Fighting obesity can be very difficult. It sometimes seems no matter what you try, you’re not making any headway. And with more than a third of U.S. adults obese or overweight, it’s not a problem that’s going away anytime soon. Here are a few tips on a wellness-based approach to obesity that may help you make some progress in losing some of those pounds.
It Starts with Lifestyle Changes
Taking a proactive approach in changing your lifestyle is the key that opens the door to finding wellness and weight loss. And this doesn’t have to be a miserable experience. You can start small with simple changes. First, outline a few goals. Maybe one goal is to eat healthy five days a week, and the other goal is to find new ways to add movement into your day.
To meet these goals, pack a healthy lunch every day, and weigh out your portions. Try to meal prep early in the week so that your meals are grab-and-go. Park your car far from the entrance to your building, or if you work from home, stop at least once a day to go on a 30-minute walk. Switch water or unsweetened tea for caffeinated or sugary drinks, and start a journal so you can track your progress every day. Little by little, you’ll notice a difference in how you feel, how you look and even how you sleep!
Find an Enjoyable Workout Routine
If exercise hasn’t worked well for you in the past, it could be because you haven’t found the right workout. If you don’t like something, you won’t have motivation to do it. Try various routines until you land on something you find enjoyable. A few alternatives to traditional weightlifting or cardio exercises include yoga, Pilates, Zumba and Nia (a blend of dance and martial arts). Combine this with other healthy lifestyle choices such as meditation, mindfulness, and lifestyle balance, and you may have something that works for you.
To ensure you’re comfortable in your routine, make sure you have the necessary equipment, like a yoga mat, running shoes, small hand weights and even the right apparel like a decent pair of leggings and supportive undergarments.
Bariatric Surgery
If you are extremely obese, bariatric surgery may be the ideal method of weight loss. Gastric bypass surgery is probably the most popular form of this. It’s also the most dramatic: in the first six months, as much as 50 percent of your total weight loss can take place, and you continue losing weight for up to two years. You also get instant relief from other weight-related conditions such as sleep apnea, diabetes and high blood pressure. Results tend to be permanent as well. On the negative side, food runs through your digestive tract so quickly that all of the nutrients are not absorbed by your body, so you’ll have to take supplements to get the nutrition you need. There’s also the risk of infection and blood clots that you face with any surgery.
Reduce Stress
If stress is causing you to overeat, there are many tension-reducing techniques you can incorporate into your life. Start at home by creating a more positive space that promotes stress-free living. Declutter, bring in more natural light, and purchase some indoor plants (even pictures of plants can relieve tension). You can even take it a step further and have all of the windows on your home professionally cleaned to ensure plenty of access to natural light. Search for “window cleaners in my area” to track down reliable professionals to help.
Also, finding ways to laugh more often, spend more time outdoors in the sun, and seek out positive people are all helpful techniques for relieving stress.
Eat Healthy
If your diet is not optimized for weight loss, you’ll have a tough time dropping those pounds. There are a plethora of diet plans out there, so it can be hard to choose one, but do some research until you find one that sounds like a good fit for your situation. Try it for a few weeks, and see how it goes. If it’s not a good fit for your lifestyle, try another plan. The exact plan you pick doesn’t matter as much as your discipline and consistency in following it.
You can indeed lose weight if you are serious and disciplined about following a plan to get results. Staying on track with your exercise and diet is more than half the battle, and it will especially help to get a partner to go through it with you.
For a truly transformative life experience, consider a yoga retreat or teacher training program at Sewall House. Retreats for 2022 open Memorial Day weekend, so book yours today! You can find out more at our website: sewallhouse.com.
