It’s been a tough couple of years and life hasn’t exactly been easy. The pandemic has affected global populations and almost everyone had to drastically shift habits and lifestyles For a lot of people, this brought a lot of stress and anxiety, and in the search for comfort, food presented itself as an immediate source of solace.
Seeking food for comfort can unfortunately contribute to being overweight or obese, which increases the risks of developing health problems such as heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many more. Furthermore, social disorders can also develop in overweight and obesity, as weight gain can make it difficult to fit in and promote image perception problems. So….
So if you haven’t started already, now is the time to work on reversing the damage, boosting your health, and feeling better (and happier)!
Here are three simple things to keep in mind (and maintain your weight):
Make the right diet and nutrition choices and you’re already halfway there
No one is asking you to starve yourself, but at the end of the day, maintaining a calorie deficit through a properly managed diet is crucial to achieve and maintain weight loss. Making the right food choices is vital to ensuring proper nutrition, overall metabolic health, and of course achieving weight loss.
Make sure you have a proper protein intake, high fiber foods, and of course don’t dismiss healthy fats. Always eat your protein first and aim for 3-4 ounces per meal or more. Hydration is also important, so don’t forget to aim for 64 ounces or more of sugar-free beverages daily!
Exercise. Exercise. Exercise.
As expected and as we already know, having an effective workout routine can do wonders for any weight loss initiative. Exercise is an excellent stress reliever and great for the heart, lungs, and more! Not to mention the fact that working out helps you get in shape and look more fit by boosting your metabolism and increasing your muscle mass (which in turn keeps you burning to sustain itself). Exercise is also a wonderful mood enhancer thanks to its endorphin boost!
Sleep: An Absolute Miracle Worker
People often underestimate or simply are not aware of how vital sleep is to weight loss and overall health. Not getting enough sleep can slow down your metabolism and make it more difficult to control your appetite. Lack of sleep also causes, hormone imbalances which can increase stress and might also trigger binge eating to cope. So let’s make sure we all appreciate the many benefits of sleep and get enough of it on a daily basis, 7 hours/night seems to be the magic number.
In closing, the above three components are vital for any attempt at weight loss (and maintaining any weight loss ). There might be days when making the right choices will prove more difficult than others, days when you feel that cheeseburger is too tempting to ignore, when skipping your workout or foregoing a good night’s sleep for other “pleasures” seems like the better choice… but always keep the bigger picture in mind. Always think long-term and remember your “why.”. Always keep in mind that today’s choices are tomorrow’s reality, and don’t lose sight of all the efforts you have put in to get to where you are today, and where you want to be tomorrow.