How to achieve weight loss starting with 5 minutes per day

Before you read on, I want to tell you that this isn’t one of those “Lose weight in five minutes without any effort whatsoever!” posts, because it’s far from it. 

Weight loss can be hard, and for many people, it feels like they’ll never achieve their weight loss goals. Why most people fail to lose the weight they want isn’t for lack of trying, but rather because they were trying to do too much too quickly. 

Imagine going from eating a large portion of junk at every meal and living a sedentary lifestyle one day, to eating 100% “clean” foods and exercising six times per week, the next. I reckon most, if not all people, will struggle and subsequently fail to achieve such a feat. For many of us, it’s just never going to happen!

It IS possible however, to make small changes over time in order to achieve your weight loss goals, and it absolutely can start with as little as five minutes per day. Let me explain…

There are an unlimited number of “5 minute actions” you can take starting today, to get you started on your weight loss journey, and I’ve listed some examples below:

• Begin tracking your meals. Take photos of everything you eat in a day, or write it down – becoming aware of your eating habits is the first step to changing them. 
• Go for a 5 minute walk – this is especially important if you’re not someone who moves very often. 
• Get online and research healthy meal options.
• Prepare tomorrow’s meals, today – write down the meals you would like to eat tomorrow. 
• Write a shopping list before you go shopping – that way you will be less tempted to buy food you don’t want or need. 

As mentioned above, these are just five of many 5 minute actions you can take, starting right now, and even though these actions seem tiny, if you’re implementing some or many of them every day, you’re going to become more mindful of what you’re eating and how much you’re moving during the day. 
It’s always good to set up a reminder in your phone or on your computer to remind you to do one of the actions on your list, so that you don’t forget.

During a typical coaching session with my client, a number of 5 minute actions may be chosen by the client, and after a week we track their progress. We then add more actions, take some out, or even change some around so that they suit my client’s goals and their ability to do them (this bit, along with their willingness, is important!).

Even just one 5 minute action to support your weight loss goal is going to kick off what hopefully begins a new habit for you. Over time, you can add in additional actions to contribute to your weight loss goal, and before you know it you’re going to start seeing results!