Weight management refers to creative ways of making long term lifestyle changes to maintain a healthy body weight of different individuals.
The aim of weight management is to improve overall health, encouraging them to take a balanced diet, and reducing the risk of chronic disease.
The methods to maintain a healthy body weight in weight management-
- Diet therapy
- Physical activity
- Behaviour therapy
- Combined therapy
- Pharmacotherapy
- Weight loss surgery
Everyone should try to maintain a healthy body weight because research has shown that a little weight loss of the obese persons can improve their blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This helps to maintain their blood glucose level and decrease their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
So, let’s talk about two most common methods of weight management-
Diet therapy and physical activity
The first one diet therapy:
At first, I want to talk about the reasons for failure to continue diet therapy and the ways to fix the problems: –
- Sometimes we are confused about what we should eat or not, and the calorie obsession can turn our meals into a stressful thing.Instead of doing this, keep a general eye on calories and the portion size and the feeling after eating them but also pay attention about the nutritional quality of foods.
- Sometimes we focus only calories and not the other factors of nutrition then take a faulty diet and eliminate carbohydrate or fat categories foods.Instead of doing this, look at the general quality of your diet. Include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meat and minimize highly processed foods like soda, fries etc.
The other reasons which give a great impact on continuing the diet therapy –
- Improper functioning of our digestive system
- Focusing only on calories not in lifestyle
- Staying too often in a state of stress
- Consuming the sensitive or inflammatory foods which causes not identifying the causative issue.
- Near about 10% of people attempt diet therapy without physical activity.
So go to a dietitian and he/she will tell you how many calories you should consume and help you to plan a healthy, nutritious diet and also, they help you to make a positive lifestyle change.
The second one is physical activity: –
In combination with healthy eating, physical activity has a great impact on maintaining weight because it helps to burn calories and reduce body fat percentage of obese people.
Let’s see the barrier of physical activity in our daily life: –
- Lack of time
- Lack of energy and motivation
- Lack of skill and resources
- Fear of injury and social influence and negative thinking
- Old age
- Weather condition and travel
- Lack of concentration
- Setting unrealistic goals
- Comparison with others
- Priority issues
Instead of focusing on these things do the following:
- Set a proper routine on a daily basis
- Identify the available time from your routine at least 30 minutes per day.
- Join an exercise group or class to get motivation
- Schedule the time of your day when you feel full energetic.
- Learn how to exercise properly according to your physical condition (age, sex, fitness level, skill)
- Plan a set of regular activities which you can always do in any condition of weather.
- Choose the activities you enjoy to avoid boredom.
Everyone should do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity activity per week.
If you continue exercise per day then it will
- Increase your flexibility and muscle tone
- Help in better respiratory health
- Improve energy and vitality
- Boost metabolism
- Improve athletic health
- Help to keep a healthy weight maintenance
- Help in stress management and cardiovascular health.
As a yoga instructor, I want to suggest some yoga asanas for weight management:
- Setu bandha Sarvangasana
- Matsyasana
- Urdhvamukhasavasana
- Phalakasana
- Utkatasana
- Trikonasana
- Navasana
- Adho Mukha Savanasana
- Bhujangasana
- Dhanurasana
- Sarvngasana
- Birbhadrasana
Power yoga is the various type of yoga which is the modern form which helps to increase your flexibility, stamina and mental focus. It also helps to-
- Burn more calories
- Boosts metabolism
Some examples are- pawanmuktasanam, garundasana etc.
Always do savasana after your yoga workout session.
So, try to remember the facts of diet therapy and exercise(yoga) and go to a dietitian and join a workout session for better results. Live a healthy life. Thank you.
References:
1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/when-dieting-doesnt-work-2020052519889
2. https://time.com/6248588/weight-loss-strategies/
3. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/154983/wtmgt_dietingcycle.pdf
4. https://www.healthifyme.com/blog/yoga-weight-loss-9-asanas/
