Preventing obesity usually lies in your hands with a few changes in your lifestyle. Here are five examples of habits that you should often practice in order to avoid weight gain and obesity not to mention, improve your overall well-being and health.
1. Keep Moving.
Treating obesity should start with an increase in your physical activity since this can also help fight back weight gain. An added benefit to this habit is that you are reducing your risk of getting dementia, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, cancer, and other ailments.
You should be as physically active as much as possible because sitting for more than 2 hours can actually negate whatever benefits you have gained from a 20 minutes exercise, and those who are living a sedentary life are at a higher risk of getting cardiovascular problems compared to women who smoke.
Both the international and national guidelines suggest that you should get at least 150 minutes of exercise that is of moderate in intensity per week. This can be translated to 30 minutes of such exercise five times in a week. However, as it was mentioned before, moving all the time is recommended to maintain your health.
How can you increase your physical activity? Park your car a bit farther, use the stairs, do household chores, walk to your mailbox, walk or stand while using the phone, or just move around during commercials,
2. Avoid Sugared Beverages and Soda.
Years of research has proven that excess sugar consumption is directly linked to the increase of obesity. And the most common way in which sugar is delivered is through sweetened beverages like sports drink, sodas, caffeine, juices, and other energy drinks. A 12 ounce can of cola, which is relatively small in these times, actually contains more than eight teaspoons of sugar. The American Heart Association or AHA recommends that women limit their intake of sugar to just six teaspoons only and nine for men daily.
3. Eat Plenty of Vegetables.
Just like increasing your physical activity levels, increasing your consumption of vegetables as well as fruits can treat and prevent obesity, boost weight loss for those who are trying to reduce, and it can also help in preventing cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer.
Researchers in the United Kingdom has recently conducted a large study where it led the investigators to suggest eating at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables daily due to the longevity and numerous health benefits linked with an increase in intake of these foods. More is definitely better with these whole fruits and veggies.
4. Walk Your Dog.
Several studies show that there are many benefits to owning a pet. Dogs, as a matter of fact, appear to encourage their owners to get more exercise as well as physical activity. A large study shows that dog walkers were actually capable of meeting the national recommendations for moderate in intensity to vigorous physical activity compared to those who don’t walk their dog or don’t have one. Dog walkers actually have lower BMI or Body Mass Index and lower chances of becoming overweight or obese. Studies also show that both the owner and the dog actually lose weight when they start walking.
5. Sleep Well.
Studies show that in order to prevent obesity, you should be able to get the recommended number of hours of sleep. How much sleep do you need? Most of the studies conducted showed that sleeping seven to nine hours without any interruption is actually good for your health.
Sleep deprivation can cause the body to think it is under stress hence it releases cortisol which is a known stress hormone that can add to your weight gain. Getting enough hours of sleep can actually help the body to relax and rest, and to reduce cortisol levels and with it, your chances of gaining weight.
