According to the most recent South African Demographic and Health Survey, almost 70% of South African women are either overweight or obese, as are 13% of our children – more than double the global average of 5%.
It’s clear that South Africans need to take stock of their health, and their approach to regaining control of their weight. “The slide to being overweight or obese does not happen overnight – it’s the culmination of months and years of unhealthy eating, inactivity, and avoiding the right food and exercise choices for a variety of reasons,” says John Hamlett, a local fitness expert and TomTom Athletics Club founder. “Losing the weight won’t happen overnight either, but doing so is vital if you are to reduce your risk of contracting a life-threatening disease such as cancer or heart failure.”
Hamlett offers some handy tips and tricks for South Africans wanting to take those first steps on their journey to health, fitnessmag.co.za has reported.
Manage calorie intake
This doesn’t mean that you need to stop eating – it means that you need to make healthier food choices. Consult with your doctor or dietician to find out what your daily calorie intake should be, and base your food choices on achieving that with the help of this handy online calorie counter
Get out and get active
One of the best ways to feel better about yourself is to get active, and you don’t have to go from zero to cardio hero to see the benefits. Track your movement with a TomTom Touch Cardio entry-level fitness tracker, which helps you monitor your daily step count, number of calories burned, as well as sleep and active time. Set yourself daily or weekly challenges, and decide on rewards before you start each challenge, to give yourself time to plan something healthy.
Drink water
Ditch the diet drinks and choose water instead. It hydrates your body, giving you that healthy glow, reducing wrinkles, and boosting weight loss. Drinking coffee or tea doesn’t count towards your daily recommended intake of eight glasses – you want pure, unflavoured water for the best results.
Love the food you eat
It’s true that you’ll have to give up some types of food, but if you balance your food choices within your targeted calorie range, you can still enjoy tasty, filling meals. Veggies are low-calorie and include fibre (which makes you feel full), but you can do so much more than just boiling them as part of a healthy eating plan. Steam, roast, bake, or spice them up with chilli or other fragrant spices – healthy food doesn’t have to be boring.
Up your game
Getting active by taking a walk around the office park at lunchtime is a great start, but you’ll see better results in your weight loss and health if you push yourself a little more each week. Take a jog at lunch time instead of a walk, or use your new-found fitness as a foundation to make that new gym membership worthwhile. If you’ve been tracking your progress on your TomTom fitness device, you can set yourself new goals (and rewards) to boost your activity even further.
Be prepared
Plan your meals in advance, and shop to make sure that you have all the required ingredients to prepare lunches for work in advance, and to have all that you need for breakfast before you start your day. A good breakfast will help you avoid those mid-morning nibbles, and a packed healthy lunch will reduce the temptation to eat unhealthy convenience foods during the day.
