Obesity is a result of unhealthy eating and lifestyle patterns: over-eating, lack of exercise and stressful problems. In this generation of fast food, luxurious yet stressful living, it has become all the more important to inculcate lifestyle changes for healthy living. While crash dieting is a definite “NO”, decreasing calorie intake is recommended.

Although, dietary guidelines will differ for each person depending on weight, height and other health conditions - a diet that is easy to comply with must be established. “Maintenance”, rather than intensity of your diet plan is the key to keeping pounds off. Thus, eating well wouldn't mean dieting over and over again to lose a few pounds but to make healthy choices every day i.e. low-fat milk or water in sweaty afternoons over sugar-loaded soft drinks or juices, five small servings of fruits and vegetables over three course platters thrice a day, eating after watching TV rather than along with it.

Try alternate activities so you don't get bored: Try running, biking, skating - the possibilities are endless. Limit your time watching TV or playing video games - even reading a book burns more energy! And the best for you would be to just go dance - it can burn more than 300 calories an hour!

Adding 45 minutes of zumba or aerobic exercise a day is the equivalent of losing 400-800 calories regardless of any changes you make in your diet. Minimally, that would result in losing one pound per week. Dropping an equivalent of large french fries a day from your diet will double the results. All that is required is for you to stay active for 30 minutes to an hour three days in a week. Exercise might not be hardcore. Brisk walk, swimming, dancing are all good ways to burn calories and help you stay fit. Majority of people can attain increased health benefits after more physical activity of good intensity and longer duration.

Definitely, obese patients should start slowly with low-intensity walking or swimming and advance intensity as tolerated. For those of you who’re determined, if this article could only get you moving, half the job’s done. Make a list of activities that are fun for you, choose any one of them, and for a few days just do that. It could be gardening, yard work, or just walking the dog. It can well be 10 minutes of brisk walk in every study break. Don't let the cold weather keep you on the couch! You can still find activities to do in the winter like exercising to a workout video or joining a dance or sports class.

One can also choose active indoor chores such as window washing or reorganizing closets. It not only will help you live in a clean environment, but enlighten your mood and keep you active. While exercising with a friend or family member as a part of daily routine doesn’t make the task coercive for you, using jogging, walking or biking alone as a part of your work routine will add those important drops to the water pot. While you might not notice instant changes, but setting specific, short-term goals and rewarding yourself on their achievement will help you develop the habit of remaining healthy. Certainly, do read inspirational articles like this will continue to inspire you.

Cancer Research UK and Weight Concern have joined forces to develop Ten Top Tips for a healthy weight, as part of our Reduce the Risk campaign. The tips are simple habits that everyone can fit into their routine that will in the long term help lose weight. It includes: have the food at the same times of the day, walk ten thousand steps a day, be cautious of the sugar content, don’t take too much of anything, choose salads, toned milk & reduced fat, don’t sit at your laptop or desk for too long, go for sugar-free drinks in the market, eat at a table and have five portions in a day.

While it is an absolute myth that to lose weight and keep it off you must exercise hard all the time, just habituating yourself to physical activity and combining it with short, brisk walks or zumba just thrice a week will certainly do wonders for you, your life, your work and your health: physical and mental!

(This column has research contributed by Divyanshi Chugh)