Video | Ideal Weight Card | Recipe | Stopper | Mirror | Taste | Smile

When you get motivated to improve your health or lose weight, you want to do something to speed things along. Exercise is a common thing that we increase and a wonderful thing to do, but if you go at it too hard or try relying on it solely, your journey may be harder than it has to be. 

Here are six one-minute activities you can do daily to make getting to your weight loss goal easier, more enjoyable, and more effective. 

6 Things You Can Do in Under a Minute to Boost Weight Loss [No Exercise Required] (Video)

In this video, you’ll learn…

• Six quick things you can do to boost your weight loss!
• Ideas and examples for each of the six methods!
• Resources for a low-carb diet.

#1 – Make an Ideal Weight Card  

Chances are you have a Post-it Note nearby right now. You will use this as a tool to move you to your goal. 

Step One: Write down your ideal weight on the Post-it Note. 

Step Two: Place the note over the display on your bathroom scale. 

The next time you step on the scale and look down, you will see your ideal weight. 

Celebrate that. Actually, let a good feeling build up inside of you before stepping off the scale. If you want to peek under the note to see your actual weight, you can. But I encourage you not to peek every time and instead walk away from the scale feeling good. 

What is the sense of doing this? 

It allows you to flip the emotional energy of the scale. Some of you are unaffected by the number you see, which is great. For others, that number or even the anticipation of the number creates a nervous energy that can inadvertently sabotage your efforts. 

The ideal weight card is a fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy, but it teaches you that your outlook matters. Weight loss takes time and doesn’t happen in a straight line, falling from your highest weight to your lowest. 

You need to keep your eye on that prize, and you can do that in under a minute with a simple Post-it Note. 

#2 – Find One Low-Carb Recipe 

Low-carb meals keep your blood sugar and insulin levels low for hours, allowing your body to release fat and quiet cravings. Having low-carb recipes on hand makes your weight loss journey easier, more enjoyable, and more effective. 

Fortunately, they are quick and easy to find. I have cookbooks available, or you can simply search for recipes online. 

Don’t fall into the trap of getting too fancy. Just think of a favorite recipe and look for a low-carb version. 

Do you like chili? Search for a low-carb chili recipe. If you like spaghetti and meatballs, look for low-carb spaghetti and meatballs. It’s yummy when made with spaghetti squash and at least worth a try. 

When you set out to improve your health and weight, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Make it your intention to find one low-carb recipe each day this week. That will give you seven to try, with at least one or two that you’ll want to make again. 

#3 Use a Stopper

As mentioned, keeping insulin levels low by eating a low-carb diet helps your body release fat. But you can still overeat and stall weight loss. The best way to stop eating when you know you’ve had enough is to use a Stopper. 

Stoppers are items, drinks, or activities that allow you to separate from eating. There are many options.

Stoppers are effective because you can employ them in less than a minute and because they change the taste in your mouth or give you time away from food, taking away your desire to keep eating. 

#4 Look in the Mirror 

The next exercise is to look at your body in a full-length mirror for one minute. Some of you are saying, “Ugh.” Stay with me. 

Do you remember the fake-it-till-you-make-it ideal weight card from the beginning of this post? This is the exact opposite. You could call it a reality check. What I don’t want you to call it is an exercise of self-criticism. In fact, while you’re looking in the mirror, I want you to practice neutral reactions. 

Your body is an engineering marvel. But for one reason or another, it’s common to dwell on the negative aspects of your body. Sometimes, this self-criticism is mistaken as motivation. 

You think if I hate what I see enough, I’ll be motivated to change. But holding on to uncomfortable feelings of dissatisfaction and tension uses up a lot of energy. Energy that you no longer have to put toward your plan. 

By learning how to look at your reflection with a neutral reaction, you’ll free up that energy. How do you do that? You describe what you see and accept it. 

Start at your head and work down. Don’t focus on your clothing. In fact, the less clothing you have on, the better, but meet yourself where you’re at with that. 

All you need to do is describe and accept what you see. That might look like this. I have blue eyes. I have two ears. I have a nose and lips. That’s not hard to accept. Right? 

And notice that I didn’t say, “I have two ears that are too big for my head,” or “I have blue eyes that I wish were brown.” That is not acceptance. That’s thrown-away energy. 

Keep moving toward your toes, taking notice of your chest, midsection, and lower body. You don’t have to love what you see right away. Just keep your emotional response neutral and see what happens after one week. You will be surprised and pleased with the peace that settles in. 

And it might help to keep this in mind: that body that is being reflected back to you, despite all you’ve put it through, is still willing to breathe for you 14 times a minute and pump blood throughout your body 100,000 times per day. That is a pretty good deal. 

#5 Put Taste to the Test

The next thing that you can do in under a minute that will pay great dividends is to put taste to the test. 

A cookie tastes really good. But that’s about it. There are not many other redeeming qualities you get from it or similar refined foods. My point is that when it comes to making food choices, taste is overrated.  

People who find freedom from cravings and temptations recognize that taste is only one of the factors to consider when making food choices. 

So today, take one minute to think about the foods you like to eat, good and bad, and ask yourself these questions:  Does it taste good? Does it satisfy my hunger or stimulate it? Is it good for me? Will I be happy that I ate it?

This exercise is not going to magically wipe out cravings. But it will make you think about your food choices in a broader sense, and with time, you’ll find yourself electing to eat healthier foods, not because you’re forcing yourself to, but because you want to. 

#6 Smile

As Buddy said in the movie Elf, “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite.” 

Goals take time to achieve, and the road is much smoother if you can stay positive throughout the process. No matter how hard things get, smiling always makes things better. 

It’s a chemical thing, much like standing taller makes you feel more confident. Smiling makes you happier. When your mood is bright, making good food decisions is easier. When you’re grumpy, it’s easy to sink into a “who cares” mindset. 

Just try it for one minute. No one has to see you do it. It can be our secret. 

Takeaway

Do you have six minutes to spare today? I hope so. If you do, grab a Post-it note and jot down your ideal weight, find one low-carb recipe, get a Stopper ready, stand in front of the mirror, rate your food choices on factors other than taste, and smile. Six painless exercises that set you up for long-term success. 

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.