9 Economical Ways to Lose Weight

If you’ve resolved to lose weight or get healthier this year, you’re not alone. According to a 2013 Outlook Survey organized by TD Ameritrade, 42% of Americans made health-related resolutions this year.

If you’re asking yourself how you’re going to lose weight and still maintain your budget, our budget experts say if you’re careful, eating a healthy diet is no more expensive than picking up that value lunch at your local fast food joint.

Here are 9 of their tips for losing weight while still maintaining a fat wallet:

1. Make monthly resolutions
When a resolution is fresh in our minds, we tend to approach it with more vigor and commitment. So instead of thinking about the whole year, break it down by month and shake up your routine with creative ideas to keep you inspired ! For example, if your goal is saving money while losing weight, resolve to get into a habit of clipping coupons in January. In February, resolve to brown bag your lunch instead of eating out. Keep making those resolutions to form new habits throughout the year.

2. Ditch the gym.
You don’t need a pricey gym club membership or a personal trainer to get healthy, says Dan Giuglianotti, a physician and certified health fitness specialist at the American College of Sports Medicine. Try to get 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days per week while watching what you eat and your clothes will start fitting better. Use a cheaper portable equipment like FitBit to track your exercise activities and keep them in check.

The Seven-Minute Workout

Get fit in just seven minutes with this exclusive workout from Dr. Oz and trainer Joel Harper.

How To Become A Morning Exerciser

Exercising in the morning will jump-start your metabolism and keep you feeling energised all day!

Statistically, people who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick with their routine. Morning exercisers also burn more kilojoules, eat less junk, and feel more energised throughout the day.  And these are just some of the benefits of working out in the morning!

1. Slowly Start Moving Up Your Bedtime
Working out in the morning is counterproductive if you’re not getting enough sleep (numerous studies have linked a lack of sleep to everything from weight gain to an increased diabetes risk, not to mention low energy and fatigue), and trying to wake up early if you aren’t fully rested is even more difficult. Your strategy: First, decide what time you’ll need to start waking up to make your workout happen, and then calculate what your new ideal bedtime should be (most experts recommend 7-8 hours of sleep each night for best health and weight-loss results). If you usually hit the sack at midnight, don’t expect to start falling asleep at 9 p.m. right away. Start going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you gradually reach your ideal bedtime (and remember, the hours you spend in bed are not the same as hours spent sleeping, so be sure to allow yourself some time to unwind and fall asleep too). In the meantime, you can still fit in a morning workout! Use this “sleep transition” period to focus on shorter, targeted workouts.