People assume that we gain weight slowly after age 18. They wrongly assume we gain a couple of pounds a year, until at middle age we find ourselves about thirty or more pounds overweight.
This is NOT TRUE. Research shows we tend to weigh the same amount and gain weight quickly for several reasons and here they are;
- Vacations
- Holidays
- Weekends
- Stressful Periods
- Pregnancy
- Menstruation and Menopause
- Taking medicine and
- Post diet rebound
We Seldom Gain Weight Slowly
Experts know that there are specific periods when we pack on the pounds. Because weight gain is usually confined to these periods it makes sense to guard against eating wrong and lack of exercise especially when we’re most prone to gain weight.
Be sure to plan on exercising during holidays and vacations. Enjoy a walk on the beach or bring your exercise gear with you when you travel. Be especially cautious about holiday snacks, desserts and drinking.
During the weekends do your best to maintain your regular patterns of eating. If you go out to restaurants be careful what you order and how you eat.
If you’re under additional stress, find time to exercise anyway. Even a half hour of exercise has tremendous health benefits and can actually act as a stress reliever!
Women who are careful to maintain their exercise programs in spite of the changes that pregnancy, menstruation and menopause bring, enjoy much higher levels of fitness. They keep the extra pounds off. They dance, play outdoors with their children, walk with other women as a group in the park or do some window shopping with friends regularly.
Don’t Diet!
Decide to eat and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Going on a diet to lose extra pounds is never a good choice. Often the rebound of the diet will lead to a higher will cause you to quickly regain the pounds you lost dieting plus some additional weight each time you diet.
What Activities Would Be Fun For You?
Believe it or not, people like to run, cycle, or swim because it’s pleasurable. Because they are enjoying an active lifestyle on a regular basis, they stay trim. What would you like to do? Bowl, hike, walk with your partner, call your friends and go dancing, if you enjoy competing join a league there are multiple leagues for adults at all different skill levels. Bottom line just get out and have fun and get moving. Find something you would do willingly, adopt reasonable eating habits, and you will tend to stay at the weight that’s right for you.