As a society, we are constantly reminded of our weights and bodies. This makes sense since our bodies are what literally carry us through life. Weight loss is a struggle for millions of people around the world.
According to Our World In Data:
- 13% of adults in the world are obese
- 39% of adults in the world are overweight
Often, even when people manage to lose weight they struggle with keeping it off for life. Here are 9 tips for lifetime weight management.
Free Download: 20 Simple Ways To Make Your Lifestyle More Active9 Tips For Lifetime Weight Management
1. Know Your “Why”
When we understand the purpose behind a choice, situation, or goal, it becomes easier to focus on it. Knowing your ‘why’ helps you stay passionate and committed to your goal. Everyone’s why is different and there is no right or wrong way.
Examples can include but are not limited to the following:
- Living longer
- Staying active for children or grandchildren
- Wanting to travel
- Feeling comfortable in your own skin
- Feeling and being healthy
- Managing health concerns
Take time to really sit and reflect on why you want lifetime weight management. Once you’ve determined your why, give yourself reminders. Write your why in your journal or planner. Make a vision board and put it on the fridge. Keep your why within eye shot so whenever you have times of difficulty, you have an easy reminder.
2. Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate
Science has proven that drinking water may facilitate weight loss, help with weight management, and will result in other positive health outcomes. Water is a critical component of cellular activity throughout our entire bodies.
The NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) recommends the following water intake per day:
- Men: 125-130 oz/day (approx. 16 cups)
- Women: 91-95 oz/day (approx. 12 cups)
The water counts above are calculated from a combination of beverage and food sources. A good goal to keep in mind is retaining 20% of your water from foods you eat and the other 80% from beverages you drink.
For example, A woman on average needs to consume 12 cups of water daily. 80% of that should come from water beverages (9.6 cups). There are 8 ounces of fluid in 1 cup. This equals 76.8 ounces of water from beverages per day. The average water bottle holds 16.9 ounces. This would equate to 4.5 water bottle fill-ups per day for you to hit your water intake goal. Below is an easy way to get in 4.5 bottles of water per day:
- Bottle #1: Within the first hour of waking up
- Bottle # 2: Within the first 4 hours of work
- Bottle #3: Within the last 4 hours of work
- Bottle #4: With your last meal of the day
- Bottle #5: As you are winding down for the day
3. Structured Exercise
There are a number of different structured activities you can become involved with. You can work out at a gym, take fitness classes, work with a personal trainer, or join a sports team or athletic club, you can also sign-up for structured fitness activities such as a golf, walking, or hiking club.
According to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity.
4. Unstructured Exercise
The fourth tip in lifetime weight management is to participate in unstructured exercise on a routine basis.
Examples of unstructured exercises are listed below:
- Taking the stairs instead of elevators
- Parking further away from store entrances
- Volunteering at an animal shelter or other establishment where you’ll be moving
- Taking on a physical part-time job such as dog walking or retail stocking
- Waking up 30 minutes earlier in the day to walk around the neighborhood or work in your yard
5. Meal & Snack Prep
In today’s society, we’re constantly on the go. In order to maintain weight, you need to fuel your body throughout the day. Gone are the days of the traditional 3 meals per day. You should be consuming something small at least every 3 hours.
6. Eat at Home More
When we go out to eat it should be a treat. When someone else cooks your food, you can’t be sure what they’re cooking with or how they’re preparing your meal. Eating at home more is an easy and money-saving way to manage your weight over a lifetime.
7. Skip or Limit Liquid Calories
Your body absorbs calories from anything it takes in. This includes liquids. Instead of wasting calories on liquid beverages, save them for meals and snacks. Look for zero-calorie option drinks instead of soda and other sugary beverages.
8. Portion Control
Everything is okay in moderation. Eating 1 potato will have a different effect than eating 5 potatoes. The same as eating 1 piece of pizza instead of an entire pizza pie. Your plate should consist of mostly vegetables and lean protein with smaller amounts of fruit, grains and dairy.
9. Enjoy Celebrations
No one can be perfect all the time. And even if you could, why would you want to?
Special celebrations call for extra enjoyment which includes what and how you eat. During birthdays, holidays, vacations, or other special occasions indulge a little bit. If there’s been a new recipe, restaurant, dish, or sweet that you’ve been wanting to have, give in. Remember it is okay to treat yourself once in a while.
Free Download: 20 Ways To Make Your Lifestyle More Active
Developing healthier lifestyle habits can be challenging, but you have to ease yourself into it and stick to it.
People are often amazed at how small changes can reap huge results. To help you leverage new habits into a lifetime weight management download my free report 20 Ways To Make Your Lifestyle More Active. Once you choose a healthy lifestyle, you’ll never have to worry about dieting again.
