Obesity and depression: Easy tips to protect your physical and mental health

Obesity causes: Doctors warn about alarming trends in sedentary lifestyles, processed food consumption, and the vanishing culture of outdoor play (Image: Pexels)

With stress rising and weight creeping in, India is facing dual threat; obesity and mental illness health. Speaking at the convocation ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday struck a deeply human chord, reminding graduates and citizens alike that progress must not come at the cost of personal well-being.

She suggested that a lifestyle change can help fight depression and provide mental peace, “Yoga and pranayama could be helpful in mental health," she said. Expressing her concern over the rising cases of obesity and depression she urges doctors to make people aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Obesity, once confined to urban elites, is now emerging as a pan-Indian public health concern. Doctors often warn about alarming trends in sedentary lifestyles, processed food consumption, and the vanishing culture of outdoor play.

Also read | Why is obesity growing in India? Experts list causes of the epidemic

Besides, non-communicable diseases linked to excess weight, such as diabetes, hypertension, and joint disorders, are showing up with worrying regularity in younger and younger patients. Yet, President Murmu’s remarks went further. Along with physical health, she urged the nation to pay heed to the mind.

Here are a few effective tips you can use to keep both your physical and mental health in check:

• Yoga se hoga: Not shirshasan! Just a bit of easy yoga poses in the morning, or a few mindful stretches in the evening. It clears your head, keeps stiffness away, and reminds your body that it still matters.

• Peace of mind: Even ten minutes of quiet, no phones, no news, no background chatter, can change how your entire day feels. You’ll think better, eat better, and maybe even sleep better.

• Eat proper meals: Go back to what your grandmother served, seasonal veggies, whole grains, a bit of ghee. Balanced meals do more than nourish; they steady your mood and save you from emotional bingeing.

• Don’t worry. Be happy: Talking to someone, your sister, your neighbour, a trusted friend, works wonders. Bottled-up feelings tend to show up in the body. A good cry, a shared laugh, call it therapy, Indian style.

• Cut the sugar: You don’t have to quit sweets, just keep them real. A homemade laddoo over a store-bought pastry. Because sugar highs are always followed by nasty crashes, and moods that dip.

• Move after dinner: A slow walk. Some light chores. Just don’t plonk yourself on the sofa right after a meal. A little movement keeps digestion happy, and your jeans from tightening.

• Cook something: There’s joy in chopping sabzi, kneading dough, or stirring dal. Cooking slows your mind down and gives you a moment of quiet focus. Plus, you eat less junk when you cook.

• Sleep like it matters: Not “Netflix and collapse.” Real sleep. The kind you prepare for. Dim lights, no scrolling, maybe a book. The better you sleep, the better your body behaves.

• Seek help when needed: If you feel low too often, seek help, don’t just brush it off. There’s no shame in speaking to friend, family member who understands you. You can also visit a doctor or a therapist. You wouldn’t ignore a fever, why ignore sadness?

• Be nice to yourself: Some days you’ll do it all. Other days, you’ll fall off the wagon. So what? Don’t punish yourself. A kind mind is your best companion for a healthy life.