Am I body-shaming someone who is fat? Overweight? Obese? No. I’m genuinely concerned when I see an overweight person because I know what the future holds for them. I’m not claiming that slim people will never succumb to any diseases (that depends on their eating habits, lifestyle, etc. too) but I’m sure for a fact that people who are overweight are surely undergoing some illness or the other. It could be a minor diabetic condition, period pain, allergy, breathing issue, etc. Whatever it is, they are all mostly connected to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Time and again we keep forgetting that if we don’t take care of our body, our body will stop taking care of us. But do we really make it a point to remember this and implement ways to stay healthy? No. 

Did you know that how our body functions totally (or rather mostly) depends on how we nurture it, how we take care of it and how much we torture it? Illnesses, headaches, mental trauma, etc. are all results of what we do to our body.

Likewise, weight gain is also one of the common results of not caring for our body. Yes, we casually blame pregnancy, age, genetics, responsibilities, etc. despite knowing that these are natural occurrences in everyone’s life. So, whom should we blame then? Ourselves.

There are several factors that encourage our mid-sections to expand. Read below and you will know that weight gain happens mainly because we ignore all or some of these 4 important things in our lives:

WEIGHT GAIN HAPPENS WHEN WE IGNORE-

WHAT ENTERS OUR MOUTH

I’ve realized that our tongues can be evil if not controlled properly. Besides gossiping, it can, many times, crave certain foods that are unhealthy for our body. Think about what you would love to consume every single day. And ponder on whether it is healthy for your body or not.

What about drinks? Drinking liquids is good for health but are those yummy store-bought juices, filled with sugar, good for everyday consumption? No. But, don’t most of us generously consume them? Yes, we do.

So, remember – The next time you consume anything, ask yourself if it is healthy or not. Better still write on a sheet of paper every food or beverage that enters your mouth and understand how many of those items come under the unhealthy category. Even one bite.

HOW MUCH WE MOVE

When we live an almost sedentary lifestyle, it is difficult to keep minor illnesses away. Why? Because God gave us legs and expected us to move around every day. We are not trees. So, when we sit in one place, we accumulate fat deposits in our body. And this eventually causes various discomforts and illnesses.

Also, when we are unwell and visit the doctor, he gives us a list of medicines as well as instructions. We go to a pharmacy and buy all those medicines (because we can now happily afford them due to our sedentary work life). But how many of us follow the ‘instructions’ religiously? Don’t you think those ‘instructions’ given to us are important? Sometimes, even more important than the medicines? Then why don’t we follow those instructions? Perhaps because it could mean changing our lifestyles, disturbing our schedules or getting out of our comfort zones?

Remember – Our bodies need to move every single day. Put in that effort, shift a few responsibilities, delegate and exercise (walk, swim, skip, hula hoop, etc.). Try to do this every day or every alternate day without fail. Your body will eventually love you for it.

ME TIME

When we ignore the fact that we merely have 24 hours in a day (whether you’re the Pope, President or Peon), it is impossible to find the time to eat right, sleep well or exercise for our health. With unhealthy food habits and a sedentary lifestyle, we gradually tend to gain weight.

We should especially avoid excuses like ‘I completely lost track of time’, ‘it’s too late now’, ‘I have to finish this assignment, I cannot sleep’, etc. because it only shows how our body is NOT our priority.

So, remember – Try and manage your time efficiently for the benefit of your mind and your body. Stop giving excuses and schedule some time to take care of yourself.

OUR STATE OF MIND

In ancient Chinese medicine, emotions play a massive role in the way our organs function. When we are stressed, depressed, upset, sad, etc. we tend to sit and continuously eat or drink anything and everything that makes us feel better temporarily. Ice-creams, chocolates, alcohol with sweet mixes are some of the things I can think of as examples. Unstable mindsets can, therefore, encourage weight gain and other diseases.

So, remember – Accepting how we feel and helping ourselves get out of negative zones in the right way is the first step to having a healthy mind and body. The key is to think positively and handle our negative feelings so that we can avoid ailments associated with weight gain.

Some people may be genetically predisposed to store fat in certain areas of the body. At times, fat distribution is influenced by heredity and hormones. But that is not the case with everyone. When the parent is slim and the child is overweight, it cannot be given the ‘hereditary’ excuse. When no one in the family is obese, an obese person cannot blame ‘genetics’ for their condition. In both the above cases, the concerned person either needs to visit a doctor or is wholeheartedly ignoring the 4 important things stated above.

So let’s try and avoid weight gain which can be a portal to a plethora of diseases. Let’s be mindful and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Let’s start taking care of our body now, and forever.

Photo by Leeloo The First

Photo by mali maeder

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ 
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla 
in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.