Are Healthy Eating And Physical Activity The Key To Losing Weight?

Ever wonder what the key is to losing weight without exposing your health? Although weight loss is a complex process in which many factors are involved, it is scientifically proven that healthy eating and physical activity are decisive for good results.

In fact, these habits are part of the treatment of overweight and obese people, as they have a positive effect on reducing the risk of associated diseases, such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes and medical conditions that affect quality of life.

lack of healthy habits

Sedentary lifestyles and inadequate nutrition (based on junk food, ultra-processed foods, sweets and industrialized products) are common enemies that must be fought to have health and well-being in the short and long term. To achieve this, the first thing we must do is to know in depth what our nutritional needs are, what our lifestyle is like, what can and cannot be improved, which strategies would be most suitable for us and, of course, which goals we intend to achieve with all this.

To know all this data, you should not only sit down and reflect, but also consult your GP and nutritionist. These professionals are not only there to take care of the disease, but also to advise on what is healthier for each person.

In addition to knowing what we need, what we want and how to properly obtain it, we must be clear about the importance of being consistent in our daily lives.

The more consistent we are with our lifestyle habits, the more benefits we can get. That’s why it’s so important not only to eat healthy and exercise, but also to maintain good hydration, sleep well, manage stress, find time and space for leisure, and also follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Leaving a sedentary lifestyle behind and being consistent in all the actions we do on a daily basis is a big part of the key to losing weight, gaining health, well-being and, at the same time, adding years of life.

Healthy habits and well-being

A healthy lifestyle will contribute to our physical and psychological well-being. Physical exercise improves mood, boosts self-esteem and self-control. All of this results in a reduction in stress and anxiety. It also promotes better control over food.

However, as research published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases concluded, exercise training programs can promote moderate weight loss. However, it should be borne in mind that weight loss is very heterogeneous in each individual and therefore must be complemented with other approaches.

Therefore, it is essential to adopt a healthy and balanced eating plan in which the total caloric intake is moderate. In this sense, it is necessary to take into account the caloric and nutritional needs of each individual and, therefore, a private consultation with the nutritionist is necessary.

Furthermore, according to an investigation published in the International Journal of Tryptophan Research , the ideal is to achieve a balance between eating habits and physical activity in order to achieve continuous weight loss in the medium and long term.

Recommendations before starting regular physical activity

Before starting an exercise plan, we should consult the doctor. This way, you will be able to have a complete check-up and know how healthy you are, as well as helping to rule out problems that may limit your exercise routine in some way.

Eating guidelines: the key to losing weight

As we’ve already mentioned, nutrition is just as important as exercise when it comes to losing weight. Also, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle.

For this reason, it is essential to consider a series of dietary guidelines that allow you to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

For this, it is first necessary to assess the needs of each one with a nutritionist. In addition, we must change the concept of diet, considering that it should become a permanent habit and not a plan to be applied for a few days. Knowing this, in general, it is convenient to:

• Increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.
• Ensure adequate protein intake.
• Moderate carbohydrate intake and choose healthy sources such as whole grains.
• Consume more water and healthy drinks.
• Eat healthy fats in moderate portions.
• Avoid as much as possible the consumption of ultra-processed foods, sugars and trans fats.

So, finally, are healthy eating and exercise the key to losing weight? There is no definitive answer, but the two are closely related. However, it must be considered that each body behaves differently and therefore the weight loss plan must be individualized.