Losing excess weight in those months following the holiday season is as challenging as gaining the weight is easy. But there are reasons to consider the benefits to losing weight in 2016. Beginning around Halloween, a number of overlapping factors combine to almost guarantee a few excess pounds upon the bodies of all but the most disciplined among us. A sudden abundance (and constant presence) of indulgent foods materialize seemingly out of thin air, most of which enjoy considerable appeal on account of flavor and novelty alike.
Grocery stores begin stocking seasonally festive food items, cooking programs showcase innumerable dessert recipes, and office environments are replete, daily, with sugary baked goods. In short, the assault upon one’s sense of self-control is more or less relentless from late-fall through early-winter, and in its wake follows a miserable January and February timeframe.
Of course, for many people of varying fitness levels, the new year will carry with it a resolution to achieve some goal or another. Why wouldn’t it? The passing of a year and birth of another serves as a reminder of both human mortality and human possibility. What better time to consider the benefits to losing weight in 2016? After all, maintaining an ideal weight is essential to healthy living and to stacking the cards in one’s favor on the longevity front. Indeed, excessive body fat takes a toll on one’s organ function and biochemical well being, while carrying extra pounds contributes to any number of musculoskeletal problems.
In other words, the coming of a new year is as good a time as any (though health should be a year-round priority) to honestly evaluate the benefits to losing weight in 2016, whether you’ve gained a few unsightly ounces around the abdominal region or are at risk of needing to swap-out the wardrobe for clothing of more substantial size.
The Benefits to Losing Weight
1. Cardiovascular Health
The heart is, for all intents and purposes, a body’s engine. As cumbersome a metaphor as it might seem, the heart is essentially an oxygenating vessel which never sleeps but can certainly tire. A cardiovascular system housed within the confines of an overweight body is subject to strains which are largely or entirely absent a body of ideal/healthy weight.
Increased blood pressure and the accumulation of LDL cholesterol are common side-effects of burdening one’s body with surplus body fat. Keep that ceaselessly-pumping muscle front of mind prior to ingesting foods of questionable nutritional value, and upon making a New Year’s Eve weight loss commitment.
2. Joint Health
Bodily joints, bones, muscles, and connective tissues are actually quite resilient, particularly given the strain to which they are collectively subjected across the breadth of a typical lifespan. Much of what contributes to a healthy musculoskeletal system stems from consistent physical training, proper form when exercising, intelligently monitored nutrition, and the maintenance of an ideal bodyweight. Yes, while knees and elbows are capable of withstanding medium-high impact in the form of jumping and pressing, it seems they are rather susceptible to deterioration and eventual malfunction when placed under the constant strain of supporting weight beyond what their dimensions are able to routinely withstand.
In order to stave off arthritis and its debilitating effects, prevent excessive body fat from accumulating upon your skeleton. Aside from joint health supplements and responsible exercise, lean overall body mass is your best bet against the early onset of arthritis or related joint ailments.
3. Diabetes
A particularly dreaded term throughout the Western World, and particularly in these United States, type II diabetes is nearing pandemic diagnosis levels in many regions of the country. Though the causes are complex and may have a genetic component, the fact remains that excessive body weight is a prime culprit in the disease’s causation column. Once it has manifested within the human organism, the sentence is heavy—lifelong monitoring and artificial regulating of biochemical levels.
Though diabetes is at times indiscriminate in terms of those it ultimately afflicts, there is nevertheless good reason to shed any additional pounds which may well be serving as an invitation to the irreversible ailment. The disease is also a reminder of just how damaging high quantities of sugar intake has proven itself to the health of the average American. For that matter, avoiding sugar-laden beverages and pastries throughout holiday seasons to come will serve one’s weight maintenance aims while reducing the risk of biochemical imbalance.
Ready to start the New Year right? Connect with us to learn more about staying healthy and losing weight in 2016.
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