…Do it for You, Do it for Them…
Your health won’t wait until you make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight. If you’re overweight or obese, you are already experiencing degrading health. Waiting for some inspirational moment and social contract to get physically healthy not only delays your wellness, but typically results in non-commitment.
Why do we need to start now?
Nearly 40% of us U.S. adults are obese. Think about that for a second.
That’s not a few pounds, but a 20% BMI increase in a person’s body weight. This extra weight wreaks havoc on the body and introduces many potential health issues.
Physical Health Problems with Obesity
The physical trauma obesity causes to the body includes:
- Increased chance to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and bone/joint issues
- High blood pressure and a bigger strain on the heart and arteries
- Sleep apnea and other respiratory problems
- Variety of cancers in the breasts, colon, gallbladder, and uterus
All very real problems that continue to develop as the pounds keep adding on.
Shockingly enough, physical problems to the body aren’t enough to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes – sometimes it needs to hit close to home.
Example: Being too large to enjoy the little things in life, like attending a movie premiere or needing constant breaks when touring a theme park or shopping.
Take this information to heart because it’s never too late to start changing your health.
Committing to Change and Seeing Results
Weight comes off if you’re in a daily caloric deficit. It means you’re getting enough nutrients but cutting your suggested calories. One less snack or replacing it with a healthy one sounds simple enough, right?
Easier said than done.
First thing’s first, you need to remove vices which cause health problems of their own or exacerbate the issues with the probable high blood pressure associated with obesity. This means setting a quit date and using patches/gum to quit smoking or attending an alcohol detox center to cut the drinking.
Then, you need to create goals and milestones:
- Write out why you want to lose weight.
- Set a date for reaching your goal weight (and associate it with a big event, like a wedding)
- Find a plan that works for your body and level of commitment
- Browse the Web and local mailers to find grocery deals (to save on the startup costs)
- Start, today, by finding simple wins like drinking one less soda or including 5-minute exercises
You will slip up and weight will come back but that’s just how it goes. Make a commitment to a lifestyle change versus seeing it as a diet & exercise routine.
It’s not all about physical health, though, because losing weight and getting in shape also improves your mental health.
Mental Health and Self-Confidence
A healthy body will have the energy and stamina to participate in activities. If your mind immediately went to sports that’s okay but think about the other little moments you’d wish to do:
- Talking your child down the wedding aisle.
- Traversing the world and going on long hikes.
- Generally feeling comfortable in public.
You fidget around, tugging at your shirt to stretch it, so your weight isn’t obvious. You feel like eyes are on you always.
It’s amazing what happens when your BMI settles back to normal levels.
- You feel comfortable and relaxed, making it easier to be social
- You have the energy to get out of the house versus taking “a rain check”
- You’ve accomplished goals and use that routine building on other challenges
Physical activity also improves your mental well-being. You’ll feel this as the pounds shed. It’ll create a compounding benefit to keep you motivated and happy.
Conclusion
It’s great that our society shuns body weight shaming but let’s not kid ourselves: obesity causes health problems. You know the importance of getting healthy, but the challenge remains. If you ever feel like you can’t do it for yourself then just think about doing it for them.
Be there for those special life moments – do so by getting healthy.
