Weight loss should not be your only goal when approaching a new exercise program. Although weight loss is a definite benefit, your overall health status should be the priority. Improving your health will give you the strength, energy, and stamina needed to live your life fully.

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Successfully making healthy changes has a lot to do with your attitude. As with any challenge, you will hit roadblocks, and you will need to overcome obstacles. The more positive your attitude, the better your chances of powering through these barriers and making a permanent change. Here are four ways to improve your attitude and reach your weight loss goal.

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Weight, body mass index (BMI), circumference measurements, and body fat percentage are all good ways to assess your fitness progress, but they don’t tell the whole story. When you adopt a healthy lifestyle, you change more than your physical appearance. Don’t forget to pay attention to these improvements when assessing your progress and celebrating your success.

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Prioritize health

Integrating small changes into your daily routine can make a big collective impact. Standing a few extra times per day or integrating some small office circuit workouts are great ways to increase your physical activity levels. Swapping a healthy snack for your more calorie-dense go-to can improve weight control. Unexpected meetings, personal commitments, and travel can all impact your schedule, but seemingly small healthy daily choices can help keep your health a priority.

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A non-stop schedule makes getting the rest you need difficult while also pushing stress levels to the limit. You might think you will recover once the holidays are over, but at that point, the damage may be done. Research shows that both sleep and stress are linked to weight loss success. Keeping rest and stress relief at the top of your priority list will ensure you get through a hectic period while still hanging onto your health and your waistline.

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There is nothing wrong with choosing a few special treats during the holidays, but going overboard can undo weeks of healthy eating and exercise. Before you make the decision to cave into a craving, use this guide as a reminder of how hard you will have to work to offset the extra calories.

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You changed your diet, but you don’t exercise.

Research shows that reducing calorie intake alone is more effective for weight loss than exercise alone, but combining these approaches leads to long-term success. It can be tough to fit exercise into an already busy schedule, but the boost in metabolism you get from burning extra calories and building muscle makes it worth the effort. If the scale is stuck despite your healthy eating, add walking, jogging, dancing, or strength training to your routine to boost the calories you burn each day. (See How to Lose Weight: Diet or Exercise?)

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What happens when I eat a low-carb diet?

Carbohydrates are a major fuel source for exercising muscles, the brain, and the central nervous system. When you drastically lower your carb intake, your body lacks the glucose necessary to produce energy. Without adequate carbohydrates, the body enters a state of ketosis where it begins to burn its own fat for fuel. This may sound appealing at first, but the process also produces ketones, a byproduct of breaking down fat stores. Ketones have been linked to gout, kidney stones, and kidney disease.

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What Is High Fructose Corn Syrup?

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a sweetener used by food manufacturers. It is formed when corn starch is broken down into corn syrup. Enzymes are added to the corn syrup to convert some of its glucose to fructose. The result is a sweetener that is about 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose. It is a less expensive alternative to sugar, and it also serves as a preservative in packaged foods. HFCS is most often associated with regular soda, but if you check food labels, you will find it in pasta sauce, barbeque sauce, ketchup, sweet pickles, jam, bread, crackers, cereals, ice cream, and baked goods.

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The key to smart snacking is finding foods with a balance of complex carbohydrates, heart-healthy fat, and protein. This combination gives you long-lasting energy and prevents a spike in blood sugar that will leave you hungry in a few hours. Here are a few foods that will curb hunger and keep you feeling full.

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