Healthy living is about building Healthy Habits. The modern lifestyle has presented an interesting conundrum. The increased innovation and technology have helped us to produce and manufacture more food than we know what to do with. We are also inactive as we spend most of our waking hours either sitting down or idle. Physical inactivity is one of the greatest public health problems of the 21st century. The good news is it is possible to turn this tide around. Losing weight and living healthy will become easier if we practice a couple of habits. There are six weight loss habits. Once people forget about losing weight and start working on these habits, they will start getting great results and living healthy.
Weight Loss Habits.
Our weight loss journey is simply about replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones. The main issue is not the weight gain or loss. The major key is weight loss habits. Weight loss habits are the cause and weight gain, or loss is the effect. Unhealthy habits cause unhealthy living and healthy habits cause healthy living.
Eating Healthy.
Eating more whole and plant-based meals is one of the foundational weight loss habits. The growing crisis of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other diet-related diseases will be solved by eating healthy. Low carb diets have shown to reverse type 2 diabetes. Healthy macronutrients such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are a requirement for healthy living. Make the habit of minimizing or cutting out processed foods and sugar. Foods that are closer to their natural state are healthier. Also, watch out for food like substance or food additives. If you can make eating healthy a habit weight loss will be easier. You will have a healthy weight and live healthily.
Get Physically Active.
You will never out-run a poor diet. However, a physically active lifestyle will help you lose weight and keep it off. Physical inactivity is one of the leading risks for deaths worldwide. When you do not exercise you increase the risk of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The World Health Organisation recommends that adults should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. For additional health benefits, people should increase their moderate-intensity activity to 300 minutes per week. Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight requires regular physical activity to be a habit.
Quality Sleep.
Getting quality sleep and rest regularly is one of the most neglected weight loss habits. Being sleep deprived can affect your weight. A third of adults do not get enough sleep on a regular basis. Not getting enough sleep sets up your brain to make bad decisions. People who are starved of sleep increase their late-night snacking. Those snacks are normally high carb. Make a habit of getting good quality sleep.
Manage Stress.
Stress management or the lack of plays a big role in weight loss. A few studies show that stress combined with the lack of sleep increases cortisol levels. High cortisol (stress hormone) levels will lead to more hunger and craving foods that have lots of processed sugar, calories, and fat. Higher cortisol levels may also cause people to build up fat around their stomach area. Learning to reduce stress through exercise and meditation will have an impact on your weight loss journey.
Decrease Alcohol And Stop Smoking.
Smoking and heavy drinking are unhealthy habits. Smoking is bad for your health. It is a risk factor for lunch cancer, coronary disease, and heart attack. Smoking can damage almost any organ in the body. Many people have found it easier to quit smoking once they start eating healthy and exercising.
A healthy limit of drinking (1-2 drinks a day) is okay. Binge drinking which is five or more drinks on one occasion may lead to serious medical problems. Long term heavy alcohol consumption may cause high blood pressure, gastric problems, cancers, and alcohol dependence.
Many people focus on losing weight. After they lose that weight they revert to their old habits. Those old unhealthy habits will make them gain more weight. However, if people could focus on replacing unhealthy habits with healthy habits, they would have to lose weight once. Working on healthy habits is difficult but it pays off in the long run. Making health a lifestyle is about developing weight loss habits, one at a time.