Obesity defines a person who is very overweight and with a body mass index of over 30. It’s easier to see more plus-sized people in our major cities these days as a result of obesity since the last decade than previous years, an increasingly common problem linked to the modern lifestyle, which includes excessive intake of high-calorie food with little or no physical activity. Eating, on its own, doesn’t lead to obesity, instead of the combination of an unhealthy diet, lifestyle habits, and in some cases, medication or health conditions can result in a person being obese.
Obesity doesn’t just happen in a day, and it’s a cumulative effect of your life’s choice leading up to this moment before you realize – your weight is out of control. And the more weight you gain, it seems, the harder it is to lose. What you eat on a daily bases, tells a lot about your future health, some factors can also contribute to excessive weight gain, especially without physical activities, and they include:
- Processed food such as potato chips
- Sugar-sweetened beverages e.g., soda and ice-cream.
- Large and frequent consumption of alcohol.
- Frequently eating larger portions than you need.
- Comfort eating, and sometimes medical conditions.
It is of utmost importance that we fight obesity because, as well as causing obvious physical changes, and it can lead to several potentially life-threatening conditions. These include:
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Some types of cancer, such as breast cancer and bowel cancer
- It can also affect the quality of life of any person leading to different psychological problems, such as depression and low self-esteem.
However, obesity as a condition can be treated, and the best way to treat obesity is to eat a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and exercise regularly. Although counting calories and exercise may look a little difficult for the average joe, the benefit far exceeds the stress or the difficulty.
While the physical benefits are notable, the mental boost that can be gleaned from adding an exercise regimen to your daily routine may be more immediate. Your weight loss journey doesn’t have to be expensive; you don’t even need gym membership just a decision to change and make an effort to improve your situation; it doesn’t have to be complicated.
The good thing about exercising is that there are no set rules as to what should consist of a routine, but putting your current fitness and endurance level into consideration will make it easier for you to stick to a certain plan until you are stronger and comfortable doing more. A five-minute exercise may consist of different forms of exercise such as cardio, aerobics, calisthenics, and some strength training or a mixture of all the different forms.
However one of the best, albeit stressful, ways of losing weight involves what we call HIIT. HIIT simply means “High-Intensity Interval Training,” it involves alternating short, intense periods of exercise with a less intense recovery period. The good thing about the HIIT strategy is that it can be done anywhere by anybody, either with equipment and without. I always advise beginners to use their body weight and some other forms of cardiovascular exercise to build their confidence and endurance level. You may want to familiarize yourself with each of the exercises when starting.
Although they are self-explanatory but checking the internet improves your chances of doing the correct exercise while reducing chances of injury. Remember to modify as needed when you’re first starting out.
Do each exercise for 1 minute—rest 15 seconds between each activity.
- Burpees
- Jumping jacks
- Mountain Climbers
- Push-ups
- Running in place (High Stepping)
The key to losing weight is consistency, try to do enough physical activity each day to burn as many calories as possible in other to reach and maintain your goal weight. Always remember the added weight can’t throw you off balance. Its time you take back control.
Author’s Bio:
Emmanuel Ugbaje is the founder of Ahu-vest, and Tyche Media Consult, a consultancy firm with the sole focus of marrying traditional means of investment with cutting edge technology. An entrepreneur, UI designer, and fitness specialist spends most of his time preaching, teaching, and pushing anyone and everybody into the kingdom of the health of which he has been a member for over half a decade. He is passionate about topics I find interesting, tech, politics, football, martial art, and business. You can follow me on twitter @AigbeManuel for more of his engaging and often hilarious antics.
Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
