Advice On Diet And Exercise From Health Professionals

According to a 2021 study, more than half of all UK adults are classed as being overweight or obese; this result is a call to offer more helpful and suitable advice and tips to those who would like to focus on their diet and exercise. Many people sometimes follow celebrity diets or workout routines, which is said by health professionals to affect your metabolism and the way your body stores fat. If you would like further information on how to truly tailor your diet and exercise that is suitable for your needs, then read on and find out all you can!

Doctor Sara Kayat appeared on This Morning to offer some advice, starting with, “A good starting point is measuring your waist circumference, and you want your waist circumference to be less than half of your height. For example, if you are five foot four, you want your waist to be 29 inches. But if you’re 32 inches, that’s when you’re in that unhealthy zone, so we want to try and bring that down. It ultimately comes down to exercise and diet. When it comes to dieting, there is so much advice out there.”

Dieting can be a difficult place to start and keep consistent, but it does not have to be as hard as you think. The most important part of eating, is to simply eat more mindfully, meaning you need to eat at the table, chew fully before swallowing rather than “shovelling” everything down, and do not sit in front of the TV or on your bed when eating. This impacts how we intake our food a lot, so although it may not seem significant, over time this will prove to be a vital step.

The doctor, Sara Kayat, further expanded on eating the right foods, by saying “not [to] feel so restrictive when it comes to dieting, you can actually eat more. So, it’s eating more of the right foods, the lower calorie higher nutrient foods, found in a lot of plant-based foods. The restrictive aspect of dieting can really put people off. It’s ok to snack, but we do need to pick the right foods to snack. There are so many processed, salty, and sugary foods. And ideal snack is something like nuts – they’re really high in healthy fats, high in fibre and protein – everything to help stabilise blood sugars so you don’t get these massive cravings. And to help you feel fuller for longer.”

Studies have shown that eating “little and often” can often help with weight loss, which can amount to four or five small meals a day. “It really depends on you as a person and also what you’re eating. For some people, grazing works, for others they need that structure in their day otherwise they end up grazing too much. Some people find they respond better to a bit of fasting between meals. But if you’re feeling hungry and your option is to gorge on other foods or have a small snack, then have a snack and make sure it’s a good one for you.”

When it comes to exercise, Dr Sara Kayat said, “With exercise, it’s about finding the right balance as well. A lot of people go in too hard too soon with exercise. You really need to slowly build it up, it will be easier to fall of that exercise wagon otherwise. You’re also more likely to get injuries and decide exercise isn’t for you.”

She further recommends trying gardening, walking, or taking the stairs as an alternative, putting some music on and just dancing, and more physically moving activities. It can be easy to fit exercise into your daily routine, especially since the minimum recommended amount is only 30 minutes, therefore, little by little you can adjust your day-to-day routine and include more of the good stuff!

If this was helpful then make sure you share this advice with others, as you never know it might come into use for everyone else too. Healthy living through diet and exercise can go a long way so make full use of it!