Great Tips for Weight Loss and Physical Fitness for Your Health

Your weight problem is a serious business. It cannot be solved by crash diets or medications that make you lose pounds quickly. These do not work if you want to lose those extra pounds permanently.

You have seen those people who lost 20 pounds for a while but gained them back sooner than they like. You have to use a proven method that was tested and recommended by authorities in wellness and physical fitness. Be sure you choose the expert with good credibility in their specialty.

The experts will tell you that you are not alone with your weight problem. According to statistics approximately two thirds of U.S. adults and 60 % of Canadian adults are overweight or obese, moreover approximately 20% to 25% of school-aged children and teens are overweight. Because of prevalence of obesity and the health risks associated with it, it is probably the most serious nutrition problem among developed countries.

Obesity is caused by several factors:
1. Widespread marketing and availability of appealing food combined with a lifestyle with little need of physical activity.
2.Bad Eating Habits. Taking large amounts of sodas, chips snack foods and high caloric desserts can contribute to your extra weight problem..
3.Genetics- inherited metabolic makeup that allow individuals to store fat more efficiently than others can also play a role in obesity. Neuro-endocrine problems like Hypothyroidsm , Cushing's syndrome and poly cystic ovary syndrome disorders are some of those associated with obesity.

A medical check up by your family doctor is a good advice before you undergo a weight reduction program. If your obesity is due to the above mentioned syndromes, then you can be medically treated.

Being overweight carries a lot of problems, some are health risks. Are you frustrated when you look at yourself at the mirror, when your beautiful dress won't fit anymore and your choices are limited to extra-large sizes when you shop to get a dress for a special occasion?

Are you being treated for high blood pressure problem, knee and ankle pains ? Do you have some difficulty breathing while ballroom dancing? If your heart is normal then your weight problem is the culprit.

Medically speaking, your obesity can be associated with hypertension, coronary heart disease, sleep apnea Type 2 Diabetes, infertility, gallstones, and osteoarthritis. Social discrimination and poor self-image has been also associated with obesity.

So how do go about solving your weigh problem ? 1.Consult your family doctor first. Be sure that you do not have an endocrine problem like Hypothyroidism, or Cushing's Syndrome. If you do, you then can be treated accordingly.

2.Identify what is the cause of your weight problem.
If the cause is bad eating habits, you are the most important person responsible to solve it. If your problem is partially caused by physical inactivity, you can definitely correct that unless you are wheelchair- bound. The common saying "If it's going to be, it's up to me" is true in this situation.

3.Choose the physical activity that is best for you. You have to choose the program that fits your lifestyle. Tennis is an excellent cardiovascular exercise but you need a tennis court and a partner. Running and jogging are advised by some, but these can be detrimental to your knees, ankles or feet. Fast or brisk walking is an effective exercise and it can be done easily and readily without any necessary equipments.

I chose martial arts as my exercise program, because it is a scheduled, and structured regular exercise program , done indoors which I like because the studio is air-conditioned and my Master and other students are constant encouragement of my progress.

I lost 60 pounds in 6 months doing Martial Arts. The other important thing that helped lose my extra weight was correcting my bad eating habits.

4.Seek the advice of reliable authorities in wellness, nutrition and physical fitness.The American Heart Association recommends simple activities like walking or riding a bike as important tools to losing and maintaining weight loss. My favorite book is Fit to Lead by Christopher Neck, et al.

5.Maintain the desired weight that you have achieved.
After I achieved my ideal weight I maintained it by exercising at least three times a week, even just walking a couple of miles a day. I choose what I eat.

I am guided by my simple principle that the amount of calories I take in should be countered with the amount of calories I spend by physical activity. So If I want to lose weight, I have to spend more calories than what I take in.

I would like to tell you a little secret about reducing my caloric intake. I substitute just one apple for one of my full meals during the day. I do this daily and it works well for me.

6.Remember that exercise plus good eating habits with nutritious food,and being conscious about your caloric intake are most important factors for the solution of your weight problem. One does not usually realize that one hour of intense physical activity will make you spend about two hundred calories, but if after you exercise you eat two pieces of doughnuts and a bottle of soda, you put back in more than 200 calories.

7.Take vitamins, minerals, antioxidants.These are important for our body functions and immune system.They cannot be adequately provided by the food, vegetables and fruits that we eat so you have to get them from reputable companies.

8.Some herbal products that are good for weight loss and colon cleansing. .My favorites are Dr. Miller's Tea and Acai Slim Berry.

After you have achieved your ideal weight by whatever means, the goal becomes maintenance of the loss. Instead of thinking of of weight control in terms of dieting, which is a temporary practice, you must think of it as a permanent lifestyle change.

You should never return to the old eating habits, or the weight will be regained. Maintain the level of physical activity that you have found effective.

Apply what you learned here and you will benefit from the proven methods of wellness and physical fitness. You will realize that the solution to your weight problem will be the answer to your frustrations. and inability to function the way you want.

For completeness of this article, I want to mention that weight management programs for severely obese patients ( more than 30 % above ideal weight) make use of four modalities: diet and nutritional counseling, behavior therapy, drugs and sometimes Bariatric surgery. This is managed by medical specialists dedicated to the management of weight loss, physical fitness and anti-aging, specialized medical doctors with offices throughout the United States and other countries. I highly recommend the services of these specialized physicians especially if you are not progressing with your personal weight loss and physical fitness program.

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