Losing weight requires eating less and exercising more. Sustained weight management, however, is much more nuanced. Maintaining a healthy weight means implementing a holistic, whole body-focused plan of attack for life, not just for the duration of a New Year’s resolution. In order to lose weight and remain fit, every part of your life has to radiate with good health.
Emotional and mental fitness
Before you join a gym or start following a fad diet, consult a physician or health professional, and include your feelings in the conversation. Health and fitness have physical and mental components that work together to promote overall wellness. Exercise is widely known to support emotional well-being and mental clarity. It can even improve sleep, which is another vital component for good health. But those suffering from depression and anxiety may never leave their house to go to the gym or run around the neighborhood. Conversely, a positive attitude can sometimes break through physical limitations. Marathon runners often speak of the dreaded “wall,” which although primarily based on an athlete’s body, running out of fuel is also often overcome through mental willpower.
We can hit the wall, too, when trying to lose weight. Our diet suddenly lacks flavor, and the exercise routine becomes boring. During these moments, we have to dig deep and use optimism to pull us through.
Aim for a truly balanced diet
Healthy food options are vast. Current nutritional conventional wisdom has replaced the super low-fat, tasteless meal plans of the past with good fats for optimal nutrition absorption. Eggs and avocados don’t make us fat; rather, white sugar and processed carbohydrates are the culprits. And while sugar and carbs taste good, a diet low in them doesn’t have to be bland. Eat bread in moderation. Finish your dinner with a dark chocolate square instead of a slice of cake. Instead of insisting that every meal have a filling starch component, treat vegetables and protein as the stars of your plate with a small amount of satisfying carbs on the side.
Experiment with different seasonings, herbs, and cooking methods to coax maximum flavor out of healthy ingredients. Sweet potatoes, for example, are tasty, filling, sweet, and healthy. Roasted with cumin and shallots, they can surpass roasted potatoes in flavor. There are many simple diet alterations that will leave you satisfied.
Exercise is less exhausting if you’re having fun
Some start an exercise regimen only to drop out after a few weeks. This may be due to perceived inconvenience or being too busy at work, or it could be because the workouts were not fun. Rather than toil in misery on some workout plan that you despise, find an activity that you love, and make it part of the rest of your life. Running on a treadmill can be torturous, but running on a tree-lined jogging path can be a fun escape into nature. No matter what activity you enjoy, there is likely a way to incorporate it into a workout.
Another tip for making exercise more accessible is to bring the gym to your home. It’s easy to make excuses to not get dressed for the gym and drive across town, but if you have a workout area at home, you may be happy to spend 20 or 30 minutes working up a sweat. You don’t need fancy and expensive equipment, either. A few cheap and effective tools for a home gym include:
- Kettlebells. Swing these small weights to work muscles and get your heart going.
- Resistance bands. These large rubber straps allow you to work out your muscles without the space that weights require.
- Swiss ball. Use this inflatable ball, also known as a yoga ball, to elevate pushups and facilitate wall squats.
Healthy weight management requires more than just diet and exercise. You must commit for the long term and focus on achieving total wellness. By considering all of your needs, from adequate sleeping to addressing mental health issues, you will support your weight-loss efforts.