We hear it all the time…lose weight for your health. Few people however, realise the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.
In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The study showed an obese 20-year-old white male,178cm and weighing 130kg was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.
It is now well researched that a Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.
1. Check to see if you are overweight or obese:
To find out your BMI you need to divide your weight (measured in kilos) by your height (measured in metres) squared. If the result is greater than 25, your health may be improved by losing weight.
2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements:
If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.
3. Colour your diet with a large variety of colourful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables:
There are seven different colour ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.
4. Eat lean protein with every meal:
Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns, scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy based meat substitutes, beans and lentils.
5. Rev up your metabolism with activity:
If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well being, exercise is a key ingredient. Thirty minutes of activity each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk is recommended for adults. Children should be active for at least an hour each day.
6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight:
A study, “Effects of Internet Behavioural Counselling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes” shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the support of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.
Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been 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 and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.
If you are concerned about your health issues then what you need is my signature programme where we’ll work together to tackle all aspects of what I’ve been talking about through this guide. The programme combines both diet and lifestyle elements, so we can work on your confidence as well as that expanding waistline. Perhaps now is exactly the right time for a brand new you: new diet, new attitude and new healthy lifestyle habits.
Book your FREE 30-minute health strategy session (worth R550) so that we can talk about your health concerns and I can give you some strategies that you can use straight away. Email me at venetia@thefitweigh.co.za.
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