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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CWU chapter.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m lazy. There are days when I’m so motivated to eat healthy and workout. But to be totally honest, most days I just don’t feel like doing anything at all. That’s why I love lazy girl hacks! I do some of these things all the time and some of them only when I notice my pants are getting snug (yeah, I know I should do them before I get to that point lol). I told you I’m lazy. 

It’s okay if you don’t do all of these things. Just do what you can. Have a lot of weight to lose and feel like you never will because you don’t have the determination? I promise you can put these simple hacks into action. Will you lose 50 pounds overnight? No. But three months from now you can either look in the mirror and see you weigh the same (or have put on more weight) or you can lose 20-30 pounds from just making these small adjustments to your life.

Don’t drink your calories

The average American drinks 400 calories a day. That’s a ton of empty calories that are making us fat! Think of it like this next time you reach for a sugar filled drink. If you drink water instead (which has zero calories btw) you can feel better about eating some sweets later! You can also add some fruit to your water to add some flavor.

 

Avoid packaged & fast food

Processed food is usually loaded with calories and is the biggest reasons why obesity is an epidemic in America. It’s just so convenient! If you’re stopping by McDonald’s every day on your lunch break, try packing your lunch instead. The pounds will melt away and you will also see a hefty increase in your finances. Double win.

 

Try out a water bottle tracker!

And carry it with you everywhere! Yes, drinking water is hard to do at first. But guess what? Your body will start to crave it after about a week. So water bottle trackers are great especially when you’re first starting out.

 

WRAPS

I heard this somewhere awhile back and thought it was the best idea ever! Cook some meat to have prepped for a couple of days and you can store it your fridge. This way, you can just throw the meat and veggies in a skillet, grab a tortillia and there you go! It’s so quick and easy, plus leaner meats and veggies are great for helping you lose weight.

 

Use smaller bowls and plates for portion control

 

Portion control is so important! It’s so easy to over eat, which is why using smaller containers is so helpful. When you use a big plate, you naturally want to fill it up but that is certainly not doing you any favors. Trick your mind into thinking you’re eating more by grabbing the smaller plate. Also, try slowing down a bit when you eat. It takes a while for your brain to realize it’s full.

 

Meal prep the day/week before!

Prepping your meals ahead of time can seem like a lot of work but think of it this way: You actually only need to cook once every four days, rather than daily! Get some containers and your meals will stay good in the fridge for at least four days (some people push it farther, different foods have different fridge life). It’s easy to just go out and grab some fast food when we get hungry so these are perfect for just sticking in the microwave really quick.

 

Do shorter workouts, to avoid overwhelming yourself

We all know the endless benefits we can experience from getting daily exercise, but we still struggle to find the time, or motivation, to actually get to it sometimes. Short workouts are perfect for when you’re new to working out or when you’re just feeling lazy. It’s better to take baby steps than no steps at all. Do 15 minutes of ab workouts every day and 10 squats once every hour. You’ll be shocked by what just a little, mini workout can do.

 

Limit how long you are sitting during the day

Were spending a lot of time everyday sitting in the car, sitting on the couch while watching TV, still sitting down while you’re doing homework, sitting while you’re eating, the list goes on and on! Just being mindful about how often you’re sitting can help you lose some extra lbs.  Taking breaks during commercials to do some squats or sit ups will do wonders for helping you shed those unwanted pounds.

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Snack on the go

Get two decent sized rectangle containers and fill them with healthy snacks. You can put one in the fridge and one in your pantry. Cheese sticks, beef jerky, nut mixes, and fruits/veggies (dried is good too) are some great options. It’s also really good to always keep some of these with you all the time so you don’t have a freak out session and stop at the gas station for a candy bar.

I don’t know about you but when I get hungry I want really unhealthy stuff for some reason. Having snacks with me keeps me from getting too hungry and making bad choices.

 

Chug a 8 oz. glass of water before every meal

Not to lose weight, but drinking water before you eat fills you up. By drinking a glass of water before you eat, you are filling up your stomach which can help you eat less! Perfect combination don’t you think?

 

Don’t be too hard on yourself

I think this is where most of us fail. We have bad days and mess up on eating right, then we feel like failures and this causes us to actually fail. Remember, some progress is better than no progress at all. Just start small and work your way up. Don’t feel like you have to do everything on this list right now. Get some grab and go snacks this week and next week start prepping meals.

Remember, if you have the motivation, you have the ability to anything. But don’t get down on yourself if you skip your daily workout or drink a soda. DON’T FORGET TO POWER POSE. When your feeling down, look in the miror and pose. Take it in and look at yourself, you are amazing.