DNA, thick build, etc. In other words, stop blaming your weight on people, places, things, and situations. Blame puts the responsibility for your problem on someone else.
When you take responsibility, it is more about how your mental state affects your metabolism and weight. You are responsible for what happens to you. Turn your gaze from the distractions to what you need to do for yourself.
Get Up Hourly and Walk Around
If you are in the office or at home, get up hourly and walk instead of sitting all day. Go down the hall and come back, go downstairs, come back, go to the mailbox, and come back. Keep your body moving to boost your metabolism.
Stop Depending on Supplements to do Everything
We live in a society of quick fixes. We want everything fast. Fast food, fast weight loss, fast everything, and if there is a corner to cut to get where we want to go, we will cut corners. If you want to increase metabolism, don’t look for quick fixes.
Supplements cannot exercise for you nor magically produce all the nutrients you need in a day in one capsule or pill. Put in the work you need to live a healthier lifestyle. Invest in your health! Yes, you can increase your metabolism after 40.
Conclusion
We spend money on cars, homes, massages, manicures, pedicures, entertainment, and clothing. Isn’t it about time we spend money on our health?
Money and time invested in health will never go to waste. Decide to put your health at the top of your priority list and remove it from the bottom.
What you eat has a lot to do with how healthy you will be. Just as what kind of gas you put in your car affects how it will run, what we put into our bodies and minds affect how our bodies and minds work. Exercise alone will not make you healthy. Here are 16 diet and fitness health tips for women.
Training without proper nutrition is not optimum health at all. A good diet is not just about what you eat but how and when you eat. The food you put in your body can make the difference between a long and short life.
If you are far from the ideal, why not incorporate a few life changes at once? If you make systematic changes during the year, you can transform your whole diet a little at a time. Maybe you are at a loss of where to start. Here are some suggestions:
Add just one more cup per day than you currently drink and increase your amount in increments. You decide if it will be weekly, bi-weekly, etc.
2. Add Fruit To Your Diet
Increase your fruit intake one serving at a time until you are eating 3-4 servings per day. Try Dr. Smoothie crushed fruit. It comes in many flavors.
3. Eat One Raw Salad Per Day
I knew a family that served a salad every day with dinner. This is an excellent way to increase raw vegetables in your diet. Incorporate more raw veggies daily.
4. Don't Skip Breakfast
Breakfast is your most important meal of the day, don’t skip it. When I skip a meal, I am attracted to junk foods and will most likely eat them because they are quick and easy. When I leave home in the morning satisfied, I can wait until lunch to eat again.
5. Plan Your Meals For The Week
Cut up some raw vegetables and put them in an airtight container to prepare a quick salad. Buy frozen vegetables that you can put in a quick vegetable soup or stew.
Roast some potatoes and put them in the refrigerator to warm them later that week. Use your crockpot and prepare a healthy meal.
However, if you know you will not get the recommended amounts of vegetables per day, why not consider Amazing Grass, Green Superfood? This superfood should not replace your fruits and vegetables but can supplement your diet. One suggestion would be to add it to your smoothies.
6. Include orange, yellow, red, green or purple veggies daily
Make your meals colorful.
7. Choose Whole Grain Bread Instead of White Bread
Whole grain is a healthier option because the nutrients have not been removed.
8. Decrease Your Consumption of Meat
Reduce your intake of meat, especially red meat. Increase your servings of beans and other protein sources such as Quinoa.
There is nothing healthy about sodas. There are no essential nutrients in them.
11. Choose 100% Fruit Juice
Fruit juice is a better option than soda, and fresh fruit is better than fruit juice. Remember there is still a higher content of natural sugar in the juice. If you are diabetic, this is especially important to remember.
12. Try Almond or Soy Milk Instead of animal milk
Almond milk is a healthy alternative to animal-based milk. You may also like Soy Milk.
13. eat more nuts seeds and grains
Whole grain bread, crackers muffins, and just the natural seeds and nuts are healthy options.
14. Eat healthy Fats in Moderation
We need a certain amount of fat in our diets to be healthy. However, too much healthy fat can increase cholesterol in your body. The key is to keep everything in balance.
If you want healthy smoothies, soups, spreads, meals, or any other healthy dishes in your diet, I recommend the Vitamix Blender.
If you can practice or start incorporating these 16 diet and fitness tips for women into your lifestyle. You will be well on your way to a much healthier you!