Everyone knows that obesity is bad for your health – heart disease, hypertension and diabetes being the better known problems, but I want to talk about three lesser known reasons to lose weight.
With around 70 per cent of the population here in the UAE, USA and UK being overweight and Australia and South Africa not far behind, most people could do with shedding a few kilos.
Losing weight is one of the most popular resolutions made each year, but most people, even if they do lose weight, end up putting it all back on again.
Last week I was talking about how difficult it can be to get going with resolutions and sticking to them and suggested taking the yogic approach of sankalpa – setting intentions which look far beyond a simple statement and visualising all the benefits to be gained.
You will probably find that you take a much more positive approach and have some kind of a plan: incremental strategies work far better that trying to tackle an enormous goal.
There are thousands of articles on the subject, but I wanted to choose three lesser known reasons to lose weight:
Carrying excessive weight will have a profoundly damaging effect on your joints. Studies have consistently shown that people who are overweight are many times more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis which is painful and crippling.
It’s not just the excess joint loading, but the inflammatory chemical and hormonal environment that having excess body fat creates. Apart from the pain, you lose your mobility and independence.
According to Wikipedia “adipose tissue (fat) has, in recent years, been recognised as a major endocrine organ as it produces hormones such as leptin, estrogen, resistin and the cytokine TNF. Moreover, adipose tissue can affect other organ systems of the body and may lead to disease.”
In other words, too much fatty tissue can release large amounts of immune chemicals which over time can interfere with the body’s ability to spot and prevent outside infections.
15 to 20 per cent of mothers-to-be are obese and there are risks to both mother and baby. For the mother there is an increased risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, blood clots and a cesarean section. Risks to the baby include increased chance of being born early, still born and neural tube problems such as spina bifida.
Your baby is more likely to be over 4kgs which increases the chance of weight problems in later life and all the health problems that go with it. There are many reasons why we should strive to maintain a healthy weight, but making resolutions such as going on a diet in time to look good by the pool or get into that special outfit or hitting the gym to get those abs/buns/guns by March is likely fail in the long run.
For long lasting results, break them down and introduce them in stages. Next week I will give you the top three habits which will affect virtually every aspect of your life in a positive way and give tips on how to make them stick.
