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Did you know that the way your kitchen is designed and organized has an impact on your health? Everything from the layout of your kitchen to the kinds of dinnerware you have, can have compounding effect on your eating habits.

Who knew, right? While it might sound like a hocus-pocus feng-shui for weight conscious people, these revelations you are about to read are based on scientific findings of food psychologist Brian Wansink.

1. Organize and tidy up your kitchen

A kitchen littered with dirty dishes and newspapers is more likely to lead people in the house to snack out twice as much on sweets like cookies as those people in clean and organized kitchens.

2. Replace the cookie jar with a fruit bowl

Understand that the food you display on your benchtop is more than a decorative element. It’s actually a cue. People who accessorise with a fruit bowl instead of junk weighed about five kilograms less than those who didn’t.

3. Rearrange the food

Did you know that the most visible foods in the house are the ones that gets consumed first and consumed the most? Observe your kitchen and if the first points of focus are unhealthy foods, it’s time to rearrange your countertop, pantry, and fridge in a way where you see the healthy foods first. Remember to keep the treats where you don’t reach them easily.

4. Replace the big plates with smaller ones

You’ve probably heard of this advice many times and there’s a good reason why. Bigger dinner plates will make you eat more, and the same goes for bowls, drinking utensils, and even serving spoons.

5. Stop lounging in the kitchen

It can be very easy to hang out in the kitchen where it’s a comfy place. Remove padded charis, TV, and the iPad, and everything that encourages lounging.

When cruising, don’t come home too much excess baggage. We tell you how in today’s post.

1. Avoid the all-inclusive mentality

One of the best features of a cruise tour are the never ending buffets, complimentary drinks, and free snacks. We have this mindset that because these food and drinks are free that we should take advantage of everything. Please don’t!

2. Ditching your routine

One of the best ways to keep your weight in check is to keep a stable and a healthy routine. Because if you don’t, the weight will most likely creep on.

3. Watch your portions

Cruise buffets are so enticing it’s hard to not go back for seconds (and thirds). A good tip is to choose a small plate, eat slowly, and watch your portions.

4. Stick to water

Sugary drinks like soft drinks and juices are usually unlimited on the ship. If you can stick to water or diet soft drinks, that will help a lot to keep you from consuming more calories that you don’t actually need.

5. Take it easy with the booze

With the energetic and social vibe, you’re likely to drink booze more than you usually do at home. So, watch your glasses and aim for an alcohol free day every week.

6. Don’t forget to exercise

All cruise ships have a gym onboard fo sure. But more often than not, you’ll find it empty. Take advantage of this opportunity to do some cardio and strength exercises. Also hit the pool and do a few laps if you feel like the gym isn’t for you.

7. Use the stairs

Modern cruise ships now have elevators. It’s one lazy way to go around the ship. Instead, take the stairs.

If you’re on a weight loss journey, chances are you find most of your information online. The internet offers tons of information of the health and wellness category that sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint which is true and which is not.

However, this shouldn’t be the case. If you are trying to lose weight, all you need to start is to take a step back and think about the tried and tested methods that helped many people lose weight without the crazy diet fads.

1. Remember that weight loss is 80 per cent food and 20 per cent exercise

Not everyone has the time to go to the gym five times a week or pump weights everyday to lose weight. Research shows that food has the most impact when it comes to shedding pounds. Exercise is important yes, but the right diet should be the priority.

2. Cut all the processed foods

By just staying away from simple carbohydrates (e.g. donuts, bread, pasta), and focus on complex carbs (e.g. wheat bread, brown rice, steel cut oats), veggies, and fruits, you are cutting a lot of sugar from your diet. Sugar that you probably don’t need if you are not an active person.

3. Eat real food

Fruits and vegetables, herbs, meat, quality dairy, free-range eggs, nuts, and seeds. It’s not enough to cut away processed foods nowadays. Large scale farming and mass produce are not as natural as they were before. Be cautious about the quality of food.

4. Drink plenty and only water

Nothing hydrates like water. We’ve been conned into thinking that it’s perfectly okay to drink any liquid but water. Just look at the assortment of diet soft drinks juices, sports drinks, and energy drinks of the market. Nothing cleanses and flushes toxins from your system like water. So, make it a habit to drink water everyday and plenty of it!

Many people think that belly fat is only a minor concern. Especially in men, it’s common notion that growing a belly is just a part of getting older. However, it’s not a superficial concern.

Belly fat is a significant risk factor for serious health problems including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

But, how do you measure if your belly size is already at risk? Generally speaking if a man’s waist circumference measures more than 102cm, or a woman’s waist is more than 88cm, they are considered abdominally obese.

It’s important to know that belly fat contains two different types of fat. One is called subcutaneous fat, which sits just below the skin and is not considered dangerous. While subcutaneous fat is non-threatening, if you have excessive stomach fat it will usually consist of visceral fat, which builds up around your internal organs and can cause organ malfunction.

You can differentiate visceral from subcutaneous with the density. Visceral fat makes stomach feel hard, while subcutaneous fat is typically soft and squishy.

In addition, visceral fat produces a molecule called adipokine and other toxins that can increase your chances of developing heart diseases and other health issues.

So, how do you get rid of belly fat once and for all?

Diet and exercise are still the best strategies to lose abdominal fat. But, there are ways on how to better target your belly in your weight loss efforts.

Diet

Contrary to popular belief, eating fat or sugar doesn’t make you fat. Excess calories does. Eating fewer calories than your body burns can help eliminate both visceral fat and excess subcutaneous fat.

Now, if you’re wondering if you need to cut out sugary drinks, you can. This will help you lose weight better by replacing refined sugars with natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables. This way, you are getting your micronutrients while you lose weight.

Also, don’t forget to incorporate high in fibre foods such as lean meat, nuts, and legumes to help you feel full throughout the day.

Exercise

Next to diet, you have to make sure that you are incorporating exercise into your daily routine if you are able. Although it is impossible to lose weight in one section of the body only, exercises such as crunches and sit-ups will not only strengthen your core, it will also help build muscles.

As with any weightloss journey, cardiovascular exercise is key to lose weight. Think of the exercises that will get your heart pumping. Whether that’s running, jogging, or using machines at the gym, cardio is a must if you want to lose belly fat fast.