According to the WHO, obesity among the worldwide population has tripled since 1975, with more than 650 million people being obese in year 2021.
If you live in countries where most of the world’s population live, you are more likely to die from overweight than underweight.
The statistics are even more concerning when it comes to underage, as worldwide more than 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in year 2020.
But do we actually gain so much weight and become overweight or even obese?
And even more important, can we really do something about it?
Well, I guess we all know the usual equation about the balance between intake and burning of calories.
But why is then so hard for many of us to stay slim?
This is a rather hard question to answer, as there are also some other influences that get into this equation.
Individual genetics of individual person’s would be one, for example.
Therefore, we cannot successfully answer the question for all individuals.
What we can do though, is introduce to you some healthy routines, helping you to stay fit.
By applying these, you will fight overweight and obesity on a less conscious level, without even being aware of it!
Eat mindful
With roots in Buddhistic mediations, mindful eating is the concept that can do wonders for your health.
By applying this technique, you are directing your full attention to your feelings, cravings, and experiences during eating.
Apart from self-disciplining us avoid to gain weight, mindful eating is also successful in fighting several disorders.
For example, anxiety, depression, and food-related disorders can be effectively repressed with this technique.
Therefore, don’t wait any further and embrace this great concept as a general guideline in your everyday life.
Try to eat slow and relaxed, while at the same time ignoring all distractions.
Also, try to recognize when you are really hungry, while disregarding any non-hunger related triggers for eating.
To this point, try to eat for the right reason, to maintain health and promote your well-being.
In order to accomplish this, you must identify your internal hunger cues and eat only until you’re full.
Furthermore, you need to cope with the feeling of guilt as regards to eating and anxiety it produces.
Pay attention to the effects of food on your feelings and body.
Instead of losing yourself in automatic thoughts triggered by eating, try to eat with more consciousness about your health.
Rather than eating in front of a computer or TV, slow down and make eating a planned act.
If you eat automatically, it can take several minutes until your brain realises you are full.
By then, you have already eaten more than your body needed.
The point of mindful eating is to change your perspective of eating process, and consequently help you not to gain weight.
Any negative emotion related to food is replaced with positive emotions, promoting internal self-control and consciousness.
Therefore, set your mind to what eating is actually about and not how it fits into your daily schedule!
It’s ok to relax and treat yourself
Although this might sound a bit conflicting to the mindful eating at first, it is actually ok to relax and treat yourself!
One needs to be careful though with the meaning of the word “treat”.
Especially people who are fighting weight problem, as we tend to misinterpret the word and allow our weakness misuse it.
What we mean here by “treating” is eating something you enjoy in, even if not to satisfy your hunger craving.
Allow yourself to enjoy the moment and eat some sweets from time to time.
A cake or chocolate here and there will not make too much difference but might keep you happy.
And you need to be happy while pursuing your long-term goal of losing weight and staying slim.
However, try to keep it reasonable and not use this tip as an excuse for overloading with calories.
“Here and there” is not every day but might be once a week or two weeks.
You need to listen to your body and mind to be able to tell yourself when to treat and when enough is enough!
Furthermore, it is even better if you choose something healthy and with less calories to treat yourself.
I am sure we all have a healthy alternative in the assortment of treats we love to eat.
For example, rather then eating a milk shake overloaded with sugar, take freshly made frape instead.
I’m sure you’ll find it equally enjoyable, or even more, knowing you have taken healthier alternative.
You’ll appreciate the taste more of you know it’s not standing on the way of your long-term goal.
“Tasty” doesn’t always have to mean “caloric and unhealthy”.
So, make more informative decisions on the choice of your treat, while allowing your imagination take over.
You’ll see it will do wonders for you!
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Keep moving to feel better
In order to avoid weight gain, it is also highly important to keep moving all the time.
This doesn’t necessarily mean doing cardio training, but to use every opportunity to move on foot.
For instance, a 30 min of pilates daily can do a wonder to your fitness, and it is only 2% of your day. Click here to try Pilatesness 7 days for free.
Nowadays, we are all used to work behind desks, with almost no movement during working hours.
Combined with more caloric food than few decades back, we get a proven recipe for weight gain.
Therefore, it is essential to incorporate as much movement into your everyday life as possible.
If this movement implies aerobic exercising, like running or cycling, even better.
What’s important is to incorporate movement as a routine, and not necessarily as a hard workout.
This way you will retain more will for it, comparing to when you perceive it as a workout.
If it is realistic and feasible time wise, take a stroll to your work and back, don’t sit in your car.
Cycle through your everyday obligations, don’t drive or be driven, as this brings nothing for your health or figure.
According to the WHO, adults aged between 15 and 64 should incorporate 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity daily, to stay healthy. (*)
This means, we need to spend at least two and a half hours standing, preferably walking, to stay fit.
Now compare this time with the time we spend sedentary per day.
The math is not hard at all, we just need to stop making excuses to ourselves for staying inactive.
If you are spending too much time sitting in front of computer or TV, try to exchange this time for movement.
You can do it incrementally, so you don’t sacrifice your habits too fast and then lose your will.
By making this your routine, you will make calories equation work to your benefit, surprising yourselves with results very fast.
Vegetables will help your digestion
Eating more vegetables is another good tip for boosting weight loss and staying fit.
By including more vegetables, and consequently more fiber, you will stimulate your digestion.
Because fiber takes a bit longer to digest, the feeling of being full also lasts longer.
This will make the timespan between food cravings longer and help you not to gain weight.
Apart from being very rich in various vitamins and minerals, vegetables are generally low in carbohydrates, and consequently in calories.
Furthermore, veggies are generally very hydrating foods, which is in line with the previous tip of increased intake of water.
Therefore, try to introduce more veggies into every meal of the days!
Maybe the best way would be to start slowly, by increasing the volume of veggies in each meal for 10-20%.
At the same time, try to reduce the volume of foods richer in calories, like bread for example.
Slowly, at the end, maybe even completely exchange pastry in your meal for vegetables.
This could also work with meat, but must not, if you are a passionate meat-eater.
Exchanging pastry for vegetables would certainly do the work!
You will notice results very fast, as you will exchange a food very rich in calories for the one very low in calories.
Although all veggies are very lite, some veggies are champions when it comes to weight loss.
Zucchini, beets, jicama, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, spinach, radishes, eggplant, just to name a few.
Besides apparent benefit in weight loss, minerals, and vitamins from these veggies will promote your health in general.
Cucumber, for example, apart from being low on calories, is also very rich in potassium and vitamin K.
Therefore, try to include more veggies in every meal!
You won’t regret, as you’ll feel lighter and do wonder for your figure.
Love your body
Having a positive attitude towards your own body is another important tip for not gaining weight.
This is the only mindset that will bring you to your long-term goal of staying slim.
Do not ever tell yourself that you are fat or that you have an ugly body!
Try to perceive your current state of body as a phase in a transformation to your final goal.
It is essential that you start working on your goal with belief in your success.
If you start telling yourself that you are not good enough, you will lose faith very soon.
A negative mindset will only make you start looking for your flaws, even if you’re not aware of it.
Therefore, embrace that positive feeling you have when you treat your body with a healthy meal or a good workout.
Allow that feeling to boost your confidence and further sharpen your will for success.
The best way to motivate yourself to stay persistent is to observe closely how your body changes every week.
You are the best witness to your own transformation!
Do not allow anything or anyone get you off the track!
From time to time, you will feel that your will is challenged by your own weaknesses or your surroundings.
Exactly at these moments you are tested the hardest and you need to show your iron will.
At this moment you need to demonstrate love towards yourself and do not allow to be persuaded that you are not good enough.
When you have a craving for some unhealthy food, reboot your mind and take the healthy alternative.
When you feel very hungry, eat, but take it slow and mindfully.
When you feel like you don’t have a will to move around, try finding someone to go for a stroll with you.
Please try to perceive the above tips as positive guidelines for adopting good habits, that will help you stay fit.
Each of these tips is intended to help you steer your everyday routines to match your goal.
Staying fit is not always easy, as there are a lot of temptations there that can get us of our track.
However, you can make it easy for yourself if you make those good habits something you do unconsciously.
If they become an integral part of your everyday life, you will never perceive them as something hard.
And as mentioned above, there is no better time to start than NOW!
Don’t try to give yourself excuses for being inactive and not doing anything to reach your goal!
In the end, those excuses will not count for anything if you realize you do not feel good in you body.
With them, we are just dishonest to ourselves.
Your health and feeling of self-satisfaction cannot wait.
Therefore, start being active and take control in your own hands!
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.
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