Benefits of a Healthy Weight
In today’s fast-paced environment, factors such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, and lack of sleep contribute to weight gain. When weight and waist size increase over time, individuals risk health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, various cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and infertility.
However, maintaining a healthy weight lowers these risks significantly. Long-term weight management can also strengthen immune system functioning, reduce stress, and increase overall mobility. Even losing 5% of body fat can improve blood pressure, energy levels, and sleep quality.
Methods of Weight Management
If you’re uncertain where to begin, there are several methods to manage weight. The most prominent step is balancing the calories you consume with those you burn. Eating clean, nutritious food and exercising for a minimum of 150-minutes per week will be beneficial long-term. If you’d prefer to count calories, an accessible resource to utilize is MyPlate Plan, a tool that calculates the number of calories you require daily for weight maintenance. Not only does it base calories on your specific demographics, but it also provides recommendations on healthy food choices.
Additional methods of weight management include:
- Keeping a food diary to track your daily meals. You may realize that you’re consuming more calories than expected.
- Removing processed foods from your diet. Foods high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar will boost your calorie intake.
- Never skipping breakfast. Eating a healthy, balanced meal in the morning will reduce cravings throughout the day.
- Planning your meals in advance, especially on the go. Preparing healthy snacks prior to vacation or outings will help you avoid fast food options.
- Keeping your goals realistic. Everyone’s lifestyle is different! Customizing your plan will ensure continuous success.
All in all, weight management can be achieved through planning, commitment, and a positive mindset. Always give yourself grace and understand that your body is a fine-tuned machine individualized to you. The more you prioritize healthy habits, the easier it will be to reach your full health potential.
-Coach Kaleigh