How to Reduce Weight at Home Naturally

There is no need to spend money on a gym membership if you want to lose weight. Take action right from home to start reducing your weight naturally. Thirty-four percent of the United States population is found to be overweight, according to a report by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Don't become another statistic by adjusting your diet and incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.

Instructions

• 1

  Eat up to six small, nutritious meals throughout the day. Eating every three hours keeps your metabolism going and burns fat. You will also feel less food-deprived and be less likely to give into result-sabotaging cravings. Eat complex carbohydrates such as lean protein like chicken and fish over simple carbohydrates, and choose unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat. Saturated fats are mostly animal fats that raise blood cholesterol. Unsaturated fats come from plants and don't raise blood cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association.

• 2

  Drink at least eight glasses of water per day. Water flushes your system, burns calories, promotes digestive health and hydrates the body.

• 3

  Incorporate regular cardiovascular exercise into your lifestyle. Cardiovascular exercise burns calories and fat. You can jog in place or go up and down the stairs to increase your heart rate. Look into purchasing an aerobic DVD you can use right in front of your television. Start with 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day for three days per week and build up to 45 minutes per day for three days.

• 4

  Add weight training to your exercise routine, which builds muscle, increases your metabolism and burns fat even when you are resting. From home, you can use food cans or water bottles as weights. If the weights are not heavy enough, fill two bags with food cans and use that as your weight. You can also use a weight training DVD to tone your muscles.

• 5

  Practice breathing meditation to reduce stress. According to Dr. Marilyn Glenville, a member of the Nutrition Society, increased stress levels release the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with excess fat -- especially in the stomach area.

• 6

  Get eight hours of sleep per night. When you sleep, your body not only restores itself, it also provides you with the energy you need for the next day.

• 7

  Avoid or limit alcohol and caffeine intake since they dehydrate the body and deplete your energy. Alcohol also contains many empty calories that can sabotage your results.