8 Easy Ways to Lose Weight and Improve Fitness

That's as easy as getting up from your desk at lunchtime and walking around the block. Next week, add another block. And the following week, add a third. Within a month, you'll have added an additional 1,000 steps to your daily routine.

Research shows that about 92 percent of adults eat everything on their plates. While no one's advocating food waste, rethinking the Clean Plate Club can have benefits. Make a conscious choice to leave a few bites of food on your plate, Hill says. While you're at it, serve yourself off a smaller plate. Doing so can cut about 280 calories each day, according to a study in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Women who report being more mindful are 16 percent less likely to be overweight and almost 30 percent less likely to be obese than their less-zen peers, according to a study published in the medical journal PLOS One. One easy way to do this is to savor the first bite of every meal, suggests Susan Albers, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic and author of Hanger Management: Master Your Hunger and Improve Your Mood, Mind, and Relationships.

"That first bite is the most flavorful, she says. If you really take time to savor your food and focus on its color, smell and temperature, and how it feels in your mouth, you'll not only enjoy it more, but you'll eat less because you will feel more satisfied.

The average U.S. adult consumes about 6 percent of their total caloric intake from sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a report from the National Center on Health Statistics. That translates into roughly 179 kilocalories a day for men and 113 for women. If you did nothing else but cut that out every day, you'd lose around a pound a month, Peeke says. A 2018 review published in the journal Obesity Facts showed a strong link between sugary drinks and obesity and found that substituting them with water in adults did promote weight loss.

Try replacing your soft drinks with infused water: Simply drop fruit like berries, cherries or peaches into your water. (For best results, use frozen fruit, since the flavor will intensify as the fruits thaw.) If you really crave a carbonated beverage, opt for sparkling water, choosing a brand sweetened with fruit or natural stevia, Peeke advises.

Just writing down all the meals and snacks you've eaten including those handfuls of goodies you grab here and there can help you automatically cut calories by holding yourself accountable, says Lesley Lutes, a psychologist and obesity specialist at the University of British Columbia. People who faithfully keep an online food journal lose more weight than those who use it more sporadically, according to a study published last year in the medical journal Obesity.

Simple moves like squats and push-ups are an easy way to build metabolism-boosting muscle in minutes at home. It's easy, cheap and accessible, and doesn't require a gym, Peeke says. If you're just starting, try moves like squats, wall push-ups, toe stands, step-ups, side hip raises, pelvic tilts, sit-ups and floor back extensions.

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8 Easy Ways to Lose Weight and Improve Fitness