Maintaining a healthy weight is not as easy as simply flipping a switch. If it was that easy everyone would do it. Though it takes time, commitment, and a heck of a lot of hard work, the benefits are definitely worth it. Below are ten awesome things to look forward to when your reach a healthy weight.
Increased Energy
The first awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is increased energy. When your body is at a healthy weight it is happiest. A healthy weight allows you to be more active, want to engage in more physical activity, and simply have the ability to partake in more things throughout your day
Relief From Discomfort
The second awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is relief from discomfort. When a person is overweight, the body is put under a larger amount of stress. Even completing everyday activities such as walking to the mailbox, cleaning the house, or doing yard work can cause discomfort when overweight.
When you maintain a healthy weight there is less strain on muscles and joints causing them to have to work less. This results in relief from discomfort.
Bone Support
The third awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is bone support. When a body is maintained at a healthy weight the foundations and structures of that body need to work harder. Extra weight and effort are placed on a person’s neck, back, knees, and legs. Reaching a healthy weight will decrease your chance of osteoarthritis.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It is a painful inflection of the joints in your body. Common side effects are pain, stiffness, tenderness, loss of flexibility, grating sensation, bone spurs, and swelling.
Heart Health
The fourth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is increasing your heart health. The more a body weighs, the more the heart has to work. With a healthy weight, the amount of blood that is pushed to vital organs and the overall effectiveness of a heart increases.
Achieving a healthy weight translates into a healthier heart in a multitude of different ways. A few of these ways are described below:
- Lowering blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Raising “good” HDL cholesterol level
- Lowering blood pressure
- Decrease the danger of having a heart attack.
Without a healthy heart, it’s almost impossible to live a fulfilled and happy life.
Lower Risk of Diabetes
The fourth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is lowering your risk of diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), diabetes is defined as, “
a chronic (long-lasting) health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.”
When a person has diabetes, their body either doesn’t make enough insulin or isn’t able to use it effectively. When a body doesn’t receive enough insulin, cells stop responding to it and too much sugar stays in the bloodstream. This can cause kidney disease, and vision loss, and increase your risk of a heart attack.
Decreased Likelihood of Cancer
The fifth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is a decreased likelihood of cancer. While maintaining a healthy weight isn’t a guarantee that you won’t develop cancer, it does reduce the possibility of developing certain forms of cancer.
Women who are overweight have a much higher possibility of developing uterine, gallbladder, ovary, breast, colon, and cervical cancer. Men who are overweight have a much higher possibility of developing prostate, colon, and rectal cancer.
Longer Life
The sixth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is having a longer life. As you can tell from the above five examples, maintaining a healthy weight is good for your overall health. It helps keep your body operating at its optimal levels and lowers the risk of disease. An overall benefit to living healthier is a longer life span.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that participants with a BMI of 40-44.9 lost an average of 6.5 years off of their life. Participants with a BMI of 55-55.9 lost up to 13.7 years off of their life.
This is even more eye-opening when compared to a study that showed loss of life for smokers compared to nonsmokers. Participants who are in the BMI ranges between 40-49 had an equal to a higher chance of losing years off of their life compared to smokers.
Better Sleep
The seventh awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is having better sleep. Receiving quality sleep is crucial to being productive and happy. People who are overweight have an increased risk of the following which decrease their chances of quality sleep.
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Depression
- Asthma
Maintaining a healthy weight will decrease your insomnia, daytime sleepiness, and fatigue.
Elevated Mood
The eighth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is having an elevated mood. Even when not medically diagnosed with depression or other mental health disorders, it is common for overweight individuals to suffer from low self-esteem.
This is a common cause of all depression-like behaviors relating to mood. Individuals who are overweight can feel down, depressed, and intentionally isolate themselves from others.
Research and studies show that mood can be drastically improved by weight loss when it is a result of lifestyle changes and regular exercise. This means reaching a healthy weight will help keep your mood positive and upbeat.
Increased Connection with Others
The ninth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is having an increased connection with other people. Maintaining a healthy weight helps make you feel good about yourself and increases your drive to be around others.
Increased Sex Drive
The tenth awesome thing to look forward to when you reach a healthy weight is an increased sex drive. Maintaining a healthy weight has been linked to increased testosterone levels and increased libido.
