It is no secret that many American kids and adults today are overweight or obese, and a number of culprits have been identified for this trend. Often, healthy eating is traded for fast food and junk food, and eating right is often dismissed as being too expensive or “hipster.” But eating right is always good for one’s body, and the health benefits are many. On top of that, many Americans are sedentary, so a comprehensive fitness program can be launched to counter-act this. In fact, personal weight loss goals can be set at any time. There is no need to wait, because any time is the right time for setting personal weight loss goals and striving to meet them. There are some solid strategies for forming personal weight loss goals and meeting them. With all this in mind, what is causing obesity today, and how can personal weight loss goals be met?
Causes of Weight Gain
One reason for current obesity rates is, as mentioned above, the poor diet that many Americans have. More than ever, Americans young and old are consuming too much fast food and highly processed foods. These foods have added sugars, fats, and more to make them taste better, and they are often very price-friendly. But they are not health-friendly at all. Excess sugar, fat, and calories rapidly pack on body fat in a person, and this will happen even faster if the consumer is not active during every week of their lives. Desserts such as ice cream and brownies or cake often add to this trend, as do sugary sodas. Less obvious culprits are also at work, such as added sugars in processed foods at the grocery store. Often, if a meal came frozen in a box, it is highly processed and has added sugar and fat. All of this will be in plain sight on the nutrition facts box, but not everyone checks for that.
Lack of exercise is another reason why nearly one in three adults today is obese, and many kids, too. Today’s kids should be active and play outside, but often, they spend hours per day using electronic screens instead, even on school days. Something similar can be said about adults, who have sedentary work and home lives alike. And many adults fail to meet their daily or weekly exercise suggestions set by various health agencies. The human body is naturally designed to exercise and move a lot, but today’s sedentary lifestyles and fast foods heavily punish those who don’t meet nature’s demands for exercise. But the good news in all this is that any person can decide to take responsibility for their health, and an able-bodied person can launch an exercise program.
Personal Weight Loss Goals
Someone looking to lose weight is urged to not only try and lose some body fat and eat better, but also turn this into a long-term lifestyle. Even after losing one’s weight loss goals, a person is urged to maintain their new active lifestyle and better eating habits for many years to come, and this helps keep the weight off. Many dieters will lose weight, then gain it back when they relax their strict caloric and exercise programs.
Before launching a major weight loss program, a person is urged to visit his or her doctor and possibly a nutritionist first to ensure that the program will be healthy. This is especially true for someone with complex health needs or restrictions, such as recent surgery, a heart condition, diabetes, or recent childbirth. But once a person figures out their new diet and safe exercise program, they can get started.
Such a program may have different details among many different people, but there are some common elements. A person striving to lose weight will no doubt cut fast food and processed food from their diets, ranging from fast food hamburgers to soda and frozen dinners. Instead, wholesome, natural food will be eaten, and this opens up new cooking ideas along the way. A dieter will also try out exercise, ranging from cardio such as jogging or swimming or bike riding to sports. Soccer, karate, basketball, hockey, and many more can burn fat, build muscle, and be a lot of fun.