The World Health Organization warned that a whopping 1 in 8 people were living with obesity worldwide in 2022. Adult obesity has doubled compared to 1990. During those three decades, adolescent obesity has grown a jaw-dropping four times.

In 2022, 2.5 billion adults around the world were overweight, of which 890 million were obese. That same year, 43% of adults were overweight and 16% were obese. Meanwhile, 37 million children under 5 years old were overweight. These are shocking numbers. And the repercussions are profoundly negative.

The NHS classifies obesity as a serious health concern. Being obese increases the likelihood of health conditions like type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, various cancers (e.g., bowel, breast), and stroke.

Furthermore, you’re more likely to develop mental health problems like depression. Being obese can also impact your self-esteem.

Obesity sounds simple on the surface (extra calories from food are stored as fat in your body), but it’s a complex issue. Your lifestyle is a major factor, but so are genetics, underlying health conditions, and even the medicines you take. The most straightforward path to losing weight involves eating (slightly) fewer calories and exercising regularly for 2.5 to 5 hours per week.

However, adopting these healthy habits and getting rid of old ones can take weeks or months of dedication and perseverance. Ideally, you should aim to live in a way you could maintain throughout your life. You shouldn’t dump your healthy habits the moment you hit your goal weight because fitness goes beyond mere numbers and improves your life in many ways.

Your health is no joke. The lifestyle habits you have today will have a major impact on your quality of life in the months, years, and decades to come. That’s why it’s so important to develop the right ones, from eating well and avoiding junk food to having a far more active lifestyle.

Naturally, you shouldn’t make a bunch of major changes all at once because you’ll simply burn out and be back to square one. Do it incrementally. Slowly. Step by step. Before you know it, you’ll have built the kind of life you can be proud of. And you’ll wonder why you didn’t change things earlier.

To put it bluntly, it is (and feels!) much better to be fit than unfit. Having loads of energy, being able to focus, and feeling confident are all great. That’s on top of things like living longer, feeling more attractive, and being able to pick up heavy objects just because you can.

Now contrast that with a life where you’re chronically tired, anxious, constantly out of breath, nervous about how you look, and definitely not living up to your potential. We know which lifestyle we’d rather have. And so do you.

Your fitness lifestyle ought to be sustainable, enjoyable, and tailored to suit both your biology and your routine. For instance, not everyone has two spare hours to work out every evening or the mental space to go on early morning walks. We all have different responsibilities, from family and work to chores and studies. Not to mention, you’re supposed to maintain all of those precious relationships you care about. It’s all very time-intensive.

So, instead of doing what’s trendy, do what works for you. Break up your workouts into ten-minute blocks scattered throughout your day if you have to. What matters is that you get moving if you live a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.

Meanwhile, it’s a great idea to match your exercise to what you generally enjoy doing. If you’ve got bad knees and deeply loathe jogging at the gym… don’t jog at the gym. Try cross-country running instead. Or pick up hiking, swimming, tennis, or, well, anything else.

The point is to find a method of moving that makes you happy. That way, you’ll be more motivated and will hopefully turn it into a lifelong habit. If you have people you like who'll exercise with you, that’ll help you stay disciplined, too! For instance, yours truly (hi!) loves hiking and hates jogging—but running with friends makes it far more tolerable. You also won’t find me doing early morning exercise anymore, but evenings are a great way to relax and disconnect from work.

You should also aim to get in tune with your body and its needs. Your genetics might favor certain types of movement over others. Your family might be prone to specific diseases, so you’ll need to spend more time on cardio/weightlifting/etc. Or, certain diets might not work due to allergies and your microbiome.

Vegan or paleo diets might work for some individuals but not others. Meanwhile, if you’re allergic to nuts, seafood, lactose, or gluten, you’ll have a hard time stomaching something that works wonders for others. If you’re serious about getting fit, talk to your doctor, run some tests, and sketch out what your weekly exercise routines and sample menus could look like.

The Funny Weight Loss Instagram account currently boasts 709k followers. It was created by Jose J. Calderon, a self-proclaimed ‘professional memer,’ fitness junkie, and mentor, who also runs Learn To Biz, a business that focuses on helping others go viral on social media. Calderon also curates a handful of other meme pages, focused on different types of content, from work to relationships.

Which of these memes did you find to be the most relatable? What is your relationship with health and fitness like, dear Pandas? Do you exercise regularly or are you still coming to grips with being active daily?

What are your favorite ‘cheat’ meals? Which advice would you give anyone who’s struggling to get fit, to help them stay motivated? We’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments.