Weight and obesity increase your risk for heart and circulatory conditions, but taking manageable steps to shed pounds and get fitter can help you shed extra pounds and reach fitness.

Start by becoming aware of your current diet and physical activity habits, followed by one or two changes that you would like to implement to ensure they become part of your new lifestyle.

1. Eat Plenty of Fruit and Veggies

Fruit and vegetable-rich diets provide essential antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and phytonutrients that may help us ward off chronic diseases. Furthermore, these low-calorie foods may even aid weight loss!

Consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day may help protect against heart disease, cancer, stroke and other health problems. According to estimates, eating 10 portions (equivalent of 800g or 28oz of fruits and veggies daily) would prevent approximately 7.8 million premature deaths worldwide every year.

Try eating two or more pieces of fruit with breakfast, a large salad for lunch and four portions of vegetables at dinner. Fill sandwiches with lettuce, tomato or cucumber instead of high-calorie chip and dip, opt for vegetable soup instead of high-cal chip and dip, add chopped vegetables to pasta or stir-fry dishes and snack on various colors when snacking. Replace fruit juice with water or 100% fruit smoothies while avoiding punches and cocktails which contain added calories and extra sugars.

2. Eat Smaller Meals Throughout the Day

Modern culture has long encouraged individuals to consume three large meals daily, but research suggests that eating six smaller meals throughout the day may be more effective for weight loss and health benefits. A six meal-per-day plan can help regulate hunger while keeping metabolism powered up throughout the day.

When planning your six daily meals, strive to include nutritious whole foods that provide essential nutrition. Avoid processed and pre-packed options as these often contain more calories, salt and sugar than their whole food counterparts.

Make an effort to eat within an hour of waking up and approximately every two hours thereafter, for optimal results. Following this schedule will help your body adjust to eating regularly while simultaneously decreasing cravings and hunger pangs.

Make sure that each meal and snack meets your body size and activity level, including caloric needs. Establish goals using an online weight loss app or pen-and-paper food journal to monitor progress. Be mindful when eating both in restaurants and at home: turn off the TV, take a walk before sitting down to eat; avoid snacking between meals!

3. Drink More Water

The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily – approximately two liters or half a gallon – in order to boost energy and metabolism, support weight loss efforts and improve digestion. Drinking more water could potentially improve energy, metabolism and digestion.

Switching out high-cal drinks like soda and fruit juice for water can significantly lower overall caloric intake. Staying well-hydrated while exercising can also prevent muscle fatigue and heat exhaustion from setting in, an essential consideration.

Hunger and thirst often share similar symptoms; for instance, both can produce a gurgling stomach, low energy levels, or light-headedness; therefore drinking water before lunch and dinner could help determine whether you’re actually hungry or thirsty. One study revealed that people who drank two cups of water half an hour prior to both lunch and dinner consumed 22% less food overall than those who hadn’t consumed any beforehand.

Staying hydrated requires keeping tabs on how much water is taken in, using a reusable water bottle, tracking app or alarm on your smartphone. Aim to include foods high in water content like berries, melons, tomatoes and dark leafy vegetables into your diet for best results. Also try flavoring up your water by infusing it with fresh fruit, herbs or spices or salt-free seasoning packets to add variety and add some zest!

4. Stay Active

Exercise regularly is essential to good health and weight loss plans alike, both generally and as part of weight management strategies. Physical activity helps burn kilojoules while strengthening muscles – all contributing to maintaining an efficient metabolism rate.

Beginners can start with low-impact aerobic activities like walking, swimming and jogging to increase aerobic fitness. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise each week – though individual needs will differ when it comes to reaching or maintaining healthy weight.

Add regular strength training into your weekly routine with weights, exercise bands or even bodyweight resistance exercises – whether using weights, bands or your own bodyweight – in order to build and preserve muscle mass while burning more calories while at rest. Resistance training helps build and preserve muscle mass as well as helping you burn extra calories when at rest.

Stay motivated by setting both short- and long-term goals, such as increasing daily steps or parking at the farthest end of the car park. Make sure that when you meet mini goals, reward yourself; this will keep your motivation up!

5. Get Enough Sleep

When it comes to weight loss, many people focus on food choices and exercise; however, getting enough rest is also vitally important. Studies have demonstrated that sleeping between 7-9 hours nightly supports metabolic health and contributes to successful weight loss efforts. Sleeping less than seven hours could cause unfavorable changes to glucose and appetite hormone levels that will hinder both your metabolism and weight loss efforts.

Sleep deprivation causes your body to produce too much hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin while producing insufficient amounts of leptin (which tells us when we’re full), making overeating easier. Furthermore, skimping on sleep decreases activity in the frontal lobe of your brain that regulates decision making and impulse control and could contribute to poor food choices and increased cravings for sweet and fatty foods.

Staying asleep for at least seven to nine hours each night requires creating an ideal sleeping environment in your bedroom, turning off all electronic devices an hour before going to sleep, and setting a regular wake-up time even on weekends.