Exercise and weight management in early adulthood
At this age, hectic schedules and busy social lives can contribute to poor diet. Usually this manifests itself in the form of consumption of processed or fast foods which make for convenient lunches, but are full of fat and hidden calories. There is a tendency for guys to skip meals during the day, thinking that it would compensate for their indulgences in these types of food. If you skip a meal, your body will think that you are in starvation mode, and therefore slow down your metabolism to compensate. You then tend to overeat at the next meal. Often, skipping a meal and then eating too much at the next one means that you will have a higher total caloric intake than if you just ate smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. Exercising may also become less of a priority due to the lack of free time imposed by a hectic routine.
What can be done?
One important thing which has to be done is to ensure that proper eating routines are established. Easy ways to do this would be to commit to eating a good, filling breakfast as this will ensure that you are less likely to binge later. Packing your own lunch ahead of time will save you from the pitfalls of eating fast food.
Read nutritional labels. This will allow you to make better choices for yourself, but also as a way of reinforcing a healthy lifestyle.
Try to cut down on beer and cocktail intake, as these have a lot of calories, slow down metabolism, and act as an appetite stimulant. If you are going to the bar, have a reasonable meal first, and alternate alcoholic drinks with water.
Regarding exercise, try to make it social. Either commit to working out or running with a friend, or join a team sport – this will keep you accountable to your exercise partner or teammates. Make your commitment to exercise one that is reasonable, not one based on lofty goals. If you do try to use exercise for weight loss or muscle gain, don't be discouraged by slow progress. Additionally, don't try to overdo exercise when starting a new exercise regimen, as this can lead to muscle strain and fatigue, which can affect your motivation to participate.
