Weight management made easy

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT MADE EASY

How many of us are trying to manage our weight successfully and healthily at the moment? Now that Spring is finally on its way, despite the cold weather, many of us want to look good and feel healthy. With so much in the media about the health problems that can arise as a result of obesity, we have more knowledge than ever before about how to eat healthily and the importance of exercise.

Now it may seem obvious, but the reason why more and more people are defined as being obese these days is because we do not naturally exercise in the way people did in days gone by before technology took care of so many of our practical tasks. I’ll give you a few examples:

1 Shopping – can now be done online, rather than having to go to the shops

2. housework – can be done with vacuum cleaner, rather than having to sweep by hand.
   3 washing – is done by most people by a washing machine/dryer rather than by hand
3. washing up – can be done by many people by a dishwasher
   5 heating – many of us have central heating, and if we choose to have a fire or stove, this may be extra.

So we see from this short list that, whereas in days gone by many household tasks had to be done by hand as part of a natural lifestyle, now technology has taken away this need, so we have to find a way to exercise in other ways. It is worth remembering that many people did not have cars 100 or even 50 years ago, so would travel by foot, bike or bus. This meant that people would naturally take exercise without having to plan it as we do now.

So what can we do about exercise in the 21st century? If we work in an office, we are often sedentary, sitting on chairs all day long, which adds to lack of exercise.

Here are some answers!

1. if we are not too far away from work we can walk, bike to workplace or station.
2. we can use a public swimming pool, many of which are very pleasant, to swim after work
3. we can use a local leisure centre, cheaper that health clubs in these times of recession, to exercise at the gym.
4. we can walk in public parks, with or without a dog!
5. we can join the many clubs and venues locally that offer dance, yoga and a myriad of other physical activities.

There are so many physical activities on offer in this modern age, ranging from tap dancing to sky diving, that it is always possible to find something that will healthily exrcise our bodies – and find an activity that suits our particular lifestyle.

The problem can be – how do we find the time!!?

The answer is: we plan. We can use our diary or calender to slot in the times that will suit us to do at least 30 mins of exercise a day, with more at weekends if we choose. Taking even 30 mins of physical exercise is not only healthy for our muscles and joints, and can slow down the aging process – it also can improve the health of our hearts, which is important if we want to avoid ending up in hospital after a stroke or heart attack. Our bodies are biologically designed to MOVE and if we ignore this fact and sit around all day and all evening, we are storing up health trouble for ourselves in the future.

Added to which, exercise, once we start to do it, gets the endomorphins going, so that we can feel more cheerful rather than depressed with the cold and dreary weather and the relentless pace of modern life.

Taking exercise is what our bodies are meant to do naturally, so by going with Nature and giving our bodies a chance to move we give ourselves these wonderful benefits:

1. Feel more cheerful, rather than depressed
2. Lessen stress
3. Improve body flexibility
4. Improve joint and bone health
5. Improve heart health
6. Enable our lungs to work more efficiently

and finally – look good and be proud of our bodies.

Now here is your simple recipe for EASY, healthy weight management:

1. Eat only food that is nutritious and healthy: i.e. fruit, veg, salads, protein in the form of pulses or meat, nuts if not allergic to them, dairy products in moderation, carbs like rice, pasta, potatoes, bread in moderation.
2. Exercise!

There we are – SIMPLES!