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      5 Genius Treadmill Hacks That Shave Off More Kilos

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      If you’re trying to lose weight but run at the same speed and incline every time you hit the treadmill, you can run right into a rut that’s boring and lacking in kilojoule-torching power. The good news is jogging on the treadmill can go from a tedious trek to a quick fat-burning session. All it takes is a bit of know-how and strategic programming that’ll not only improve your speed, but your weight loss capacity, too.
      1. Mix It Up
      Exercise’s role in weight loss may seem easy: To lose weight, you need to burn more kilojoules, says Janet Hamilton, an exercise physiologist at Running Strong. You can do that by upping your intensity or your duration. The problem is that if you work too close to your maximum heart rate, you might tire out too quickly. But if you run slow and steady you’ll have to go a long time to see results.
      The happy medium is variety, says Hamilton. On some days, take your usual 20 to 30 minutes a little bit faster. On other days, go longer and slower – for about an hour or so.
      READ MORE: 10 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Hit the Gym After Work
      2. Master Your Speed
      Intervals – or short bursts of sprinting sprinkled throughout a workout – are one of the easiest ways to cut time off your workout (score!) and centimetres off your waist. In fact, a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that ladies who ran hard for two minutes (then slowed down for three minutes) burned more kilojoules the day after their workout than those who went the slow and steady route.
      What’s even better: They dropped four per cent of their body fat in the coming weeks. The group who did low-intensity, steady workouts didn’t lose any.
      Start with intervals in 1:2 or 1:1 ratios, says Hamilton. That means upping your speed for 30 to 60 seconds, then dropping it for the same amount of time or double that. Choose a speed that’s an effort you could hold for between two and five minutes, says Hamilton. You want to feel invigorated, not exhausted. You can build up to higher intensities, but how hard to go all depends on your experience – so first check out where you fall with this new treadmill workout you have to try.
      3. Do Hills the Smart Way
      Up your incline, up your kilojoule burn – it sounds simple. Unfortunately, running or walking on a steep incline can be hard on your body. “Most people instinctively know that, but when we get on the treadmill, we lose that common sense, crank up the incline, and hold on for dear life,” says Hamilton.
      READ MORE: How To Get A Strength-Training Workout On The Treadmill
      Instead of setting the incline and forgetting it, pretend you’re outside, says Hamilton. Learn to go up a hill at the same effort you’re going at a flat road. That might mean dropping your speed a little, but “this is an opportunity to build strength in your hips and legs, working them a little harder.”
      You can also try incline intervals, she says. Crank the incline up between 2 and 4 per cent for one to two minutes, let your speed drop 0.1 or 0.2, then bring your incline back down to 0 for that same amount of time and repeat. Once you’ve mastered maintaining your effort on a hill, work to maintain speed.
      4. Some Days, Just Keep Going
      We’ve all had those miraculous days where eight kilometres feels like four. “Just doing a longer workout will burn about 50 percent more kilojoules,” says Hamilton. Instead of running for 30 minutes, going for 45 increases your duration and calorie burn by 50 per cent. While this isn’t a good everyday technique (hello, boredom and plateaus), switching up your routine with some longer runs is a great way to up your kilojoule burn without a ton of effort.
      READ MORE: 19 Slider Exercises That Will Make Your Abs And Glutes WORK
      5. Don’t Ditch Other Workouts
      Research published in The Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that the best way to lose weight isn’t doing the same routine over and over again. Finding the perfect mix of resistance training, intervals, endurance, and stretching will help you meet your goal faster. More

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      5 Ways To Measure Healthy Portion Sizes Without A Scale

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      The Association for Dietetics (ADSA)  in South Africa held a Twitter Talk on #HealthyNutrition4All, which highlighted how South Africans are becoming one of the most obese populations in the world! Some of that is attributed to unhealthy lifestyle habits, but a hefty portion can contribute a lot to the statistic. Here, dietitians, The Heart & Stroke Foundation SA, FoodBank SA, Soil For Life and the Department of Health share tips on measuring your meal’s healthy portion sizes – without a scale.
      Use The Plate Model
      The Heart Foundation recommends using a plate to estimate how much starch, meat and vegetables you should eat. Half your plate should be veggies, a quarter starch and the rest protein.
      READ MORE: 5 Portion Control Tips You’ve Probably Never Heard Before
      Use Your Hands
      Dietician Maryke Gallagher advises that you should measure food with your fist. One portion of fruit should be the size of your fist. Also use your palm to measure how much protein, etc. you should be eating. A palm is the size estimate of your protein portion, your fist is the size of a starch portion and your full hand (or more) is the size of a veg portion.
      Know When You’re Full
      Dietician, Karlien Duvenhage, believes it’s important to be in tune with your body and start learning when you are hungry or full.
      READ MORE: What Really Happens To Your Body (And Brain) On A Detox Diet?
      Go Mini
      The Heart Foundation suggests you eat out of a small bowl, with smaller utensils and cups to make the meal appear ‘fuller’. Use a smaller bowl for rice and noodle dishes instead of a giant one; try eating your regular meals from side plates instead of full-size plates. This tricks your brain into thinking you’re eating a bigger meal and also makes you feel more satisfied with what you’ve eaten if it looks like a large portion of food, when really it’s a healthy portion.
      Your Portion Size Go-To Guide
      Meat should be the size of a deck of cards; carbohydrate portions (rice, bread, noodles and spaghetti) the size of a tennis ball; fat (bacon rind, oil, mayonnaise), the size your thumb; and veg is a free for all, according to dietician Jade Seeliger.
      READ MORE: Here’s Exactly How To Start Working Out Again, After A Winter Hibernating More

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      Caley Jäck’s Simple Formula For Sticking To A Healthy Lifestyle

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      If you’re anything like a normal person, you’d almost always pick a pizza over a salad. Or an extra hour’s nap over waking up early to work out. And like any normal person, you’d still much rather resemble the glowy, sculpted goddess that is our cover girl and Les Mills trainer Caley Jäck. But to achieve this physique and look amazing, there’s a certain amount of resilience that comes with sticking to a healthy lifestyle.
      Of course, queries from people wanting to carve out such a healthy lifestyle are not unheard of for Caley, who’s been a fitness trainer for a long time. She’s also a pre-and post-natal instructor, and many women seek a return to their bodies before giving birth. Here, we’ve teased out bits of wisdom from our interview with her to reveal a down-to-earth approach that shapes her habits – and can help you, too.
      1. Keep It Simple
      A lot of modern-day weight loss and health messaging can be conflicting, misleading and downright confusing. There are so many superfood blends, protein powders and supplements that you’d be forgiven for not knowing where to start. “Keep it as simple as possible,” says Caley. “If it’s creating too much anxiety to integrate into your week, why implement that?” If you can’t find the time to cook a full breakfast, find a way to make it quick and easy, like a fast smoothie or overnight oats.
      READ MORE: Calories Vs Nutrients: What You Need To Know About Losing Weight
      2. See To Your Baseline
      When it comes to supplements, powders and health tonics, Caley is reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. “I really feel that you need to prioritize your baseline nutrition,” she says. “If you can’t consume a full meal, a protein shake is maybe the best way to get your body to absorb [nutrients]. Do that because it works for your lifestyle,” says Caley. “But don’t let that be your meal replacement. Rather try and if possible, prioritize a good, wholesome plate of food.”
      READ MORE: Can CLA Safflower Oil Supplements Really Help You Lose Weight?

      3. Spend Time Learning About Portion Sizes
      “I’ve never been one that’s able to follow a diet or like an eating plan as such,” says Caley. “I do find there is a benefit in learning more about how to balance your macros.” While physically cutting and measuring portions might be too finicky for you, a simple chart about the correct portions of food goes a long way in figuring out a good balance on your plate. For Caley, this means happily allowing herself to have a muffin – with butter and cheese – but halving her portions. She demonstrates with her plate: “So like okay, I’m not going to have this whole piece of butter. But I’m going to have that section of butter because that is proportion to what my body needs,” she says. Focusing on what your body needs rather than what you want can be a big driver of change.
      READ MORE: I Tried The Planet Fitness FitBuddy App – Here’s What I Think
      4. Commit To The Change
      If you’re trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle, you’ll have to accept that it’ll be uncomfortable for a little while. But that’s the case with any change. “I feel like if you create a of change within your lifestyle, and you integrate that every day, that’s when it becomes habitual. And when it’s habitual, you don’t have to think about it,” she says. “Anything that requires change takes time and it feels uncomfortable in the beginning. But if you’re wanting to create change, and if you’re wanting to hit certain goals, you need to create change.”

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      Is When You Eat More Important Than What You Eat?

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      Many people worry about gaining weight if they eat later than a certain time. But does it matter when you eat? Is this time really more important than what you eat?
      There’s been a ridiculous amount of research into whether you’ll gain weight if you eat (dinner) after 8pm. The results of the studies are not always consistent. In one study, there was no association between eating late and being overweight, while other researchers found that those who ate after 8 p.m. consumed more calories than previous eaters. Those extra kilojoules can actually lead to weight gain. In general, you do not seem to gain extra weight if you eat late at night, but then you should eat a healthy and varied diet during the day.
      READ MORE: Can Acupuncture Really Help You Lose Weight? We Asked The Experts
      Food Choices
      Don’t be blinded by the times. In reality, what you eat is much more important than when you eat. In addition, the problem is that late eaters often tend to eat more, and less healthily. Regardless of the timing, eating more kilojoules will automatically lead to weight gain. So eating in the evening can only lead to weight gain if you eat a surplus of ‘joules.
      Furthermore, eating late can affect certain food choices. Late at night, you are more likely to choose unhealthy foods. These foods often contain little nutritional value, such as chips, soda and ice cream. This is partly due to emotional eating and fatigue. In either case, you crave less healthy, high-kilojoule foods .
      READ MORE: 12 Reasons You’re Not Losing Weight While Doing Intermittent Fasting, According To An RD
      Meal Timing
      While the total number of calories you eat ultimately affects your weight, research shows that there are ways to regulate your appetite through meal timing and frequency.
      Several studies indicate that eating a high-kilojoule breakfast can keep you feeling full for longer and potentially prevent overeating in the evening. In one study, people who ate a 2510kJ breakfast had less appetite and significantly less hunger throughout the day than people who ate half the kilojoules for breakfast. In particular, the appetite for sweets was reduced.
      Late night snack
      Also, eating several small meals can help control your appetite and reduce hunger pangs throughout the day. So experiment with the timing and size of your meals. If you still feel like a late night snack, it is best to go for these foods.
      This article was first published on womenshealthmag.com/nl
      READ MORE: 5 Obesity Causes That Prove It’s Way More Complicated Than Just Eating Too Much

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      5 Ways To Burn More Fat During Your Walking Workouts

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      Apart from being a low-impact exercise that you can do literally anytime, anywhere, walking can be just as great (if not better!) at spurring weight loss compared to high-intensity boot camps and other balls-to-the-wall workouts, says personal trainer Chris Freytag, founder of Get Healthy U TV, and board member of the American Council of Exercise. In fact, a 2015 study found that […] More