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When it comes to weight loss, we can accelerate our plan by combining regular exercise with a healthy diet. Some people don’t like the idea of having to exercise, but even a little exercise done often enough will produce benefits. In addition to weight loss, stronger muscles are built when we exercise regularly.

Muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat. This means it will burn up more calories than fat, which is a good thing. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn. Also when we build muscle we start to see better defined thighs and abs.

Developing new habits can seem a bit daunting. The easiest way to start is probably to slot little bits of exercise into your daily life. Walk up flights of stairs instead of standing on escalators. Do not be tempted to park your vehicle in the closest space to your destination - give yourself the opportunity to walk the last bit. When time permits, each time you take a bus get off two or three stops before your destination.

Every week you should be exercising on at least 5 days. Thirty minutes sessions are ideal, and not too time-consuming. You’ll find it much more enjoyable if you select a few different forms of exercise. You’ve more chance of longevity that way.

Becoming toned and fitter does not need to be a downer! Ask around and see if you can encourage a second person to join you. The easiest exercise that any of us can take is walking. If you build up a good pace, you’ll benefit from more than simply losing weight.

People who are actively fit suffer much less from heart attacks and strokes. Inactive females have a greater risk of breast cancer than active ones. Adult cholesterol is considerably lower in energetic people. Interestingly, many who are depressed and anxious can alleviate their symptoms by taking robust walks. Therefore we can anticipate feeling much fitter as well as looking much slimmer.

When going for a walk, pick out some comfy clothes. Several tee-shirts and a fleece are better than one heavy item. You might like to invest in some specialist footwear. Whether you choose boots or shoes, buy a pair that support your feet well.

Go through the following checklist when you’re about to get going: Stand up straight, weight evenly distributed. Relax your shoulders and draw in your tummy. Do be sure to warm yourself up well. Rolling your shoulders and stretching helps, as do a few squats and knee lifts. And last but not least, march on the spot for a couple of minutes and then off you go!

Try to develop a good walking technique - land on the heel and push off from the toe. At the end of your walk, warm down by doing the same routine you did to warm-up, but in reverse. Your first walks need only be a mile or so, and then increase the distance each week. Walking is something that everyone can do. However if you’re at all concerned, take medical advice.

Our friendships can have quite an influence on how we live our lives. Apparently, if we’re in the company of a person for any length of time, we start to mimic their habits. This is usually thought to reflect in people’s opinions and attitudes; having a mutual regard for certain things, like the law or education for example.

However, studies are now also suggesting that having overweight friends makes it more likely that we will be overweight too. According to a recent news article, we have a tendency to consume more when eating with heavier people who we know well. A US research team looked at kids eating habits. They found that the heavier ones ate more when they were with their heavier pals than when they were with their slimmer friends.

In fact more was eaten by all sizes when in the company of friends. Although the most food of all was eaten when two heavy chums were teamed up. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported on this research. It illustrated the part friends play in the actions of each other.

It’s quite natural that many kids ate more when they were relaxed about who they were with. Both children and adults are less self-conscious when they’re with friends rather than strangers. It’s possible however that in addition, we assume friends will give their consent. Subconsciously we’re placing the permission ball in someone else’s court.

Young people of all sizes were studied for forty five minutes. They were split into groups of two friends, or groups of two strangers. Then they were presented with a selection of things to pass the time, and food to eat.

With each of the pairs, the ones who knew each other before the experiment got through more food than the ones who didn’t. But overweight friends ate the most of all. And the differences were quite significant.

The pairs of heavy pals each ate an average of 738 cals. Average weight kids put away five hundred cals whichever weight pal they partnered, though the bigger kids ate less than four hundred and fifty cals when they partnered average weight friends. Comparable evidence of strong influence from friends is evident in attitudes to alcohol consumption by teens.

Back to the eating patterns - and the researchers concluded that the way children eat is very much tied into the habits of their friends. But this can be argued both ways - if a young person is taught sound nutrition and puts it into practice, they could be instrumental in influencing many others. What better reason for more nutritional training in schools?

Just because we want to lose weight doesn’t mean that we want to be ostracized from society. This is particularly an issue if we happen to be the family chef; nibbling our own lightweight morsels whilst the aroma of ‘real food’ wafts under our nostrils! This can be frustrating, so let’s look at how we can integrate our weight loss program into regular family meals.

Let’s start with portion sizes - whatever’s on our plate, if we want to lose weight we should eat less. So find yourself a plate that’s about two-thirds the normal size. You won’t feel so deprived, because you can still fill the plate when you serve up. Wait until the rest of your family or friends have started eating before you start. Then slowly savour every mouthful you take. (Not only will this prevent you from finishing much sooner than the rest, it will also leave you feeling more replete.)

It should be possible to eat the same dinner as everyone else for several days of the week. Just make sure you eat lots of vegetables, and only serve yourself a small amount of carbohydrate. Also, restrict any side portions of bread and butter! If the family like their puddings, prepare ones that you can have a taste of. Check any tinned fruit you have is in juice, not syrup.

But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone - if they’re done well they won’t have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.

Pick your meat and dairy items carefully when you shop. There can be a big difference in the calorific value of different beef products for example. The rest of your family will profit from less saturated fat, even if they don’t have weight issues. For a low-cal high-protein meal, serve turkey or chicken and stick to the skinless breast for yourself. Potatoes can be nice and filling for slimmers - just buy ones with a creamy texture. You won’t need to add butter before serving then.

Be careful when you buy cereals as some have a really high sugar content. Again, breakfast bars might look like healthy food, but most are highly sweet and calorific. The sugar content in a lot of drinks is also far too high for dieters. If you love your drinks, stick to sugar free varieties. If you like juice, dilute it with water and add ice!

Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you’re socialising it’s good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don’t want to be different from the crowd.

It’s obvious that we’re not going to lose weight if we continue as we are. But it’s amazing how a small shift here and there can dramatically help along the way.