With almost two months under our belt in this new year of 2021, it’s no secret that some resolutions, particularly the fitness and health ones, have certainly not held up for everyone. Maybe some intended solutions haven’t even been put into effect yet. There is no need to worry; there is no time like the present to start working towards a healthier lifestyle if you’re still in the mood! With bathing suit season just around the corner, now is an even better time to kickstart that resolution and get your health grind on. There are so many trendy health fads that are circulating the internet and different social media platforms. Whether it be exercises, recipes, or any other type of health advice, the internet has us covered.
The 12-3-30 challenge falls into the exercise category and is one of the most popular trends that has been buzzing around the internet. Influencer, Lauren Giraldo, brought attention to this trend through her TikTok platform a few months back. The idea is to put the incline on your treadmill to 12 while having a speed of three miles per hour and walking this for a timeframe of 30 minutes. This particular workout absolutely works as it has helped many people lose weight (even up to 30 pounds)! This exercise also spices up the gym routine and makes the treadmill a little bit more bearable. It is a great workout for the legs, glutes and of course, a total calorie burner. The 12-3-30 challenge is definitely worth the try.
In terms of eating habits or diets, there are many fad trends out there on the internet that people may be intrigued to try. Intermittent fasting has been a popular one for a while now. What’s good about this trend is that there are many different methods and ways to complete this form of dieting. Research shows that there are, in fact, six popular ways to do intermittent fasting, and we are going to go through a few of them right here:
The first method is the 16:8 method which is for sure one of the simpler and more effective ones. This method involves fasting for 14-16 hours and having your eating window be from eight to ten hours a day. Typically, two to three meals can be fit into this window, so this method isn’t a huge adjustment from actual daily eating. An example of how this method works would be if you finish a meal at eight p.m. and do not eat until noon the next day, then you will have fasted for 16 hours and can begin to eat within your eight to ten-hour window. You can drink water, coffee and other zero-calorie drinks while participating in this fast, which can also help reduce some hunger you may have.
Next is the 5:2 diet, which involves eating normally five days a week and then restricting your calorie intake from 500-600 calories a day for two days of the week. An example of how this diet could work is that you normally eat every day of the week except for Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, women would eat 500 calories within the day, containing two small meals, while men would consume 600 calories within those days. This is certainly slightly more intensive than the 16:8 method. However, this proves beneficial for some people.
The next and most challenging method is the Eat-Stop-Eat method of intermittent fasting. This method entails a total of 24 fastings either once or twice a week. An example of how this could work would be to finish dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday night and then do not eat again until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday night. While participating in the 24 hour fast, you may drink water, coffee and other zero-calorie beverages. However, you may not eat any solid food. Then for the other five or six days of the week, you can eat normally. This method is clearly more challenging because of the full 24 hours of no eating. However, again, this works best for some people.
All in all, intermittent fasting is without a doubt a huge health trend that has been circulating for years now. The 16:8 method is definitely the least intensive yet still effective. However, everyone reacts to different methods differently. Overall, if you are looking to slim down, any of these methods you feel most comfortable with will help you maintain that New Year resolution.
To end this guide, Healthline has some great tips on their website for health and nutrition that will certainly help maintain one’s figure and guide you in your journey. A big one is to stay away from drinking sugar calories. It is proven that this will make you consume more calories while you’re eating, so stay away from the soda altogether. Next, and this is important, is not to be afraid of coffee. Coffee is actually very good for you and has some proven benefits to your health, such as high antioxidants and even reducing the risk of type two diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and many other diseases and illnesses. A final tip to leave you with, which is probably the most difficult, is to avoid bright lights before going to sleep. Yes, these means do not look at electronics right before bed. It has been proven that bright lights disrupt the body’s production of the hormone melatonin, which naturally causes us to fall asleep.
Now with all of these tips and tricks, try to make these next months of 2021 count and start working towards that healthier place you’ve wanted to get to. Be the best version of yourself!
Leave a Reply