Weight weighing on your mind

Be it New Years, an upcoming reunion, a wake up call or a change in outlook, health alerts come at different times and different times for everyone. No matter when your alarm goes off, don’t break off more than you can chew. A recent article in the New York Times showed that as the percentage of desired weight loss increases, men and women alike showed an increase in days feeling physically or mentally unhealthy. The article concludes that the boost in unhappiness may be a result of the constant stress of worrying. Especially for those who attempt to slim down with an event in mind, self pressure may foil weight loss plans.

With additional social and media pressures, too many weight loss goals are created around unhealthy or unrealistic goals. Attempting to mimic celebrity bodies or focusing on dress sizes may cause more harm than good. Understanding your body type and exercising and eating accordingly will produce the best results for you over time. More so, media perceptions of beautiful women as stick thin can produce stressful frustrating thoughts for dieters. Additional stressers and illness make sticking to healthy habits more difficult, which can hinder your overall goals.

Altering aspects of your lifestyle to become healthier takes time and patients. Taking your mind off a desired end result and focusing on small daily steps are good ways to relieve the worry.