Taking control of your weight doesn’t mean slashing your daily calorie intake or spending hours exercising every day. There are several simple steps that can be taken to boost the metabolism and achieve a more natural approach to weight loss. Here are five of the basic strategies to help maintain the preferred weight range:

Eat healthy snacks

Have a healthy and low-calorie go-to snack to eat in times of feeling hungry between meal times. Instead of heading to the fridge for leftovers or the freezer for ice cream, it is more practical to stock the pantry with healthy food choices such a high-fiber cereal with low-fat milk.

Drink water throughout the day

The body can find it difficult to distinguish the difference between thirst and hunger. Rather than reaching for a snack, it can help to have a drink of water to make sure the body isn’t just starting to feel dehydrated. Drinking the recommended 8 glasses of fluids per day is useful for a variety of reasons, including the ability to slow the urge to snack and keeping the body energized. Plus, it doesn’t only need to be plain water. Other healthy fluids include green tea, which is zero calories (unless lemon or other flavoring is included) and rich in antioxidants.

Get involved with morning exercise

A great way to start the day is with some upper-body training such as push-ups. Exercise in the morning gives the metabolism a great boost and keeps it elevated throughout the day. Start slowly and gradually increase the number of push-ups performed each day. Once you start to get comfortable with the standard push-up, switch to a modified push-up that makes it more difficult and stops the body hitting a plateau.

Rejuvenate the body with a detox

The ability to detox the body is possible in several different ways. A simple solution is to make changes to the diet and include food types that naturally detoxify the system. Some of the best foods to invigorate the sluggish system include almonds, white tea, asparagus, and collard greens.

Take up a relaxing activity

Any activity that relaxes the body and lowers stress levels is certain to have a great benefit on the mind and body. One of the best activities is yoga, which is useful for its ability to lower cortisol levels and cut the fat stored in the body. Meditation, deep breathing, and music are further techniques that can be used to lower stress levels.