Obesity: A Risk to Your Health
Nearly 40% of the population in the United States is either overweight or obese. These numbers are up from 30 to 35% less than a decade ago. Unfortunately, the number of people at an unhealthy weight keeps climbing, resulting in a growing population of people with poor health and chronic issues.
Table of Contents
Mental Illness
While obesity is not a mental illness it can cause you to feel stressed, become anxious, and have periodic bouts of depression. When you look in the mirror and you don’t like your reflection it can cause you to shy away from public places. Many people also avoid family and other social gatherings because they feel that others will look at them. Unfortunately, depression is often an emotional state that takes over when you become upset with your life.
Treating Depression
As the frequency of depressive episodes increases, it can do permanent damage and make it much harder to feel like yourself. The good news is that seeing a psychiatrist will allow you to get the treatment you need to overcome your depression. Often a combination of prescription anti-depressants and therapy prove effective. However, if you still remain in a depressed state, new technologies, like pulse TMS treatment, along with your meds can improve your chances of recovery.
The Extra Weight
Having extra weight on your body can wreak havoc on your internal organs and cause them to malfunction due to an overload. In addition, the extra pounds make it harder to get around and put unnecessary stress on your joints, ligaments, and bones. You may also have trouble maintaining a good posture, which can result in pain in your back, neck, and shoulders.
Health Risks
Obesity is very dangerous to people young and old. It can raise your bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol amounts you need. It can also cause you to develop Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart disease.
Why Are You Obese?
It may seem like a simple answer, to most people on the outside looking in, that the reason you are obese is that you eat too much. While that fact is sometimes true for people, the question still remains why are you obese? In order to lose weight, you must first identify why you overeat. Otherwise, no matter what you do you’ll continue to gain weight. Many people who are overweight use food to comfort them. When they get anxious or have a bad day at the office, they reach for food. Of course, there are other reasons people are obese. Some people simply have a poor diet that consists of too many processed foods, and others due to genetics gain weight more easily.
Discipline
You know by now that even a few extras pounds on the body can be unhealthy. In the end, it’s really up to you to make the necessary changes in your lifestyle to lose weight. Reducing your portion size, and eliminating certain foods that are not good for you, will help you maintain a healthy weight. Additionally, restoring muscle mass is also essential. You can achieve this by working out at least a few times a week and reducing your level of inactivity to burn more calories. A gym membership will get you in an environment where everyone is looking to achieve the same goal: a healthier physique. However, if you are obese you may feel intimidated at the gym. Thankfully, any form of activity will help you to shed weight. So, initially, you can start slow by taking brisk walks, swimming or a bike ride.
The number of obese people across the states is growing at an alarming rate. It can cause chronic illnesses that many people otherwise would not have. It can also shorten your life. If you are overweight take the necessary steps to return to a normal weight and enjoy a better quality of life.
