Overweight / Obesity (I have arthritis)

Swimming is a very good exercise for people of all age and fitness levels. Swimming builds up muscles, is a good cardio exercise and preserves your joints. It is also considered safe for people with asthma. It would be best if you could swim in sea, clean river or a lake. But if you do not have that option, swimming pool in your local community will do just fine.

Your GP can exclude diseases or hormonal disbalance that may be causing the weight issues. A GP can also prescribe supplements that support your diet plan and are in line with any medical precondition.

Eating many small meals during the day means that the body can more easily burn every meal into energy, instead of harvesting the excess energy of large meals for later. This process is called metabolism. Read more about a correlation of metabolism and weight loss here.

Being sleep deprived harms the way your body burns calories. Learn more about how sleep deprivation affects your weight here.

When you chew your food slowly, it takes you more time (naturally) to finish your meal which allows more time for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full. Not chewing properly (besides causing you digestion problems) allows you to put in your body lots of calories that you don't actually need because your brain hasn't had enough time to realise that you are full.

For more information about slow eating read here.

Yoga can be a harmless and efficient way of physical activity, especially for those who have some form of limitation. Before you start practicing yoga, consult with your doctor. It is important to ask if medical conditions or medications would limit participation (such as arthritis, high blood pressure, lung conditions, or heart disease).

It would be best if you could find a qualified yoga therapist or teacher to work with you one-on-one. For group classes, a beginner class will be suitable. Make sure that the class you are taking is led by a qualified instructor who can show you safe and healthy poses for you and make adjustments for any limitations you may have. 

You can find yoga instructors from all over the world at Yoga Alliance.

You can also do yoga without leaving your home. If you want to do yoga at home, but don't know how to start and what to do, you can check out this video for beginners and start from there:

Using apps that track your daily calorie intake or workout sessions can help you monitor and improve the way you consume and burn calories.

Some of the popular (and free) fitness apps are:

1. Strava (Android, iOS)
2. Endomondo (Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone)
3. Lose it! (Android, iOS, Kindle, Nook, web)
4. Map my fitness (Android, iOS, Windows Phone)
5. MyFitnessPal (Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Phone, web)
6. Touchfit GSP (iOS)

There are many more fitness apps. Find one you like the best.