Joe Martinez
Joe Martinez, Ed.D., is a Doctor of Curriculum & Technology, a U.S. Military Veteran, and a San Benito native.
As the New Year begins, many people are reflecting on the old year and the many festive gatherings they attended that led to unwanted weight gain.
What to do? Well, there are many solutions to the problem, and there are pros and cons of each.
First, let’s go in descending order, from the best ways of shredding those unwanted holiday pounds to the more drastic ways of losing weight.
Traditional weight loss techniques: exercise. The first recommendation is exercise. We have an excellent running trail that outlines our resacas (hopefully they will be cleaned out soon).
You can enjoy a nice stroll around the park, walk your dog, or jog.
It is an excellent way to improve your health, increase your metabolism, get a good cardio workout, and lose weight. The only drawback is that it is a high-impact activity.
There are other trends that have erupted and subsided, like Richard Simmons’ home workouts, Jane Fonda DVDs, or Denise Austin’s promotional morning-hour workout, but they are still out there for those who don’t mind reruns.
If you’re looking for more modern techniques, you can enroll in and participate in daily fitness trends such as group fitness, virtual online training, yoga, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), boot camps, dance workouts (Zumba, Hip-Hop Cardio, etc.), and more.
If you’re looking for low-impact exercise, biking is one of the most traditional and enjoyable low-impact methods a person can undertake. It can be done at a person’s leisure in the morning, evening, or night.
There are even some bike clubs that have formed to ride together for camaraderie, socialization, or for safety-in-numbers.
Nevertheless, biking can be a rewarding form of exercise, helping cyclists lose weight and trim some of those excess pounds we gained throughout the holidays.
As per dieting, there are many diet trends out there such as the Mediterranean Diet which many health professionals use; the Atkins Diet which focuses on limiting carbs while increasing high protein and fat intake; South Beach Diet that focuses on a low-carb diet; Cookie Diet where low-fat cookies replace meals; the Hector’s Diet which is a calorie controlled diet; Whole 30 Diet that eliminates many eating habits for 30 days and many others that are too numerous to cover.
It is imperative to do your research and to think before you leap.
Some of the latest trends taking the weight loss arena by storm are Ozempic (GLP-1) medications, available in pill or injection form.
These medications suppress appetite and slow digestion, helping a person to lose weight. Most of these may or may not be covered by insurance and may also require prescriptions and monitoring by a medical professional.
There have been many success stories used in commercials to promote this drug, but the price can be high to attain this medication.
Other forms of weight loss can require more drastic measures, such as bariatric surgery, which reduces a person’s stomach size or alters how the body absorbs nutrients.
This form of weight loss requires full commitment and continuous medical supervision throughout the process.
There are many trends and ways to lose weight, but one of the most effective is to get out there and do it!
Don’t procrastinate, and we have an excellent running trail near our beautiful resacas (once they’re cleaned) to accomplish your New Year’s resolution goals.
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