According to a study done by Meredith Corp/NBC Universal’s study “Women are More Concerned with Dieting and Weight Loss Rather than Serious Illnesses”, 84% of women feel they are overweight. And as the title states they are more concerned about dieting and weight loss than with serious illnesses. These are staggering findings. Of course weight loss is a worthy goal but too often the focus is on quickly losing the weight instead of long-term strategies for achieving a healthy lifestyle. The focus should be on overall health and well-being not only for your body but mentally as well for long-term success.
When pursuing a healthy lifestyle you of course have to change what you eat as well as exercise. But you can also incorporate some non-traditional methods to help. Incorporate healthy mental, emotional and physical changes for lasting results.
• Natural and organic supplements as well as protein and fiber shakes and natural appetite suppressants are some aides to healthy weight loss. An important reminder is that these are aides and are not to substitute eating healthy meals and exercising.
• Meditation for balancing yourself mentally. Maintaining a healthy weight is a lot of emotional and mental work and meditation is extremely helpful in promoting a balanced and serene mind. It helps you to focus and keep your stress down which is key if you tend to eat in times of stress.
• Keeping a food journal helps you to understand what is missing in your diet and really helps you to determine where improvements need to be made.
• Therapy is helpful for keeping you from self-sabotaging yourself. A lot of maintaining a healthy weight is psychological and mental. Therapy can help you to identify your triggers and why you eat. It is helpful for developing strategies for how to overcome them.
• Nutritionists are helpful for being able to understand food labels and what is lacking in your eating habits. They can help you with portion size and caloric intake. One particular trick is to eat off of smaller plates so that it forces you to eat smaller portions.
• Surround yourself with positive people who encourage and cheer you on.
• Be creative and find fun active things to do. If you love to dance find a dance class. A creative dance class is aerial dancing. Find a sport you love. If you have children play outside with them. Walk the dog. If there is something you’ve always wanted to try now is the time to do it. You can mix it up. You don’t have to stick with one thing. Just be active.
Develop your team to ensure your long-term success. Developing a healthy lifestyle is more than just eating right and exercising. You have to take care of the mental, emotional, psychological and physical aspects in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating these strategies until they become strong habits will ensure your success.
