Five Tips to a Lean Life

Are you struggling to get your waistline under control? Does your weight fluctuate. Well getting a lean waistline is never an easy challenge. But maintaining it can be even more challenging. While there will be no shortcuts there are somethings you can do to try to keep a lean waistline. Here are 5 things you must do in order to have success:

Eat 5-6 meals a day. Most people have grown up with the idea that you should eat three times a day. Breakfast,lunch and dinner seems as normal as 1 +1=2. Not only is this not the best way to go, fewer and fewer people are even eating three meals a day. We live such a busy life that often we skip breakfast and eat lunch and dinner. The reality is the more you deprive your body, the more it stores fat and gets rid of lean tissue. If you have muscle it actually takes more calories to maintain it than to maintain fat. To put it simply less food equals less muscle which equals more flab. Not only will eating 5 to six meals a day keep you lean, you won't get hungry often either.

Watch what you drink- You have to be realistic. There are going to be times when you drink fluids that are not great for you. Just be careful. Soda, juices and even alcohol contain lots of calories. These are calories that are not nutritious and will work against you mission to stay lean. You can't afford lots of calories going to drinks. Drink plenty of water(eight 8 ounce glasses) everyday. Other drinks that are low in calories include diet soda and low-fat milk.

Don't count- No, you shouldn't be counting calories. The reality is most people don't follow through when trying to count calories anyway. They don't have the discipline to keep track of everything they eat. Furthermore you really don't need to count calories anyway. You should mentally think about what calories you've taken in but don't record them. Focus on eating the right kinds of food and maintaining your portion control. All calories are not the same when it comes to metabolism anyway.

It's alright to cheat. Every once in a while you need to cheat. You need to eat some foods that are just for fun. That favorite food that you know is high in calories or fat but you eat it anyway. Most experts recommend once a week have a day where you are not worried about calories and you eat whatever you want. Make sure you stick to just once a week!

Move your body. There is no substitute for exercise. If you want to maintain a lean body you've got to exercise 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. It's not good enough just to try to eat healthy. You've got to get your body moving and your heart rate up. Something like aerobics, running, or cycling is what will get the job done. Be consistent and work hard to burn off extra calories.

Maintaining a lean body is not easy but it can be done. Follow some of the above mentioned tips to keep yourself lean and fit.