National Obesity Awareness Week

National Obesity Awareness Week

It is National Obesity Awareness Week. It’s no secret that there is an epidemic of obesity amongst Americans. Countless medical and news outlets report that more than 2/3 of Americans are overweight. Around this time of the year, people start joining gyms and making resolutions to become healthier. Many Americans know that there are many health, social, and mental benefits to shedding the pounds, but will rarely succeed in their goals.

Being overweight leads to a myriad amount of health issues. These complications include; diabetes, heart attacks, asthma, high blood pressure, chronic pain, and so forth… The medical industry profits off of those in poor health, especially those who are overweight. These slew of complications can be lessened with weight loss and changes in lifestyle.

Diet

Sometimes eating less helps, but usually isn’t enough to make a large difference in health. Weight loss is dictated by losing more calories, than one intakes. Metabolic rate is also an important factor. Watching what one eats is a large lifestyle change that involves planning. Portioning out meals and prepping before a hectic week can alleviate stress and cravings. There is a multitude of diets out there. These include south beach, Atkins, Paleo, Whole 30; but there is one diet that is making headlines.

Dash Diet

The Dash Diet has reimagined food consumption intended to lower blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic writes, “the DASH diet emphasizes portion size, eating a variety of foods, and getting the right amount of nutrients. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” The main goal is to reduce sodium intake and increase potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The DASH Diet is, “an eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables, and low-fat or non-fat dairy, with whole grains. It is a high fiber, low to moderate fat diet, rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.” A good rule of thumb for this diet is protein-rich meat, whole grains, and plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Remember that diets are only guidelines to make choices with. For further reading, please view www.dashdiet.org.

Exercise

How quickly one metabolizes food is based on what food was consumed, and their level of activity. The Surgeon General recommends getting at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Exercising can be in many different forms. Joining certain gyms give you access to a pool for swimming, free weights, weight machines, treadmills and ellipticals for cardio. Losing weight is easier once you define your goals. These could include how much weight per week/month you want to lose. Perhaps keeping a journal or using Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal App helps you log your calories burned, and calories consumed. Another helpful tip is to try to find a buddy to work out with.

Routine Check-ups with Your Doctor

Even with the best diet and exercise efforts, it is smart to stay on top of your health with regular visits to your primary care provider or PCP. These routine appointments give you a chance to track important numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and overall heart health. During these visits your doctor can catch small issues early before they turn into bigger problems down the road.

If you are a healthcare provider yourself, whether you run a small clinic, a family practice, or work in a larger facility, having dependable equipment makes these routine visits smoother for everyone. Many practices are turning to high-quality refurbished patient monitors and vital signs monitors to keep accurate readings without spending a fortune on brand new units. Soma Tech Intl specializes in this. We are the largest refurbished medical equipment company in the world, and every piece we sell gets fully refurbished right here in our own facility by our team of experienced biomedical engineers. Patient monitors in particular are a big part of what we offer because they help doctors and nurses get reliable data during check-ups and ongoing care.

It is one more way to keep costs down while still giving patients the attention they deserve. If you are in the market for refurbished medical equipment, feel free to check out what we have at somatechnology.com.

Final Thought

For health tips, please visit the Soma Pinterest page; and give us a follow! Have you undergone a lifestyle transformation? Do you see any benefits while losing weight? Do you feel more awake, have more energy, sleep better at night, and have any complications reduced? Comment below to tell us about your story.