15 Afternoon Practices That Supercharge Your Weight Loss

The mid-afternoon slump is a real thing. "Our body's natural circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that helps regulate our biological processes, sends signals to the brain during the day to keep us alert, awake and sharp," Anthony Reffi, PhD, tells Henry Ford Health. "Around lunchtime, there's a dip in these signals that can make us feel sleepy." Here are key afternoon practices to give you energy and encourage weight loss.

Eat a Protein-Filled Lunch

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Protein helps build muscle and keep you full, without making you feel sluggish. “Try to eat a variety of protein-rich foods to ensure you are meeting your daily protein needs,” says Harvard Health. “As well as getting the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for optimal health.”

Take a Walk

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Walking, especially after lunch, is an ideal afternoon activity to promote weight loss.

“Walking also tends to improve or prevent reflux symptoms,” Professor Jane Andrews of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia tells the Sydney Morning Herald. “Better still, if walking is a regular habit, it helps with weight management – and that’s good for the gut too. Obesity leads to extra fat within the abdomen, and this also causes a feeling of bloating, more reflux, and discomfort.”

Drink Water

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Water is essential for weight loss and for energy. Feeling peckish? Make sure you’re not just thirsty, first. "Unfortunately, a lot of people are chronically dehydrated simply because they don't drink enough water to fuel their daily activities," Dr. Reffi says.

RELATED: This Is How Much Water You Need to Drink to Stay Hydrated

Cook Your Own Food

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Cooking your own food has seemingly endless benefits. You have complete control of ingredients, calorie-count, and the nutritional benefits of food you make yourself. “When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all – even if they are not trying to lose weight,” Julia A. Wolfson, MPP, says via Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.

Drink Tea

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Tea without added sugar and calories is a great choice for an afternoon pick-me-up. “Tea is uniquely plentiful in catechins, and especially epicatechins, which are believed to be the component responsible for many of its purported health effects,” Dr. Howard Sesso, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, tells Harvard Health.

Lift Weights

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Strength training can give you a great afternoon boost while helping with weight loss. "Working out in the afternoon can serve as a stress reliever after a long day," Mauro Maietta, Crunch Fitness district fitness manager, tells CBC News. "Plus, body temperature and muscle flexibility tend to peak in the late afternoon, making it a good time for more intense workouts."

Get Outside

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Fresh air and sunshine are good for both your mental and physical state. Being active is also very effective for weight loss. "If you go for a walk outside, you're not only getting exercise, which wakes up body and mind, but you're also exposing yourself to fresh air and natural light," Dr. Reffi says.

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Try Yoga

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Yoga in the afternoon can help you re-energize. “You may feel increased mental and physical energy, a boost in alertness and enthusiasm, and fewer negative feelings after getting into a routine of practicing yoga,” says Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Bring Your Own Lunch To Work

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Meal prepping your own lunches is a great way to save money and help with weight loss. “When it comes to freezing, some foods work better than others,” according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Cooked meals tend to freeze well in airtight containers. Foods with high moisture content, such as salad greens, tomatoes, or watermelon, are not recommended as they tend to become mushy when frozen and thawed.”

Meditate

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“A midday meditation break has a number of potential benefits,” stress management specialist Stacey Shipman, MEd, tells Psychology Today. “It's an effective way to de-stress after a long meeting or difficult conversation. It can relax tight muscles caused by sitting slumped over a computer.”

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Go For a Run

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Going for a run in the afternoon will burn calories and give you an energy boost. “Many people choose to exercise at lunch because it doesn’t eat into their free time," workplace psychologist Mike Clinton tells Runner’s World. "Plus it perks you up and is likely to make you more productive in the afternoon."

Protein Shake

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Having a protein shake after an afternoon workout can help build muscle and burn fat. “That window of time after you exercise is when your body is just a little bit more efficient at utilizing that protein to help build that muscle, versus while you’re exercising and you’re breaking down the muscle and stressing the muscle,” Kate Patton, MEd, RD, CCSD, LD, tells the Cleveland Clinic.

Take a Nap

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Sleep is crucial for weight loss, so a mid-afternoon nap could help. “Aim to nap for only 10 to 20 minutes,” says the Mayo Clinic. “The longer you nap, the more likely you are to feel groggy afterward. However, young adults might be able to tolerate longer naps.”

RELATED: 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week

Do Some Stretches

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Stretching can provide an energy boost and protect your muscles. “Stretching reduces the muscle tension, thereby reversing the cycle of tension, then tightening, and pain,” according to Colorado State University. “Stretching has been shown to increase serotonin levels — i.e., the hormone that helps stabilize our mood, reduce stress, and overall makes us feel good — which causes a decrease in depression and anxiety.”

Avoid Sugar

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It can be tempting to have sugar to combat the afternoon slump, but this will just cause you to be more tired due to a blood sugar spike and crash. “Don’t grab a soda for an afternoon pick-me-up,” says the Cleveland Clinic. “Coffee, dark chocolate and unsweetened iced tea are better options.”

💪🔥Body Booster: Avoid caffeine in the late afternoon as it can negatively impact sleep.

Do you want to lose 10 pounds by the holidays? Jenn Markwardt is a fitness and nutrition coach and founder of Flourish Nutrition, whose goal is “helping you lose 20lbs in a stress-free way. In a recent social media post, she reveals how to drop weight fast by making a few simple tweaks to your routine. “Maybe it’s your energy, maybe it’s an extra 10-20lbs that came out of nowhere, especially around your middle, or maybe it’s exhaustion and brain fog you can’t get rid of,” she writes in the Instagram post. “Here are the three️ things I (and my clients) would avoid if I wanted to drop fat and get my energy back.”

Stop Eating Healthy and Start Eating with Intention

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Her first tip? Stop eating “healthy” and start eating with intention. “Track your food for a week (not forever, and you’ll be amazed at what you learn. It’s not about eating as little as possible; it’s about understanding how to build your pants in a way that leaves you full and satiated and helps your body lose fat without restriction and hunger,” she writes in her post.

Get More Focused with Exercise

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Next, “stop doing random workouts and only relying on cardio,” she says. “Muscle is the key to lighting up your metabolism and helping you actually keep your results! You should be training intentionally in a progressive overload style (building in weights or reps each week) to optimize your results!”

Don’t Do It Alone

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And her third tip is to “stop trying to go it alone,” she says. “Listen, things change as we age, but you are not broken. It’s not impossible to see results, but you have to do things differently than you did in the past, and it’s a heck of a lot easier when you have the support and accountability of coaches and other women just like you.”

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She Also Recommends These 5 Healthy Habits for Weight Loss

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In another post, she reveals that one of her clients dropped a whopping 30 pounds over a period of six months, “and this was someone who has done literally every diet under the sun,” she says in the clip. “Here are the five habits we focused on to optimize her metabolism hormones and get her energy back so fat loss felt easy,” she adds in the post.

Walk 8,000 to 10,000 Steps Per Day

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The first habit is to get your steps in. She recommends “daily movement of 8-10k steps.” Why should you aim for 10,000 steps per day? A 2018 study published in the journal Obesity found a link between walking that amount and weight loss and weight management. Other studies published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) in JAMA Neurology and in JAMA Internal Medicine also linked walking 10,000 steps a day to less dementia and less cardiovascular disease overall, with less heart disease, less heart failure, and fewer strokes.

Amp Up Your Protein Intake

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Next, amp up your protein intake. “30g of protein at each meal for satiation and preserving and building muscle,” she writes. According to clinical trials, consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW) but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.

Also, Increase Fiber Intake

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Also, she recommends amping up your fiber intake. “25g of fiber daily” is her suggestion. Why? “Fiber is key for balancing blood sugar and keeping you full, so you avoid mindless snacking,” she says.

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Strength Train

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In addition to getting your steps in, she recommends doing strength training to build muscle. Specifically, she suggests three 30-minute strength workouts a week “using our Flourish Fitness progressive overload program,” she writes. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:

• Develop strong bones
• Manage your weight
• Enhance your quality of life
• Manage chronic conditions
• Sharpen your thinking skills

Stress Management

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Lastly, she stresses the importance of mental health. She explains that “stress management and finding and creating the time to prioritize” yourself is fundamental in getting in physical shape.

A Lot of Factors Impact Weight Loss

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“And here’s why this works: your metabolism isn’t just ONE thing. There are a lot of factors, and your daily habits have the biggest impact on your metabolic health and hormones. You don’t have to do these things perfectly, but consistency (even on the weekends) matters for forever results,” she writes at the end of the post. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.