Lose Weight Or Lose A Few Years!
We hear it all the time, being overweight is bad for your health. I heard it all the time when I was at my heaviest. Few people, however, realise how critical this is to their physical, health well-being and eventually to their life expectancy.
Back in January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that obesity seems to shorten life expectancy, especially in that of young adults (1). The same study showed an obese 20-year-old white male, 178cm and weighing 130kg was estimated to lose on average, 13 years of his life as a result of being obese.
It is now well researched that a Western diet that leads to obesity may cause numerous other health issues. Yes, it is never too late to adopt a deep-health approach through mindful eating and a more active lifestyle. Here are six simple tips to follow, that can make an immediate improvement to your health and energy levels.
1. First, work out if you are overweight or obese. To work out your BMI, you need to divide your weight (measured in kilos) by your height (measured in metres) squared. If this is greater than 25, your health may improve by losing weight. Here is an excellent link to an online BMI calculator.
2. Match your diet to your body's requirements. i.e. Get your energy balance right. If you tend to consume than your body requires through the things you eat and drink, you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and your portion sizes, make your recipes leaner and cut back on fast-food. Also, learn how to snack on healthier choices.
3. Eat a large variety of colourful, fruit and vegetables every day.
There are seven different colour ranges of both fruit and vegetables. By eating between five to nine daily serves from a colourful variety of fruit and vegetables, we are consuming so many amazing and varied nutrient. So eat the rainbow".
4. Eat lean protein with every meal. Doing so will give you a more extended sense of fullness. Protein is essential to controlling your hunger by eating fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be grass-fed and sustainable meats such as chicken or beef, eggs and wild-caught fish.
5. Rev up your metabolism with daily activity. If you want to enjoy an extended lifetime of deep-health, exercise is a crucial ingredient. At a minimum, adults should be taking three; ten minute walks a day. Preferably after each meal. Children should be active for over an hour each day, so yes, turn the TV off!
6. Get support. This will help you develop a healthful eating plan, reach your goal weight and keep those good habits for life. This study, (2) showed that those participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn't. The study concluded that the help of a weight loss coach could significantly improve weight loss results. Everyone needs a coach. Even coaches need coaching.
Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk of developing numerous health problems. Even small weight losses have shown to have beneficial health effects. So it's NEVER TOO LATE to start, and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health.