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    13 Habits of Naturally Thin People

    Here's a simple way to make weight loss a natural part of the life you already live. And guess what? It's fun! You don't have to give up the foods you love or join a gym. It's about balancing calories in tiny ways that add up to big benefits. You just adopt some tricks naturally lean people do. Pick the ones you like, stick with them, and you'll slim down and tone up -- for good!



    By Cynthia Dermody

    1. Wake-up workout When your eyes open, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your back and hamstrings. Hold; then, using your abs, lower yourself flat. Rest and repeat two more times. Strengthens core. Burns 10 calories

    2. Go for the grains Not ready for Twigs & Rocks cereal? Sprinkle on a few tablespoons of wheat germ or oat bran. Work up to 3/4 cup of low-sugar whole-grain cereal with at least three grams of fiber per serving, and you'll pass on that Danish. Saves 100

    3. Add some protein The more you eat earlier on, the less you eat as the day wears on, research has shown. So after your cereal, add a hard-boiled egg or a part-skim mozzarella cheese stick to keep you feeling full -- and away from that pre-lunch brownie. Saves 200 (or more)

    4. Balance booster While you brush your teeth, alternate standing on one leg as you switch mouth quadrants (every 30 seconds). Balancing develops your core muscles and may even be good for your brain. Burns 10

    5. Be a ballerina As your coffee drips, stand sideways, put one hand on the counter, and lift the outside leg straight out in front of you, keeping it extended. With upper body straight, hold for a few seconds and move it to the side; hold and extend it behind you. Do five to ten times on each leg. Tones outer thighs, hip flexors and quadriceps. Burns 10

    6. Coffee saver Instead of pouring that 1/3 cup of half-and-half (a whopping 105 calories!) into your mug, replace it with the same amount of 2% milk. Saves 60

    7. Better your bagel You can walk 10,000 steps to justify your 500-calorie bagel with cream cheese, or try this: low-fat spreadable cheese like Laughing Cow Light on an English muffin. Saves 300

    8. Tone in traffic Use the time spent bumper-to-bumper to develop your buns of steel: Squeeze your derriere each time you tap the brake, holding for 10 seconds. Shoot for 10 to 15 squeezes a trip. Burns 10

    9. Snack smarter Portion out the day's snacks into pint-size zip bags, or buy single-serving portions. For example, four regular Oreos have 200 calories versus the 100-calorie snack bag version. Go for the lower fat chips: a Lay's Light bag has only 75 calories, while the regular has 150. Saves 175 (over two snacks)

    10. Casual day payoff You will blast more calories during the day wearing comfy clothes like jeans or khakis, sport shirts and soft-soled shoes than donning constricting suits, skirts and heels. Why? Because you walk more, a study found. Now you just have to convince the boss. Burns 25

    11. You know squat! At your desk chair, pretend you're going to sit but don't -- stop and come back up without using your arms. Always start squats by lowering your hips, not bending knees forward, and keeping your weight on your heels. Repeat the motion throughout the day (even at the potty!) for 15 to 20 total. Strengthens quadriceps. Burns 15

    12. Switch your soda Your body doesn't register calories from liquids the same way it does those from foods, so you won't get those "stop eating" signals to help you compensate for the overload later on. Change from two glasses of regular soda or fruit juice to diet soda or a flavored seltzer. Saves 300

    13. Talk it up Every time you grab the phone, stand up and pace around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more per day than thin people, according to the Mayo Clinic. Burns 50 or more

    See 37 more habits of the naturally slim at readersdigest.com

    Image © 2009 Jupiterimages Corporation

    More Slimming Must-Reads

    8 Weight Loss Secrets from Around the World
    7 Tricks for Dropping Pounds
    4 Ways to Uncover the Motivation to Lose Weight

     

    63 comments

    • momo  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  1 month 3 days ago
      Ok, so doing squats on your office chair at work looks completely normal.... RIGHT! My boss would probably ask me if I was on drugs...
    • momo  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  1 month 3 days ago
      I don't do ANY of these!!!
    • MrsKlingonPasadena  •  2 years 8 months ago
      Bogus title.
    • Zeplin522  •  2 years 8 months ago
      I am a naturally thin person, and other than the morning workout
      and black coffee I dont do the rest of that stuff. What I do is
      eat healthy and the most important thing quit eating when I'm
      full.
    • Rowdygirl  •  2 years 8 months ago
      Very misleading.. I'm sure that most "naturally thin" people don't do any of these. That's where the naturally thin part comes in.
      geesh !
    • Ashley  •  2 years 8 months ago
      These are HABITS of NATURALLY THIN people?! Uh...I don't think so. Dumb article.
    • PA  •  2 years 8 months ago
      I'm "naturally" a size 2 but don't play ballerina while waiting for my one cup of coffee to brew. Maybe I involuntarily squeeze my butt in traffic as I sit there being completely annoyed. I'll probably never be overweight b/c of genetics but I do some commonsense things like eating whole grains (you get used to the taste eventually), some lowfat dairy, smaller meals/snacks throughout the day. Eat a nutritious breakfast...gets your metabolism going right away! The suggested tips are not bad ones but you got it MrsKlingonPasadena...bogus title indeed!
    • alankirmit  •  2 years 8 months ago
      "Habits of Naturally Thin People" This title does not cohere to this article. A example of a habit naturally thin people have would be like twitching, shaking or taping ones leg or foot ( proven fact F.Y.I ). So next time do more research and get a cohesive title.
      • momo 1 month 3 days ago
        I'm tapping my feet as we speak!
    • rajj  •  2 years 8 months ago
      quite a nice article, worth to read.
    • SamanthaB  •  2 years 8 months ago
      That's right everyone, there's no such thing as 'different' bodies. We all have the same one! The 'naturally thin' people are just people who do completely normal things like leg lifts while they make coffee and never to fat things like dress for an office job. Don't believe the doctors and specialists who tell you metabolism and bone structure determine your body's natural weight; what a load of bull!

      Please.
    • shola  •  2 years 8 months ago
      After reading this article I was wondering whether the writer is naturally thin, did all these, or all based on unassumptions. Naturally am thin and I only do workout.
    • Gina  •  2 years 8 months ago
      Nobody really does this stuff. Any of it.
    • Snidely Whiplash  •  2 years 8 months ago
      I was expecting something else from this article. I am naturally thin and I believe the key is a high metabolism. I eat slow and know when I'm full. I try to eat healthy foods (most of the time). My exercise is mowing the lawn and walking to and from my car to the door at work and home. Controlling eating and drinking habits will help more than any of the tips mentioned.
    • Rebekah  •  2 years 8 months ago
      These are good ideas, but I doubt that the "nanturally thin" people do any of them.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  2 years 8 months ago
      Yeah, I'm naturally thin(5'4 and around 112lbs last time weighed a while back) and I only do two of these. Wear comfy close (I always have, and I hardly walk unless I'm out with friends.), and (sometimes) pace on the phone when talking. But I didn't know pacing really mattered and I don't do it for weight purposes. This article title is VERY misleading. Perhaps some people do this things,but it would be ON PURPOSE, not "natural".

      ps. People say I have a high metabolism, don't know if it's true though. Never asked a doctor.
    • A Yahoo! User  •  2 years 8 months ago
      Given I don't meant to say all heavier people can't control their appetite. I know genetics and health conditions play a role too.
    • Mark  •  2 years 8 months ago
      fail
    • lovey  •  2 years 8 months ago
      This came from Reader's Digest? No wonder they declared bankruptcy if this is the kind of stuff they're printing.
    • KL  •  2 years 8 months ago
      I agree with most, this is dumb. At 5'9" and 135-140lbs my entire adult life (except when pregnant), I don't do any of those things, except frontload my food intake in the morning (I'm VERY hungry when I wake up and mean and nasty if I don't have protein for breakfast). I happen to prefer coffee black with no sugar and I do not like soda, so I don't drink it at all, diet or otherwise. I don't do "toning" exercises at my desk or in traffic (my eyes are rolling at the suggestion...I should be working or driving, respectively, under those circumstances!). "Toning" exercises are silly anyway, if you want to build muscle, you need to lift relatively heavy weights. I'm active by nature, in that I can't sit still for long periods of time and I don't care much for TV so there aren't a lot of hours logged on the couch. I don't "snack", they aren't necessary if I'm eating decent meals and eating enough for breakfast and lunch and I'm just not hungry for "snacks".
    • coco  •  2 years 8 months ago
      I'm naturally thin i don't do any of that stuff...i eat until i can't walk and still stay a size 3, and half that stuff you would look like a nut doing it at work.

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