With so many diets on the market why do so many people still struggle with leading a healthy lifestyle and weight problems?

I believe is because the weakness with most weight loss programmes is that they only focus on eating healthily.

A healthy lifestyle depends on a number of factors

• stress
• diet
• weight
• exercise
• hereditary factors

If we only focus on what we eat, our weight usually see-saws because all we are doing is “dieting” and to many people the word diet is synonymous with deprivation.

We need to stop thinking about diets equally deprivation but rather look at health, wellness and happiness.

In other words to improve our health we need to modify our lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle cannot guarantee health, however it can reduce the risk of

• high blood pressure,
• heart attack,
• diabetes,
• bloating,
• lack of energy etc

Often when illness strikes we rely on our doctors to “cure” us. We get medication to take but often the medication is treating the symptom and not the cause. What we fail to realize is the role we can also play in the cure.

I always find it so sad when one hears about people who on hearing that they have a serious health problem, change to a healthier lifestyle. Often when it is too late. We have to go back to basics and take an active part in the maintenance of our health. We need to look at preventing illness and promoting our health.

The solution is to lead a healthier (and more balanced) lifestyle.

To lead a healthier lifestyle (for your body) you need to look at

• Nutrition – the food you eat (the choices you make and the quantities you eat)

      And

• Exercise – Diet cannot be looked at in isolation, we also need physical activity. You need at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 – 4 times a week.

So rather than going on yet another diet change to a healthier lifestyle! It’s much more fun – and has so many health benefits!