3 Tips for Losing Weight and Gaining Wellness for Women

guest post by Gabriel Patel

For women, keeping healthy and losing weight works differently than it does for men. While diet and exercise can be key components in a successful weight loss plan, it helps women to have a broader range of practices to rely on to achieve wellness more easily. Use this guide to bring your weight loss and wellness goals within reach.

1. Practice Mindful Eating

For some women, eating is a means of fueling the body. For others, it's a pleasure and possibly even a problematic one if you find it difficult to stop or make poor choices.

Women are prone to eating disorders, with Butterfly.org reporting that 63% of individuals with eating disorders are women. Mindful eating is an approach to eating that encourages paying attention to the sensual experience of eating and ingesting with the intention that's been shown to help manage negative eating patterns.

To practice mindful eating, carefully choose the food to be put on your plate. Take time to appreciate its appearance and smell as though it is something you are experiencing for the first time, and notice the weight of it on your fork or spoon. With each bite you take, give yourself time to feel the texture on your tongue and chew it thoroughly, allowing yourself the pleasure inherent to each bite.

2. Pay Attention to Stress

You probably have stress eaten at one point or another, and while that can be bad for the body if done repeatedly, there are more dangerous ways that stress can cause women to pack on the pounds. Chronic stress is much more likely to harm your body than occasional stress eating.

According to the Women’s Health Network, adrenal stress causes weight gain. When you experience stress, your body's stress hormones become overactive and make it more difficult for your body to recognize the hormone that causes you to feel full when eating. Over time, this can result in serious weight gain. Because of this, it's important to minimize stress when possible.

If a job or relationship is causing you long-term stress, it may be time to move on from that situation, but there are less substantial efforts that can be made, as well. Alleviating stress in your home environment can be achieved through small changes such as reducing clutter which has been shown to contribute to stress. Incorporating greenery and natural light into the home can also have a very positive effect on mental health and overall wellness.

3. Exercise to Heal the Body

Exercise is an effective means of losing weight, but it can also mean much more to your overall wellness than pounds shed. Choosing exercises that not only challenge and develop your body but also help your mental health can increase the likelihood that you will stick with your program as its benefits are not just physical but mental, too.

Whole-body movement such as Pilates is an exercise that addresses both the mind and the body. Pilates not only increases muscle strength and improves flexibility, but it also has been shown to reduce stress, soothe anxiety, boost memory and help regulate emotions better.

Below is a little video to reduce stress, soothe anxiety, release neck and shoulder tension and improve breathing.

Pilates also can help with insomnia. Studies show that inconsistent and poor sleep patterns are connected with weight gain, and doctors recommend that those looking to lose weight and improve wellness prioritize sleep as an essential component of getting healthy.

Don't rely on tired old ways of getting healthy. Prioritize wellness and both your stress and the weight will come off, allowing you to live the happy, healthy life of your dreams.

Image via Pexels