The medical world has advanced more quickly in the past century than at any other time in human history, yet research points to the global population being at its least healthy.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, “most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.”
WHO has found the world’s overweight population has tripled between 1975 and 2016, drawing clear correlations to a rise in health conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.
The modern world seems to naturally lend itself to a more unhealthy way of living– where we can survive on unhealthy processed and fatty foods and a sedentary lifestyle in a way never before experienced in history.
This imbalance between calories consumed and expended has become a global health crisis that sees no signs of reversing.
A recent report from World Obesity Federation (WOF) predicts half the world’s population, an estimated four billion people, will be overweight with a BMI of 25 by 2023. According to the study, the number is a significant increase from statistics gathered in 2020 that found 38 per cent of the world sitting above healthy BMI levels.
Obesity, where individuals have a BMI of 30, is also said to rise significantly from 14 per cent in 2022 to 24 per cent of the global population by 2035, affecting 2 billion individuals.
And as the world becomes more digitally connected, the sedentary lifestyle leads a younger generation down the dangerous path of obesity. WOF’s estimates point to 20 per cent and 18 per cent of the world’s boys and girls population, respectively, being overweight by 2035.
According to WHO, a shift in lifestyle habits that focus on consumption and output is one way to maintain a healthy weight. A diet low in sugars and fats plus at least 60 minutes of exercise per day for children and 150 minutes a week for adults are simple steps towards keeping obesity at bay.
Here, we look at some of our top tips on living a healthier and more active lifestyle to maintain healthy body weight.
Eat everything in moderation
Holidays and special occasions are excuses for many to overindulge and consume too much salt, sugar and fat. From timing meals to controlling portion sizes, here are some of our best tips on enjoying your favourite foods guilt-free.
Get up on your feet
Aside from clocking in 150 minutes of exercise a week, recent research has found that taking a five-minute walk every half hour is the key to longevity and keeping a variety of cardiovascular diseases at bay.
Know your basal metabolic rate to identify optimal input and output
Numerous approaches to weight loss have gained popularity over the years; burning more calories than consumed is a simple way of understanding weight loss.
Understanding the body’s basal metabolic rate– calories required to function based on weight, height, gender, and age, is an effective tool for getting a handle on how exercise can help shed those unwanted pounds.
Also see: New enzyme could be answer to healthier sugar consumption