Healthy Habits to Fight Obesity

It's true that there are people who are predisposed to gaining excessive amounts of weight easily. However, these people can improve their quality of life, even if they have to monitor their diets closely. The way you manage your daily nutritional intake is essential for winning the fight against obesity.

In 2016, the World Health Organization reported that there were some 1.9 billion obese people in the world. According to this organization’s data, at least 2.8 million people die because of this condition. The only way to fight obesity and prevent such deaths is to adopt healthy habits.

The first step to fight obesity is to control what you eat

Those who have a biological tendency to become obese should follow a careful nutritional program. The objective is not to stop eating, but to incorporate more healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables, into their diets.

In the cases of people who are already overweight, some experts recommend that they eat five controlled meals a day. In terms of childhood obesity, the best plan of action is to adopt healthy habits from an early age. That way, children will grow up to be health-conscious adults.

It’s important to control your weight

If you are obese, you should weigh yourself weekly. This way, you’ll become conscious of what dietary practices aren’t helping you to reach your goals. Part of the problem with obesity lies in the lack of control that sufferers tend to have with their diet and weight.

Maintenance consists of constantly checking your weight. This will allow you to correct your dietary habits to slim down to a healthy size. When you become consistent with this, you’ll be able to move on to the next step: combining healthy dietary habits with exercise.

Start a training program that takes your needs into account

A sedentary lifestyle is obesity’s best friend. One condition that leads to the accumulation of body fat is not trying to do anything to burn it off. That’s why people who have this condition should focus on increasing their levels of physical activity.

It’s worth mentioning though, that you shouldn’t partake in extreme physical fitness regimens if you feel that you can’t handle them. The simple act of walking, jogging, or swimming can make a huge difference. You can even begin physical training by just doing some squats at home. The goal is to activate your metabolism.

Some advice for getting started with exercise if you’re overweight

If you can sign up for a gym, that’s a great step towards a healthy lifestyle. However, there are other activities you can do without the help of any trainer and at your own pace:

• Walk daily: walking is the best and most natural exercise. What’s great about it, is that anyone can do it. The best way to prepare yourself for this is to begin walking for 30 minutes each day. If you can maintain this, you’ll burn spare calories and you’ll be doing wonders to fight obesity.
• Avoid elevators and motor transportation: forget comforts and start to use your own legs to make your walking habit more natural. Instead of taking an elevator, climb up the stairs. Instead of taking a car to work, go by foot, whenever possible.
• Develop some daily routines that force you to exercise: walking the dog or going shopping on foot are excellent ideas. You’ll be getting exercise and working to fight obesity without even realizing it.

Healthy habits: leave your vices behind

In practice, the struggle to fight obesity requires a lot more than just cutting out saturated fats. Fried foods and candies aren’t the only health enemies that you’ll face. In reality, alcohol, smoking, and drugs may increase your risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Tobacco smoke has a direct link to unwanted weight gain. This is due to the nicotine addiction, which in turn leads to consuming a higher number of calories. Aside from that, smoking creates respiratory and cardiovascular problems that can encourage a sedentary lifestyle.

Experts also warn that alcohol consumption contributes to obesity. This is especially true among beer drinkers. There are some studies to suggest that men who drink alcoholic beverages have a 75 percent risk of developing obesity that’s concentrated in the abdomen. The use of other drugs can also lead to certain dietary disorders.

If you pay attention, all of the steps you need to take to avoid gaining body fat are progressive. It’s not about just adhering to a strict diet or suddenly exercising as much as possible. Instead, the objective is to progress slowly, putting your health first.

Finally, we can’t forget to mention that you should hydrate your body appropriately. Drink at least one and a half liters of water per day.