The heat is here and that means it's the time of year we all quietly fear - swimsuit season. Not to worry, this year Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital has your back with some insight into weight loss.

A lot of people struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and regular exercise. Let's face it: if it was easy, everyone would do it. According to the article, the key to weight control is balancing our energy (food) intake with how much energy our body burns (physical activity). Simply put, to lose weight you must burn more calories than you eat.

JUMPSTART YOUR METABOLISM:
Your body is like an engine which needs to run properly in order to perform at a peak level. Understanding the way your body processes what it takes in helps create a strong foundation to achieve your weight loss goals. Exercising regularly helps boost your metabolism (breaking up the muck in your engine). When you exercise regularly, you build stronger muscles. Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells throughout the day, even while you are resting.

GET YOUR BODY MOVING:
How much exercise you need to make a difference in your weight depends on how much you eat, what you eat, and what activity you are doing. A medium-sized adult would have to walk more than 30 miles to burn up 3,500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of fat. Although that may seem like a lot, you don't have to walk the 30 miles all at once. Walking a mile a day for 30 days will achieve the same result, as long as you don't eat more than usual.

REGULATE YOUR INTAKE:
We all hear that eating is important but most of us don't understand the major impact this has on your health and fitness level. While there are obviously good and bad calories, keep this in mind: if you eat 100 calories a day more than your body needs, you will gain approximately 10 pounds in a year. You could lose the weight or keep it off by doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily; however, eating clean, natural foods, and maintaining proper portioning is the best way to control your weight.

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