Bring out the irons and shape a healthier you

It’s time to bring out the iron.

I’m not talking about ironing your clothes, I’m talking about lifting weights.

Did you know that there are approximately 64 million adult Americans that are now obese? Sixty-four million. Are you one of them or do you have a family member who is a part of that statistic? Obesity is now regarded as the major cause of death in the United States.

Even the percentage of obese children is rising at an alarming rate. It is extremely sad when you consider that it is a preventable disease.

No pun intended, but, the bottom line is that when you take responsibility for what you put in your mouth, your health will improve. Stop consuming fast food, soft drinks and other food and beverages doused with dye, fructose corn syrup and an assortment of other chemicals.

Maybe you should be mindful when you eat and remind yourself on a daily basis that you only have one body. Stop messing it up!

An extremely simple strategy to control your weight and lose inches is to plan what you are going to eat. It doesn’t take a lot of time. Plan to have plenty of healthy foods stocked in your kitchen and at your place of work.

Of course, my personal favorite is lifting weights. Did you know that the more muscle mass that you have, the more calories you burn during the day? Did you know that women don’t get big and bulky because they lift weights? Did you know that lifting weights prevents muscle loss?

When you are trying to obtain a healthier physique, it will make an incredible difference designing a plan that you can stick to.

Natalie Dreger is a certified fitness trainer. She can be reached at nataliedreger1@gmail.com.