Modern advancements have given us access to a wealth of information, made way for all kinds of entertainment sources, and have improved the average person’s overall quality of life. Unfortunately, this progress has also made it far easier for us to become physically unhealthy because of the countless processed and addictive foods that are so readily available. The increasing abundance of digital work and leisure activities also lead us into sedentary routines. Take hold of your health amidst these circumstances by practicing these tips for preventing the development of obesity.
Identify Healthy vs. Unhealthy Foods
Knowledge of what foods are good to eat and what foods you should avoid establishes the groundwork for your health. You should avoid processed foods as much as you can. These contain excessive amounts of sugar, saturated fats, and salt and a lot of the original nutritional value of food is lost as it’s processed.
Research continues to show a link between eating processed foods and being overweight, obese, and/or hypertensive, and having higher total and LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose, and metabolic syndrome. It remains unclear whether associations can be attributed to the processing itself or the lower nutrient content of processed foods. Instead of packaged foods, you should go for organic meals where ingredients are in a more natural, recognizable state. Colorful fruits and vegetables are beneficial, as are whole grains.
Prepare Your Own Meals
Even with awareness of healthy and unhealthy foods, you may still find yourself eating out or heating up instant meals out of convenience. Cooking every day can seem like an unnecessary chore, and for some, schedules can be so hectic that making time to cook may seem impossible. The solution to this problem is meal prepping. With this, you can cook healthy foods that will last you a week at a set time. As you go about your days afterwards, you won’t need to worry about making something from scratch this way. At the same time, you’ll be able to control exactly what you’re eating. You can look up quick meal-prepping recipes on the internet and choose a specific day each week where you’ll set aside time to make your food.
Include Exercise In Your Routine
Exercise is the other half to staying well. Your body needs to engage in some physical activity regularly to maintain its strength, oxygen-supplying efficiency, and flexibility. Exercise also burns energy so that weight gain does not occur. A tip for preventing the development of obesity is to include some form of workout into your routine. Mayo Clinic recommends that most people get about 150 to 300 minutes of moderately-intense exercise per week. This can consist of fast-paced walking, jogging, swimming, or bike riding. The latter two can be great for those who have joint issues since they take away the impact of movements. If you’re new to regular exercise, electric bicycles can help you stay fit because they offer motor assistance that’ll make easing into workouts smoother.
Healthy Mindset
Another tip to prevent obesity is to keep a positive healthy mindset. Neglecting your body and engaging in unhealthy eating can happen because your mindset is off. Maybe unhealthy thoughts are the ones that keep running through your mind prompting you to engage in self-sabotage, which derails you from staying on a healthy course. Identify unhelpful negative thinking and stop self-sabotage in order to not maintain a healthy mindset.
As you can see, preventing obesity or the development of disease is simple. Staying closer to nature by eating whole food meals, meal prepping, incorporating some type of exercise most days out of the week, and having a healthy mindset will help keep your body lean and healthy.
To a Healthier Fitter You.
The FitnAll Family
