Health and Fitness

Recent studies have shown that obesity rates are still on the rise in the United States. Despite all of the health and fitness knowledge, and healthy diet choices that are available, people are still gaining weight at an unhealthy rate. For many people, diets and workouts are a part of the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain that they have been on for years. They lose some weight, then they gain it all back, and then some. What they really need is a new mindset about the way they live their daily lives.

Most health and fitness experts agree that the majority of weight problems people face are more mental issues than they are actual physical problems. Shows like "The Biggest Loser" show how much of the weight loss process requires a mental and emotional transformation along with the physical workouts.

Take the word "diet" as an example. People who have spent a lifetime struggling with their weight like to say, "Diets don't work for me." That just goes to show the misconception we have, and the connotation we give certain words. The reality is, a diet is a word that describes the food you eat. You are all on a diet. Some are healthy diets, some are unhealthy diets, but everyone has a diet. In order to improve your health and fitness, you need to start thinking about it as being on a diet, and start looking at it as a part of a healthier lifestyle.

For some people it is an issue of motivation. If they do not feel motivated, they will not make the effort required for a healthier lifestyle. They will not do the workouts necessary to burn calories, they will not eat the fruits and vegetable to keep their diet balanced, and they will not do away with the unhealthy snacks that will derail weight loss efforts. What you need to understand is, if the healthier lifestyle is important to you, then you need to force yourself to do what it takes, and not wait for the proper motivation. As you continue to get healthier, the motivation to continue will come, but that is an after-effect. Motivation rarely comes first for beginners.

Proper health and fitness is something that can only come about as a result of a healthy mindset. It is only by changing the way we think about losing weight and getting fit that the physical change will actually happen. It requires a change in your mindset. If you can change the way you think about health and fitness, you can change the way you look.

by...

Jocelyn Jones