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Dealing with weight loss issues in 2011
 An obesity epidemic is
sweeping across the Westernized world. More than ever, there is an
acknowledgement that the regulation of
body weight regulation is
more complicated than ever imagined. The last decade has seen rapid progress in
our understanding of how body weight is regulated; multiple organs are involved
adding to the complexity.
Studies have shown that inactivity is not the cause of obesity, the real
cause is poor diet
and overeating.
But, overeating is often the result of
stress
and lack of self esteem � emotional
eating. Sports and
exercise can
help to improve self esteem as well as improving confidence and other
social skills. Small changes, such as cutting 100 calories per day and
adding 2,000 steps per day of
physical activity,
may help combat the obesity crisis.
The figures show that kids are consuming approximately 3
percent more calories than they did in the 1970s but getting a whopping
average of 20 percent less exercise. And obese kids are 70 percent more
likely to become obese adults.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 61
percent of obese young people have at least one additional risk factor for
heart disease, such as high cholesterol or
high
blood pressure. Additionally, children who are obese are at greater risk for
bone and
joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems. Obese
young people are more likely than children of normal weight to become overweight
or obese adults and are, therefore, more at risk for associated adult health
problems, including heart disease, type
2 diabetes, stroke, several types of
cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Simple ways to keep weight gain at bay in 2011,
  Turn off the TV:
The American Journal of
Public Health published a survey stating that 59 percent of children
watched between 2 and 4 hours of television and an additional 22 percent
watched 5 or more hours of TV per day. And this, apparently, didn�t account
for time in front of a computer. Chances are that turning off your TV isn�t
going to sit well with your kids, so here is some ammunition that will make it
easier on both of you. Staying thin will increase your child�s confidence
level. Researchers surveyed 1,520 children, ages 9 to 10, with a 4-year
follow-up, and discovered a positive correlation between obesity and low
self-esteem. They also discovered that decreased self-esteem led to 19 percent
of obese children feeling sad, 48 percent of them feeling bored, and 21
percent of them feeling nervous. In comparison, 8 percent of normal-weight
children felt sad, 42 percent of them felt bored, and 12 percent of them felt
nervous.
 Practice Being Deliriously Happy: A good laugh when you are
stressed or sad can instantly improve your mood; there's a reason people who
see pretty disturbing things on a daily basis, like cops, firefighters, and
journalists, tend to have darkly hilarious senses of humor. Some studies have
shown actual physical benefits to laughing as well.
 Get more sleep: A recent study indicates that
inadequate sleep has a negative impact on one's performance in life and on
emotional and social welfare, and increases their risk of being overweight. A
study represented, longitudinal investigation on the correlation between
sleep, body mass index, and
being overweight in children between the ages of 3 and 18. The study found
that an extra hour of sleep lowered the children�s risk of being overweight
from 36 percent to 30 percent, while it lessened older children�s risk from 34
percent to 30 percent.
 Stay Active: Not only will this help
with the perennial lose-weight-and-exercise resolution, this might just turn
you into the kind of person who thinks of yourself as an athlete. And once you
find the activity that ignites your passion versus just mindlessly griding it
out at the gym, finding time for those workouts is going to be lots easier.
There are an endless number of outdoor activities you can choose from, but the
simplest, hiking, is one of the best activities you can do. Not only does it
force you to learn more about your world, it�s great exercise, especially if
you live around hills or mountains. Add 10 min of exercise weekly to your
daily routine, start looking for ways to do that in 2011.
 Start
planning your meals: Spending an
hour plotting things out once per week can keep more money in your pocket,
keep you from wasting food, and save you a ton of time and irritation. Knowing
what's for dinner on any
given day and having all its components in the house makes a huge difference
to your ability to serve up a healthy, tasty family meal every night ... and
even enjoy it. Our nutritional needs change during
exercise, when we need a lot of
sugar and
salt. When we aren�t
exercising, those nutrients in excess are dangerous.
 Get a home fitness program: We even know where
you can find some. Nothing beats home fitness in both cost and time
efficiency. There are home
fitness solutions that will fit your lifestyle like a glove. Most home
fitness programs allow you to finish your exercise requirement in less time
than it would take to drive to a gym. A proper program is researched to be
time-efficient and will also come with dietary suggestions to match the
program. No other option comes close to home fitness when you need to squeeze
a lifestyle change into an already booked schedule
 Have a Nurture List:
Make a list of all the ways you can nurture
yourself besides eating. It might be taking a bubble bath or going shopping at
your favorite boutique. Anything that you really enjoy. I call this my "backup list". All the things I can do
besides eating that are ways I can practice major self-care. Put it up where
you can see it. It's amazing what happens when you give yourself options!
 Do not diet:
Make a promise to yourself this year,
say NO to dieting.
Fad diets rarely help for long periods of time and very
strict diet plans may only make your disorder worse.
Share your concerns with friends and family. Never
isolate yourself.
Last but most important, Love
yourself for who you are,
not what you look like.
Remember, Small changes can produce big results.
- WF Team
Dated 23 January 2011
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