Fun ways to lose weight

A family wedding, school reunion or a new love in your life can all be motivating factors which make you want to lose a little weight. While diets can be tiresome and exercise time consuming, there are a few fun ways to whittle away the kilos.

Walk
Grab a friend and walk off those extra kilos. When life is busy, catching up with friends and family can be difficult to cram in so why not kill two birds with one stone? A brisk walk and chat with a friend will help tone those muscles as well as burning calories. And talking of calories, just think how many you’ll save by walking rather than catching up over coffee and cake.

Get between the sheets
If you’re lucky enough to have someone in your life you’re still attracted to, rekindle the romance and get busy between the sheets. Not only will you burn some extra calories but just think of the glow you’ll have. In all seriousness, keeping close to the person you love is important and often sex is one of the first things to fail when we’re not feeling so good about the extra weight we’re carrying. Just remember that when someone cares for you, they don’t mind your wobbly bits.

Dance
Ballroom, tap, ballet, salsa or even just prancing about in your own living room, dance is a fun way to tone up and lose weight. It’s also a great way to meet like-minded new friends. If you’re not comfortable joining a class then put on some music and dance around in the comfort of your own home where no-one will critique your style.

Five-minute clean
Work up a sweat and have a clean house to show for your efforts. Four times a day, set a timer for five minutes and work as hard as you can to complete one cleaning task. Whether it’s putting away the ironing, wiping the kitchen worktops or running around with the vacuum, this is a fun way to clean your home with the extra calorie-burning bonus.

Hula hoop
This is a great way to give your friends a chuckle and motivate yourself to get moving. While skipping may be tough on the joints, hula hoop is a gentle way to get your body moving. Set yourself a goal of how long you can keep the hoop moving, or challenge a friend to a hula duel.


Reward yourself
A small slice of your favourite cake or half an hour of television, whatever gives you pleasure is reward for achieving your goals. Losing weight is a tough ask, even more so as we age, so don’t sell yourself short on your achievements. Remember, one small piece of something sweet won’t kill your diet, just make sure you have the willpower not to finish the whole cake.