Arianna O'Dell

The last few months I spent in Spain. I learned a lot and had some incredible experiences.

Read the post here on the Social3i blog.

I’m not the poster child for good health. I won’t even pretend. However, over the last year I’ve been able to knock off a few pounds, keep them off, and increase my overall state of well being.

Now for the ways to slim down, regain your health, and boost your energy levels tenfold…. here we go!

1.) Diet Products are the Devil - Sugar free, 0 calories…..Get all this stuff out of your cupboards right now. Now throw it in the garbage because that’s what it is. Diet sodas, low calorie packaged snacks, fat free, this stuff is not healthy – just a marketing ploy. I used to LIVE off this stuff. Granola bars and frozen “diet” dinners for meals. Even though I was raised to know better (sorry Mom!), for some reason I was somehow convinced doing this was healthy.

I’m a marketer and for the longest time I fell for all of these marketing tricks. Get smart about label reading with this article here.

2.) Stop Going to the Gym Everyday – When I was at my highest weight, I went to the gym everyday, sacrificed sleep for working out, and grinded away getting no results. Now, I go 4-5 times a week and mix up my workouts. From spin class, to body pump – I’ve seen more results in a month than I had in a whole year. Doing the same thing everyday causes you to plateau and you will see no results. Mix it up! Instead of spending time in the gym I’ve also been walking an hour home from work. This not only saves bus fare, but keeps you active on days you know you won’t be able to squeeze in a workout.

3.) Get More ZZZZZ’s- If you don’t sleep, it’s much harder to lose weight. I’m not a doctor so I won’t tell you how. Read this article instead. Recently, I’ve sacrificed my late night escapades for snoozing. Though I still do have fun late nights out, they are far less frequent. Since cutting back on late nights, I’ve felt my overall health increase drastically.

4.) Ditch Coffee – If you know me, you know I love my coffee. Coffee in itself is not bad for you. What is unhealthy is coffee that is loaded with sugar and fat. For the past year, I’ve replaced my sugar with Stevia, a natural sweetener. Splenda, Extra… throw that crap away. What’s interesting about Stevia is it’s been around for decades, but just recently hit mass market. It used to come in droplets from a natural foods store, now you can pick it up at your local grocers. In addition to adding Stevia, I’ve ditched my 3 o’clock latte, limiting myself to just an Americano in the am.

5.) Don’t Drink – Though a fan of a frosty Stella on a warm day, alcohol has no health benefits.  Alcohol is a bunch of empty calories and a reason to make poor food choices a few drinks in. Pizza, burgers, fries…. these things are all synonymous with a booze filled night. Since cutting back on alcohol intake I’ve gotten sick far less frequent and shed those last few unwanted pounds.

As clique it sounds, diets don’t work. A healthy lifestyle does. By incorporating these 5 tips into my daily routine, I’ve been able to slim down and increases my health drastically.

Have any tips for staying trim in a busy world? Would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below!