[LifeStyle] New year, new life: start 2021 in a healthy way

[#Steeven.™]

The COVID-19 pandemic has reduced physical activity and exposed people to unhealthy eating.

The routine, the peculiarities of teleworking and the limited access to spaces to carry out some physical activity mean that many people have given up their resolutions in 2020. Among the most common are losing weight, maintaining a balanced diet and exercising.

However, the good news is that it is always a good time to decide to make a change in lifestyle and what better way to start a new year than to commit to a much healthier lifestyle, even from home.

Although it has been repeated ad nauseam that acquiring healthy habits is the basis for keeping diseases such as obesity, overweight and those related to the cardiovascular system, diabetes or cancer at bay, -which represent the most common causes of death worldwide -, it is not easy to internalize them in practice.

In fact, a significant percentage of these conditions can be prevented if there is a better diet or some type of physical activity. For this reason, it is essential to take action to adopt routines that help improve the quality of life.

Precisely, researchers from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics affirm that focusing weight control objectives on the effects they have on health facilitates adopting healthy habits.

Relating these habits to a significant decrease in mortality and an increase in quality of life, rather than pressure to decrease size or weight, is more effective when making a radical change in life.

In this sense, the first two steps that can be taken on the road to a healthier life are to transform eating habits and carry out more physical activity on a day-to-day basis.

 

1. Feeding

It is important to differentiate two nutritional concepts: 'diet' and 'conscious eating'. “When it comes to diet, there is a direct relationship with short-term treatment. Therefore, the results of these objectives will last that same period of time. In this 'relationship' with food, there is talk of abstinence, prohibition and caloric restriction. Foods are divided into good and bad ”, says Henry Tovar, president of the Colombian Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism.

When we talk about conscious eating "we refer to a concept that invites you to eat everything but in its proper proportions", says the expert.

Learning to eat consciously helps to better understand the nutrients that each food offers and how each body assimilates it. Naturally, the same body will no longer require the consumption of foods high in fat, ultra-processed or with added sugars, which are the ones that cause the most damage.

Some useful tips on food that the Colombian Association of Endocrinology offers are:

• Have small servings of nuts, such as almonds and walnuts, available to eat when you have a craving.
• Distribute lunch or dinner as follows: half of the portion should be vegetables or fruits, 1/4 of whole grains and 1/4 of proteins.
• Cut back, instead of cutting back on your favorite foods - mindful eating.
• Establish regular meal times to avoid overeating later in the day. Although this becomes more of a challenge at home, it is important to respect this habit.

Other recommendations include a list-based meal plan, reading food nutrition labels to measure calorie and saturated fat per serving, and keeping food fresh in the fridge.

 

2. Physical activity

Like diet, succeeding in the goal of exercise has an important positive psychological component. For this reason, any activity that involves movement and caloric expenditure is recommended.

“The idea is to look for strategies that little by little will generate changes in life. If, for example, a person walks 2,000 steps a day, and challenges himself to perform 3,000 the next day, he will notice a significant variation in his quality of life with this simple change, "says Tovar.

At this point, the Colombian Association of Endocrinology recommends getting started: start with short walks and gradually increase the time; concentrate on the posture with the head raised, the abdomen turned in and the shoulders relaxed; and warm up at a gentle pace for the first few minutes.

While it is true that there are healthy practices recommended for everyone that can be applied at any time, the truth of weight is in each person. For this reason, the first action for a new life in 2021 is to consult the doctor in case of any concerns because they are the ones who will indicate, according to the needs and characteristics of the patient, the most suitable comprehensive treatment to start in the new year.