Since 1980, the number of obese adults and children has doubled in UK.

I believe Obesity is a result of an imbalanced body, mind and spirit.

A number of factors are influential - dietary habits, exercise, mental state, emotional turmoil and spiritual awareness.

Obesity can be due to family history and genetic inheritance, illnesses such as a low thyroid function and diseases of hormones in the body which require expert treatment.

Common obesity is, however, due to a lack of exercise combined with picking at high-energy snacks or over-eating foods high in calories and rich in fat.

A poor intake of fruit and vegetables and a lack of herbs in cooking are also factors.

Long-standing boredom, anxiety, stress and depression, the feeling of being in a rut, frustration at work or in a relationship and a lack of satisfaction from life are some important psychological factors which play a role in the motivation of the mind.

Don't we all regularly experience times when we feel life is just dragging us along or that we are banging our heads against a brick wall?

At times like these, many people turn to food for comfort. Snacking on crisps, biscuits and beer while watching television is an easy habit to fall into.

Motivating oneself can be quite difficult. One way to start is to do simple exercises which don't feel too much of a burden.

Remember your school days of PE? Even the soldiers are doing it to take their minds off the worry.

Start with stretching exercises and little swings - just a few small swings every morning will help you start to get rid of that lethargic feeling.

Gradually, build on these small stretches and swings, moving on to a pelvic twist exercise to mobilise unsightly fat around the waist, buttocks and abdomen.

Eventually, extend these exercises into a few yoga postures such as the sun salute, halasan (plough pose) and chakrasana (bridge pose).

These will stimulate and regulate the liver, pancreas, endocrine organs and abdominal organs to control fat.

Get into the habit of doing a few postures every day.

To your new routine, add regular, deepyogic breathing. This will control the mind and emotions and regulate the endocrine glands. Take black pepper tea (available at Planet Janet, Church Road, Hove), curcumin, ginger and trifala guggul.

Studies have shown guggul to control fat, diabetes and arthritis and stimulate the thyroid gland.

"The increase in obesity worldwide will have an important impact on the global incidence of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes mellitus, cancer, osteoarthritis and work disability." (Tommy LS Visscher and Jacob C Seidell, National Institute Of Public Health And The Environment, The Netherlands).

Take responsibility for your body. Seek good medical advice and develop a proper, effective and safe plan for life.

Dr Milind Jani works as a conventional and holistic GP and Dr Asmita Jani as Ayurvedic Consultant from 3 Eaton Gardens, Hove. Call them on: 01273 777448 or email: milind.jani@ntlworld.com