Serious about weight loss? 5 non-negotiable rules to live by

Operation weight loss – Healthista’s Olivia Hartland-Robbins joins Lift Studios Fulham to help her get back in shape. With 5 non-negotiable healthy rules to stick by, here is rule number 5 – stay hydrated

Welcome back to our five non-negotiable rules for weight loss, we’re down to our final rule. If you’ve missed the other rules catch up on the below:

Serious about weight loss? 5 non-negotiable rules to live by – part one

Serious about weight loss? 5 non-negotiable rules to live by – part 2

Serious about weight loss? 5 non-negotiable rules to live by – part 3

Serious about weight loss? 5 non-negotiable rules to live by – part 4

I gained 17kg’s in 3 years (that’s nearly 40 lbs)! Why? Lockdowns, family illness and job pressures, to name just a few reasons.

Thankfully Mark Stanton, co-founder of LIFT Studios in Fulham agreed to help me lose weight and gain my confidence back.

Mark has almost two decades of personal training and sports performance coaching under his belt, and has completed an undergraduate degree in Sports Science followed by a Masters in Strength and Conditioning.

READ MORE: How to transform your diet in 5 easy steps

Like a growing number of quality boutique gyms, LIFT Studios offers one-to-one personal training, providing a fully bespoke service to help you reach your goals, with no generic programmes in sight.

Mark and his team at Lift use a lifestyle medicine based framework to help structure the support and guidance they give you.

replacing unhealthy behaviours with positive ones

Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach to achieving optimal health through replacing unhealthy behaviours with positive ones.

Mark believes the nearer you can get to ‘optimal health’ the greater your results from training will be. Most importantly these results will be longer lasting and maintainable having developed heathy habits and a healthy body along the way.

The key pillars Lift stand by in achieving optimal health are:

• Physical activity
• Diet and nutrition
• Sleep
• Stress and substances
• Social connection

With this in mind mark set 5 rules I have to try to stick to from here on out. Not only is this the starting point, but these rules should also serve as a daily lifestyle goal.

Rule #5 Hydration

You’ve heard it a thousand times before. 1001 now. Water is important for many reasons and that includes weight loss.

Any nutrition expert will tell you that inadequate fluid intake could leave you feeling lethargic, unmotivated, and prone to pounding headaches. 

The adult human body is around 60 per cent water which serves a whole range of vital functions that are needed for human survival.

The act of sweating and body temperature regulation to saliva which is needed to prevent bacteria build up and required for digestion.

READ MORE: Dehydration symptoms? 5 signs you aren’t drinking enough water

As a guideline, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

• About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
• About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

So how can hydration aid with weight loss?

A 2013 study  reviewed 11 different research papers on the relationship between drinking water and weight loss and found it could help you drop the pounds.

One of the studies reviewed found that those who drank more than one litre of water each day lost more weight than those who drank less. It could be that water fills your stomach and helps you lessen your caloric intake.

Here are some easy ways to get more water into your every day:

• Have a glass of water if you think you’re feeling hungry. It’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger.
• Drink a glass of water or two before meals. In one of the studies reviewed above, participants who drank two cups of water before a meal lost about four pounds more on average than those women who didn’t.
• Keep bottles of water wherever you hangout. At your desk, by the sofa, in the car, (I do this to remind me to drink water when I am thinking of snacking – like when I am watching telly or working on a tough deadline).
• Eat water rich foods too. Virtually all fruits and vegetables especially lettuce greens, carrots, blueberries, apples, cucumber and celery contain water that can be absorbed by the body.