26 Ways To Lose Inches Faster

Wouldn’t it be nice to have your health taken care of for you? A chef to cook nutritious, gourmet dinners; an assistant to schedule regular massage and doctor’s appointments; a little voice in your head reminding you to skip the chocolate and have the broccoli instead; and a sharp elbow pushing you to get off the comfy couch and head out for a 10 km run? Okay, maybe our health is something we’re better off taking care of ourselves. And lucky for us, there’s more than one way to do it. In fact, we’ve got 26, one for each letter of the alphabet. Try one or try them all, what matters is that you make the move.

- Jenny Stamos Kovacs

A is for Anticipating Obstacles

Don’t just wait for an excuse to fall off the health and fitness wagon. Anticipate obstacles and plan what you’ll do if you hit them, says Bess Marcus, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School. If you’re nervous about walking alone at night, don’t wait until Monday to deal with the problem; instead plan your workouts for lunchtime, research well-lit streets and trails, or set up a post-dinner walking date with a friend. And don’t keep unhealthy foods in the house if you know you won’t be able to resist eating them!

B is for Banning TV

You don’t have to trash the boob tube forever, of course. But turning it off every once in awhile could make a big difference to your health. Studies show that the more TV women watch, the more likely they are to be obese and have type 2 diabetes. Plus tube-time is linked with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, likely because it takes time away from social and intellectual stimulation. Turn off the TV--and turn on to your life.

C is for Community Supported Agriculture

Forget the grocery store and go straight to the farm with Community Supported Agriculture (aka CSA or organic farm share), a group of people who buy shares in a particular farm in exchange for regular boxes of fresh, locally-grown food. “Being part of a CSA encourages you to eat more vegetables because they’re right there,” says Gail Feenstra, Ph.D., food systems analyst at the University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut--cooking the same way over and over again, she says, but with a CSA, you get to experiment with different recipes and cooking styles--which means “C” can stand for “Choice,” as well.