Who does NOT know that there are huge benefits that accrue from losing weight?
If we know the health benefits, why don’t we just lose weight? Of course, if it were easy there would not be a multi-million dollar industry attached to it because we would all lose any weight we wanted on demand!
Because it is not easy, it’s hard to stay motivated to shed those unwanted and unhealthy pounds and that makes yo-yo dieting a reality: lose a bit, gain more, lose a bit, gain more again.
Sometimes to stick at a new diet we need a reminder of the significant advantages gained from losing excess weight.
Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke.
- There is a three in one benefit from losing weight right there.
- It is a fact that heart disease and stroke are one of the primary reasons for disability and death in both men and women in Western countries. In some countries, heart disease is now the leading cause of death in women.
- People who are overweight are more likely to have elevated levels of cholesterol in their blood stream as well as triglycerides (also known as blood fat).
- Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart.
- Sudden death can occur from heart disease and stroke, and usually this strikes with very little in the way of warning signs or symptoms.
It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere five to ten percent, you could positively decrease the chances of having or developing heart disease or a stroke. Naturally, your heart functions would also improve and your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride count would decrease.
Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes
- Diabetes is a debilitating and dangerous disease. At best it is tedious to monitor. It is life-threatening and unpleasant complications arise from having it.
- Both types of diabetes, type one and type two are linked with being overweight.
- To those who already have diabetes, regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling blood sugar levels as well as reducing the medication you may be currently taking.
- Increase your physical activity any way you can. You could simply walk, jog or dance. It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose that unnecessary weight.
Weight loss helps reduce your risk for cancer
- Being overweight is linked with a number of forms of cancer.
- For women, the more common types of weight-related cancer include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, ovary, breast, and colon. This is not meant to scare you, this is only to keep you informed.
- Men are at risk too from developing cancer if they are overweight. These include cancer of the colon, prostate and rectum.
Extra weight and a diet high in fat and cholesterol should be avoided as much as possible.
Weight loss reduces sleep apnea
- It could even eliminate it altogether.
- Sleep apnea is a sleeping condition where one temporarily stops breathing for a brief period and then the heart needs to kick-start the breathing again putting excess strain on the heart.
- Sleep apnea is also associated with heavy snoring.
- Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and in chronic cases could result in heart failure.
Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating the symptoms and possibly the problem itself.
Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis
- If you carry a lot of weight, you will know that this weighs on your joints – knees, hips and lower back.
- These body parts have to exert double, if not triple, effort to carry you throughout your waking, walking and moving life.
- This could cause further tension and stress on these joints.
- Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of osteoarthritis.
Factoid: a ten percent reduction in weight takes 50% of pressure off the knees. And that could mean no replacement knee surgery for some!
Being overweight seems inconvenient, uncomfortable and demoralizing. But think about the physical consequences of what it is doing to your body. This amazingly functioning machine that you are destroying by not addressing your weight. Do yourself a favor. When motivation to lose weight wanes, think about what you are doing to your body – much of the damage unseen – and keep moving forward!
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