There’s been much talk of how young people have been mentally affected by the lockdown years. Being instructed by the Government to keep apart from your family and friends, and the associated restrictions on your social life has led to feelings of isolation, depression, and unsurprisingly, a huge increase in young adults being overweight.
With little else to do, it’s been so easy to turn to comfort eating, and endless days ( and nights) stuck in front of a gaming screen or Netflix, with far too many ‘munchie’ breaks, means that the pounds have crept on, unnoticed.
Until maybe during the heady days of summer that we’ve just enjoyed, when your denim cut off shorts failed to meet in your middle, and your old faithful vest tops are struggling to contain your tummy, not to mention your boobs (man boobs) and back fat.
But unfortunately overweight young people, often turn into overweight older people unless they take action as soon as they know they are carrying a few to many extra pounds.
It’s so much harder to lose weight as you get older, so if you know you are feeling uncomfortable, and the mirror is confirming that your clothes are tighter than they were, then it’s time to get yourself on a mission to eat more healthily and just as importantly, to burn some calories.
But one thing to remember. Just as being overweight is not healthy, or a good look, being underweight, and too thin, is not healthy or a good look either. No matter what social media, or glossy magazines tell you. There is a fine balance.
I don’t subscribe for one minute to obese people shouting from the rooftops that they are comfortable in their own skin, they are happiest being fat, and big is beautiful. Yes, for sure, there are some beautiful looking people out there who are also overweight, but they are certainly not beautiful just because they are BIG!
For guys, being big doesn’t equate to being strong. You can be the size of a house, but you might not be able to run 100 yards after a bus carrying two bags of shopping.
And the same applies to girls too. Yes, Lizzo has used being overweight to her advantage and looks amazing, but I bet she huffs and puffs climbing the flight of stairs to receive all those music awards. Would she like to be thinner? Probably.
Likewise, the super skinny look, perfected by denying yourself food that you would really love to eat just to fit into a teeny tiny body con dresses, or ultra skinny, skinny jeans is misguided too. Nobody wants to cuddle a body that feels fragile and bony.
There is so much helpful advice around to help you achieve a healthy body. Gone are they days of ridiculous faddy diets, when every meal was eggs and lettuce washed down with cabbage soup, and drinking thick, chemically enhanced concoctions was the only way to lose weight.
As well as apps on your phone, there are online calculators which tell you how much exercise you need to do to burn say 500 calories, ranging from low impact walking to high impact aerobics.
There’s even a calculation on how many calories you burn during sex and housecleaning!
I think the old saying ‘you are what you eat’ is perfectly true. Junk food is called ‘junk food’ for a reason. It’s full of junk. Not only are the main ingredients mainly ‘junk’, the flavorings, the cooking process and the calories it contains are junk too.
Definition of junk food: pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value.
Don’t put on happy face, when inside you are really unhappy because you know you are overweight, instead, get healthy, lose weight, and be genuinely happy inside. If you choose to remain overweight, then yes, it is a lifestyle choice, as it there are solutions, and doesn’t have to be that way.