Even a small amount of weight loss can make a huge difference. Shedding just five pounds can not only improve your confidence, but also provide tremendous health benefits. See 10 ways that you can drop 5 pounds to start looking and feeling better today!

Losing those last irritating 5 pounds can be the hardest part of your weight-loss journey. Kick things up a notch without depriving yourself! These 10 easy rules will help you finally hit your goal weight and allow you to maintain your healthy new physique.

1. Practice Portion Control

Over the years, portions have become supersized. Larger serving sizes make it easy to consume excess calories, even when it comes to healthy foods. Curb your consumption by being mindful of proper serving sizes: a serving of meat should be no larger than the palm of your hand or deck of cards. When it comes to snacking, don’t eat out of the package or bag. When you’re dining out, ask for a doggy bag at the beginning of your meal and immediately place half of your dish in the to-go container so that you won’t be tempted to clean your plate. As a rule of thumb, make sure half of your plate is filled with fruits and colorful veggies at every meal.

Click here for more information on serving sizes.

2. Lose “Low-Fat” Labels

Many dieters fill their kitchens with foods branded as “low fat” – but all too often that label is a diet trap. To improve their flavor, manufacturers tend to add more sugar, flour and thickeners to fat-free products, which boost calorie content. The fats in these foods are replaced with low-performing white carbs that digest quickly and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. This causes the classic sugar high and crash followed by a hunger rebound.

Additionally, studies show that people often view a low-fat label as a green light to eat much more than they normally would, unaware that low-fat versions of foods are usually not much lower in calories than the regular versions.

Click here to learn more about unmasking misleading food labels.

If you’re like 80% of women around the world, you’ve got stretch marks – and you’re not exactly fond of them. So, what can you do? 

To start, stretch marks, or striae, are actually scarring of the skin. Two proteins that give skin its binding nature are collagen and elastin. These two proteins are the foundation of what keeps our skin supple. When there is extreme stretching of the skin combined with a lack of these two proteins, it will cause a tearing of the dermis of your skin.

Stretch marks can appear pretty much anywhere on the body, but the most common areas are your stomach, hips, breasts and thighs. When stretch marks are new, they have an off-color hue, often red or purple. However, as time goes by, stretch marks typically fade in color and will have more of a white/gray hue. Stretch marks can diminish but typically do not disappear completely.

Hormones do play a big part in causing stretch marks. This is why it is very common for teens to get them since their bodies and hormones are growing and changing. Another hormonal cause is glucocorticoid hormones. In fact, medications containing corticosteroids prevent fibroblasts from creating the collagen and elastin needed to keep the skin taut; it is very common to get stretch marks from steroid medications.

Understanding what causes stretch marks on an anatomical level can be almost comforting, but what about real solutions? There are all kinds of home remedies and creams that may help, but to really see a difference in the size and color, laser treatments are your best bet. Additionally, a prescription dose of vitamin A can also be effective. Tretinoin, another form of vitamin A, can help increase the production of collagen, reducing the appearance of stretch marks on the skin. The newer the stretch mark and the earlier you treat it, the better your end result.

There are all kinds of lasers that can be effective in lessening the appearance of your stretch marks. One type is the Pixel Wavelength Laser, which helps to promote the new growth of elastin and collagen. This fractional photothermolysis laser is safe and causes small fractional damage to targeted areas of the skin tissue, resulting in a greater production of collagen and elastin. The average number of treatments that is needed for this type of laser is typically four, spaced two to four weeks apart; this laser allows for faster healing of your skin.

Some other options would be the Harmony XL or the V Beam. These lasers help to re-pigment the skin by stimulating our melanin, the pigment that gives our skin its color. This results in stretch marks that become almost the same color as the rest of your skin. (The reason stretch marks are red when they first crop up is because blood vessels become more apparent when the dermis breaks and tears.) These lasers also require a series of treatments and there is some downtime.  

Stretch marks are obviously easier to get than they are to get rid of. And remember: stretch marks arescars and banishing them completely just isn’t possible at this time. However, the good news is these laser treatments do successfully reduce redness, diminish the appearance of white marks, and improve the texture of the skin, making your stretch marks a whole lot less noticeable. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to afford all of that fancy equipment used in the gyms? Well, as nice as it sounds, it just isn’t an option for most people. And since exercise is so important, you need to find exercises that are effective and don’t require any equipment at all.To make these exercises even more fun, you can blast music while you’re doing them. Some you can even do while watching TV.

Now you have no more excuses! Here are 10 great exercises that you can do at home, without the need for any equipment:

1. Walking – If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while you exercise. However, if the weather has other ideas, you can just as easily get an effective walking workout at home. If you have a flight of stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs, while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just walk around the house a few times – it may not be very exciting, but it will do the job!

   See: How Many Calories Burned Walking 3.0 mph

2. Jumping Jacks – These are always fun, as they bring back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise – they are also great cardio exercises, and good for warming up, too.
3. Pushups – These are probably not the most favorite exercise of many people, but while they can be hard to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall. You will be building up arm strength and working out muscles in your chest area.
4. Leg Lifts – These are great for building up strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it hard to do the exercises with your legs straight, try bending them slightly.

   See: 10 Minute Workout for Your Butt, Hips and Thighs

5. Crunches – The best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just getting started, don’t worry about getting your head all the way up. So long as you’re going up until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you will see some benefit.

   See: 1000 Crunches a Day and Still No Abs!

6. Jogging In Place – Jogging is a great exercise for your heart. You can jog in place at home while watching TV or listening to music. The only equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes, to eliminate any stress to your legs.
7. Squats – These are wonderful exercises for your legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by sitting and standing up again from a regular chair, if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your body.
8. Light Weight Lifting – No, you don’t need to go out and buy expensive weights for this! Just use whatever you can find in your house. Start out with something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.
9. Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is great for your heart. Not only that, but it can lift your spirits as well, and give your overall feeling a boost.
10. Step Exercises – Using the steps in your home, you can do repetitions which will tone your leg muscles. (Just remember to be careful!)

Getting some exercise is important, but you don’t need to go out and join a gym, paying a large amount in membership fees each month. You don’t even need the expensive equipment in order to give your body an effective workout. Use what you have in your house, and work out in the comfort of your home. You will be more likely to keep up with the exercises when you’re comfortable, so just get up and start exercising!