Weighing too much might increase your risk for developing many health problems. If you are overweight, you may be at risk for:
* Hypertension (high blood pressure)
* Hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol levels)
* arthritis
* Knee replacement surgery
* Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
* social struggles
* Low self-esteem
Being overweight is a major risk factor for a number of chronic diseases. Even a small reduction in body weight can decrease your chances of developing the most common chronic disorders as you get older. If by now you are suffering from a medical disorder, weight loss can assist you in controlling your health. In certain diseases, losing weight can actually lend a hand in decreasing and even doing away with the necessity to take medicines.
Hypertension is one of the main causes of cerebrovascular accident that could result to an enduring medical problem and loss of life. You can lessen your chances of having high blood pressure and high cholesterol if you maintain a balanced weight. However, you also need to know where your body stores fat. If you are like most men, your body stores fat around the abdomen, and a large amount of abdominal fat raises your likelihood of developing heart disease. Regular aerobic exercise is the best way to get rid of abdominal fat. And if your waistline is over 40 inches, you are more at risk of having hypertension. Your body mass index is another important indicator of heart disease risk. Strive to maintain your body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 for optimal health.
Another thing about being overweight is that it puts extra pressure on your joints, especially those in your knees, hips, and lower back. Due to this added load, the cartilage, which pads and supports the joints slowly wears down resulting to osteoarthritis. Over the years, the damage to the joint may be so extensive that the joint must be replaced surgically. This type of injury is lasting and irreversible. Inflammation of the tendons, called tendinitis, is another common problem in overweight people. Tendons, particularly the Achilles tendon that extends from the calf to the heel, could swell and get irritated even just from walking. Weight loss reduces the pressure on the joints and tendons and lessens injury. Losing weight can also ease the aching and swelling caused by osteoarthritis.
And, being overweight means the extra fat in the stomach area adds strain in it. This causes the contents of the stomach to travel up into the gullet. Loss of weight reduces stomach acid reflux.
Overweight people develop negative self-images. Low self-esteem can affect aspects of health and behaviour such as social adjustment, activity engagement, and goal direction. Getting ridiculed is extremely nasty and it could harshly wound one’s sense of worth.
People who are overweight know they have a problem. They understand that their figure is not what it is supposed to be. They also know that they eat more than they should.
The problem is that they may not know how to stop this conduct. Food often means comfort to them. These people may label themselves as losers for not being able to conquer their weight problem.
But then, they might not have the necessary equipment and encouragement. They may be surrounded by family and friends who do not have weight issues and who just do not get it.
These are just a handful ways that being heavy negatively affects a person’s health. What’s great is that more people are getting more conscious with weight issues and its prevention.