If you've been cooped up eating comfort foods and binge-watching TV for the past few months, your mind and body could use some TLC right now. A leading emergency room and sports medicine physician, Dr. Ara Suppiah, has developed a road map back to good health that will help you shake off the lockdown lethargy and develop new, healthier habits.

He's just published a new book called "Lose Weight and Feel Great Forever," which offers timely tips on how to navigate the road to wellness.

"My GPS to health and fitness involves eating right, moving your body daily, hydrating often, and getting sufficient sleep," he tells Newsmax, noting that the average American has gained about five pounds during self-isolation during the pandemic.

"The first principle is eating the right foods," he says. "If you don't consume foods that are nutrient-dense, then you will be headed for the vending machine grabbing unhealthy snacks."

Suppiah says his top foods for weight loss and good health include:

• Avocados. They contain healthy, monounsaturated fat that helps regulate cholesterol levels and vitamins that support heart health.
• Malaysian palm oil. "Palm oil is nature's richest source of vitamin E which helps maintain brain and liver health," says the expert.
• Berries. Berries are rich in fiber, which help your digestive system and also regulate blood sugar levels.
• Broccoli. "Broccoli is a wonderful food," says Suppiah. "It's full of fiber, and has important nutrients that protect our cells."
• Eggs. Recent data show that egg consumers who ate four or more eggs weekly actually had significantly lower average cholesterol levels than people who ate no eggs at all, he says.

Along with eating the right foods, Suppiah advises doing the right moves.

"Start with 20 minutes of exercise every morning, doing whatever activity you chose," he says. "Set up your day to win. Taking that time for yourself will make you a better parent, employee, or spouse."

As an emergency room doctor, Suppiah says he prided himself on functioning "perfectly well" with little sleep until he learned that the effects of long-term sleep deprivation are severe. "Without enough sleep, the body's immune system misfires, signs of aging rapidly appear, and your body breaks down prematurely. Chronic sleep deprivation also increases your body fat."

Now is the time to hit the reset button, says Suppiah, as you emerge from your stay-at-home routines. "You cannot change your past but you can shape your future. Consciously focusing on a healthy body is the first step of your new life."