Burning It Off

Did you know that you can create a caloric deficit by not only eating small portions of the right types of foods, but also by being more active throughout the day? It's true. Take every opportunity to be as active as possible throughout the day. The more active you are, the more calories you'll burn, and the easier it'll be to create a caloric deficit for maximum fat loss.

Exercise doesn't have to be limited to the track or the gym. You can greatly increase the amount of physical activity your body gets (and the total calories you burn) by making small lifestyle changes to be as active as possible throughout the day.

Here are a few simple examples:

* Get in the habit of taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

* Keep your sport shoes in the car so you're always prepared to get out and be active when you have some extra time. You could take a brisk walk or shoot some baskets after lunch, before returning to work.

* Choose a hike or a bike ride instead of a movie. Play with your kids in the backyard rather than dropping them off at the video arcade.

Any extra bit of activity adds up and over the long-run, makes a big difference in how much fat you lose. By simply meeting friends for a walk or bike ride, or a game of tennis or racquetball, instead of "happy hour", for example, will save you 700 or more calories (i.e. burn 350+ calories and save 350+ calories on drinks you would have consumed). By doing this just once a week, you can lose an extra pound of fat a month! That's 12 pounds of fat a year simply by having fun playing instead of drinking once a week. Of course, if you made this simple change 2 or 3 times a week you could enjoy double or triple the fat loss.