Maintaining a healthy weight is the key to good health and to understanding how it affects our body. Here are the benefits to losing any extra weight:
- Prevents Disease
- Poor nutrition, together with a sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular exercise can lead to obesity which increases the risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, strokes, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, gout, gallbladder disease, and sleep apnea. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce the risk of these diseases.
- Reduces lower back and joint pain
- Excess weight increases the impact on the joints during day to day movements. This can increase the risk for arthritis.
- Improves Mental Well-being
- Losing excess weight can provide a sense of accomplishment, reduce stress levels, improve confidence, self-esteem and physical and work performance. When exercise is part of the weight loss program, the endorphins released are mood boosters resulting in a sense of positivity and vitality.
- Improves Sleep
- A Johns Hopkins University study showed that losing weight around the belly was a predictor of improved sleep. One possible explanation is that the weight loss reduced the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea, a condition where the airways become blocked during sleep. Studies have also shown that exercising a minimum of 150 minutes a week is also linked to improved sleep.
