5 Tips to Avoid Weight Gain

Everywhere you look these days are tips, suggestions, supplements, and exercises for losing weight. Why not PREVENT the unnecessary weight gain in the first place? It can take months or years to gain weight and yet about 2/3 of all Americans are overweight or obese which just leads to a whole slew of other problems. What if just monitoring or tweaking 5 things in our daily lives could stop the insidious gain and maintain a healthy body? From a recent article in Idea Fitness Journal, here are five proven habits that truly work:

1. No Sugary drinks – sodas, fruit or vitamin waters, sports drinks, juices, sweetened coffees or teas
2. Decrease High Caloric Foods – sugary sweets, red and processed meats, refined carbs, breads, fatty and fast foods, alcohol
3. Sleep – between 7-8 quality hours a night. Less or more affects our hormones and stress levels that ultimately affect our appetite
4. TV and Computers – leads to sedentary behaviors, and ultimately, mindless snacking
5. MOVE – exercise a minimum of 30 minutes most days of the week at an intensity that causes you to sweat, be out of breath and raise your heart rate

Instead of being reactive to a lifetime of poor lifestyle choices, why not be proactive in preventing unwanted weight gain and subsequent health issues with better, healthier habits.