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.

For health tips, please visit our 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.