True to human nature, after we hear something enough times, we just start to ignore it; the reality is, we should be doing just the opposite. Maintaining a healthy weight is truly vital to keeping yourself in tip-top shape, and not just so you can get in to that little black dress for the holiday parties.

Keeping your weight at a healthy level is a huge step toward the prevention a of a large number of diseases that you don't want to find yourself burdened with. These can include: diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, and cancer, just to name a few.

If you maintain a healthy weight, it can also help you manage diseases that you may already have such as Paget's disease, Osteoarthritis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In addition to disease prevention, when you maintain a healthy weight, you will set an excellent example for your children which in turn will make it easier for them to make appropriate choices in the future.

With all the temptation out there though, maintaining that healthy weight and weight loss can be challenging for many people. And really, is there one specific thing that will keep you in perfect shape? The short answer is no; however, moderate exercise and eating right are absolutely vital to any healthy weight loss-maintenance plan.

By instituting even small changes, you will be well on your way. It is amazing what even a short walk after dinner can do for weight loss, not only for the way your body metabolizes the food you just ate, but also for your mood in general.

Diabetes is a disease that is being diagnosed in record numbers, not only in adults, but also in children. This is the most obvious red flag that America is overweight, yet many people have no idea how extra weight and diabetes are connected.

Diabetes is a lifelong disease that is not curable and therefore requires that you take some form of medication for the rest of your life to manage it. Poor eating habits affect your body chemistry; when it is thrown off, it can cause your pancreas to fail in its job of insulin production. The result is diabetes.

Another reason to maintain a healthy weight is your joints. Excess weight carried on your frame puts extra stress on your joints. This will cause aches and pains every day, and really, who wants to live with that?

Later down the road, you may find yourself with Osteoarthritis as a result; this is a chronic disease that causes the cushioning between your joints to wear away which, as you can imagine, can be excruciating. It can also cause bone spurs to grow around the joints. By maintaining a healthy weight, you can lessen the likelihood of getting this disease, and if you already have it, dropping even a few pounds can help ease some of your pain.

Are you always tired? You might be suffering from what's known as Sleep Apnea. A few extra pounds can weigh against the muscles in your throat when you lie down to sleep.

As those muscles relax, they can push against your airway and force it to close; the result is periods of time during the night when you actually stop breathing, followed by gasping for air. Whether you are fully aware of it or not, this disrupts your sleep pattern and can cause you to become increasingly tired, seemingly without reason.

Cancer is a word that no one likes to hear; a common disease, many people worldwide are faced with fighting it. There is no one single thing that causes it, yet there are many possibilities.

One of these causes is being overweight. Several types of cancer are linked with being overweight.

In women, these include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, cervix, ovaries, breast and colon. Overweight men are faced with an increased risk of developing cancer of the colon, rectum and prostate. High-fat and high-calorie diets have been found to be attributing factors in cancer of the breast and colon; common sense would say that both of these would lead to a less than healthy weight and therefore, also this could also be a contributing factor.

The message is clear: weight loss and health go hand in hand. Maintaining a healthy weight is vital to your health. No matter your age, it is never too late to start practicing a healthy lifestyle. Not only will you feel better and be healthier, your friends and family will thank you for it as they will likely get to spend many extra years with you.