Balanced Plans Keep You Healthy and Energized

---

Counting calories works for some, but self-monitoring and being mindful of food choices are also proven methods for successful weight loss. Remember, your body requires calories for energy and essential nutrients for overall health and well-being. Your body needs a balance of nutrients to stay healthy and energized. Instead of focusing on calories, aim for a varied diet. Additionally, calorie counting can sometimes lead to avoiding nutritious foods because of their calorie content.

Contrary to popular belief, low-fat diets are not necessarily the key to a healthy weight and good health. Despite a decrease in the percentage of calories from fat in people's diets over the past 30 years, obesity rates have skyrocketed. A dietary and lifestyle change study at Harvard School of Public Health concluded that individuals who increased their intake of whole grains, whole fruits (but not fruit juice), and vegetables gained significantly less weight over a 20-year period.

Easy to Review Changes Needed

Tracking your weight loss journey can be a great source of motivation and allows you to make timely adjustments to your daily food intake and exercise routine. Benefits of tracking food and exercise habits include:

1) Increased self-awareness – Possibly the single most important behavioral interventional strategy for weight management and healthy lifestyle changes is by increasing self-awareness through self-monitoring.

2) Monitor your habits – Adopting new, healthier food and exercise habits help protect you from serious health problems. So, learn how to monitor your habits to manage your health and wellness.

3) Improve accountability – Improving personal accountability can help you better managing your relationships with food, exercise, and other people for a living a longer, healthier life.

4) Reflect on changes needed – Whether your overall goal is to increase your fitness, lose weight, or be more physical activity, being able to reflect on changes needed can be key to your long-term success.

Don’t Get Caught Up on Just Counting Calories

Calories are the fuel for your body's energy needs, and they come from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. However, if you consume more calories than your body needs, they will be stored as fat. Both aerobics and strength training help burn body fat. By increasing physical activity, your body releases stored calories to burn for energy. Strength training twice a week helps to build muscle to increase metabolic rate even when you're at rest.

Don't get caught up on just counting calories and forget about exercise and sleep. While nutrition is the primary focus of initial weight loss efforts, other factors shouldn't be overlooked. Staying active provides benefits like improved mood, better sleep, and increased energy levels for more sustainable long-term results. Remember, your health and well-being are not solely determined by calories. Your body requires vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for optimal functioning.