I recently got a question about weight loss and health...

This woman wants to be healthier and lose body fat but comes from a family where this is not being, nor has it ever been displayed for her. She was asking what habits of health people focus on, and where to start her journey.

I loved the question and wanted to expand on my answer a bit more.

Starting your health Journey: Key habits for Women who have weight loss and health goals.

If you're a woman struggling with weight loss, it's important to carve your own path. This will be the hardest part when you are surrounded by people who don't have great lifestyle habits. Our environment is a major factor in our health. It's not impossible to make a change and go against the grain, but it is hard. Just being aware of this can be very helpful. Those closest to you will feel very insecure about this if their habits are less than stellar. Prepare for comments, but know that is not a you problem, that's a them problem.

Take your time with major lifestyle changes

Don't rush this. A major overhaul takes time. People try to go from 0-60 all the time and get burnt out and quit altogether. This only perpetuates the never-ending all-in, all-out cycle, and it's a hard one to break once you're in it.

You don't have to perfectly execute every single habit all at once. Stack these habits week by week, month by month. Keep a calendar or journal tracking your consistency.

Let's get into it, these are my habits of health. As a busy working mom who is almost 39...

1. Daily walks
Start with a few short walks a day. No step goal—just walk every day, even if it's ten minutes. Keep the streak going in any weather. We are built to move but our current society has us working at a desk for 8 hours a day and behind a steering wheel driving to work or soccer practice. Many women feel their metabolism is slowing as they age but the truth is we are simply not moving enough anymore.

2. Balanced meals over snacking:
Don't snack. Eat meals and make sure every meal has protein and fiber. If you want a salty or sweet snack, have it with a meal. Eat the protein first. There is no such thing as snacking; you are either eating balanced or unbalanced. Protein and fiber will balance a meal and help keep you fuller for longer. For example, if you're craving chocolate at lunchtime, eat your high-protein, high-fiber meal first, then have the chocolate. A simple high-protein, high-fiber lunch could be a turkey sandwich (at least 4 ounces for adequate protein) with Swiss cheese (adds more protein and some fat, which slows digestion), avocado (healthy fats and fiber), and whole grain bread that brings more fiber. Have it with some berries and your chocolate. You gave your body what it needed, and you got what you wanted!

3. Resistance training:
If you are new to strength training start with bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, planks, and incline push-ups off the wall. Even simple stretching and yoga can be enough to get you started. Eventually, consider getting a gym membership and following a program from a trainer. Machines are less demanding on form and technique but do a great job building muscle. Building muscle is crucial, especially if you are over 35, because age-related muscle loss has started. Muscle is not just about looks; it's about the health of your metabolism and helps your body store carbs for fuel efficiently. Same as number 2, this is a big reason that women feel their metabolism is slowing!

4. Cook 90% of your food at home:
Cooking mostly at home is key, and we need to be realistic about what 90% looks like. Realistically, that's a breakfast sandwich on Saturday and takeout for dinner on Thursday. Otherwise, you want to be eating at home. Simple meals that have protein and fiber are key. Restaurant foods are calorie-dense due to cooking oils and large portions. Eating at home allows you to control portions and ingredients.

5. Track calories and protein:
When you start getting consistent with these habits above, you can start tracking calories. Weight loss will happen when you eat in a calorie deficit. The habits above can help you get into a deficit but are also simply your habits of health to maintain weight loss. To drive weight loss, use a TDEE calculator to get an idea of where you'd maintain currently, then pull back 300-500 calories to start, or you can hire a coach to guide you through this part! Tracking your protein and total calories at maintenance for a time is recommended and it will show you how hard it is to overeat with these habits in place!

 Consistency over perfection

If you mess up, who cares? Go right back to creating consistency. A huge mental block for most women trying to lose weight is using a slip-up as an excuse to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Consistency is not the same as perfection.

Real health is not about intense fitness or labeling foods as good or bad. Real health is balancing stress, preserving muscle, building muscle, nourishing your body, and giving sleep the time and attention it needs.

If whole-body health is the goal, don't forget to work on your relationships, find a hobby you enjoy, and take care of your mental health. Changing your health is behavioral, so accountability can be helpful, either via a coach or a buddy.

Remember: fat loss over weight loss

One last thing: remember that weight loss is fast, and fat loss is slow. For chasing health, you want fat loss. Weight loss means you're losing muscle, and this is never what you want.