4. Trade in Soft Drinks for Water
If you’re downing Cokes on a regular basis, stop immediately. And don’t just switch to diet sodas. Switch to water. Trust me, it’ll pay huge dividends. Simply making the move from one sugary beverage to water every day will save you 50,000 calories a year—more than 14 pounds!* Now imagine if you’re currently drinking two or three sodas per day. Cut those out, start drinking water and you could be shopping for smaller pants (and a hotter girlfriend) very soon.
Just pick one, dude. You can’t go wrong.
5. In Fact, Make It Ice Water
Recent studies show that ice water actually raises your metabolism by up to 24 percent for 90 minutes. So put ice in your water. And while you’re at it, drop a slice or two of lemon in there. Lemon has valuable fiber that will make you feel full. Plus, it will help fend off the development of type 2 diabetes. Which we know you don’t want. (Again.)
6. Sleep More
I can’t emphasize this one enough. You should be getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. If you’re getting less, it will significantly reduce your levels of leptin, a hormone that tells your brain that you’re full. And it will increase your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you desire comfort foods. In other words, insufficient sleep will have you craving doughnuts and pasta like nobody’s business. Not good. So whatever else you do, make time for your Zs. And if you’re having trouble falling asleep, try cherry juice. It’s a natural melatonin. Six to eight ounces of that, with a side of C-SPAN, should do the trick.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: We kicked the Coke habit after college and dropped 10 pounds in a few months. True story.
Jay Cardiello is Made Man’s fitness and nutrition expert. As a top certified strength and conditioning coach, personal trainer and sports nutritionist, Cardiello has helped Hollywood A-Listers, Fortune 500 CEOs and NFL players sculpt the best bodies of their lives. Learn more at jcorebody.com. Got a question for him? Email us here, with ASK JAY in the subject line, and he’ll do his best to address it in a future column.
