How Losing Weight Can Help Your Health and Happiness in Unusual Ways
Originally posted October 7, 2013
Losing weight is often associated with smaller sizes when you shop for clothes, and being able to bend over more easily to tie your shoes. But there are more benefits to a healthy weight than that.
1. Guess who is sleeping better? People who get shorter, interrupted sleep tend to weigh more, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University. Excess weight is linked directly to sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that affects 18 million Americans. Why? Extra body fat, especially in the upper body, impedes your respiratory function. Also, when you snack later at night, your body is working hard to digest it throughout the night, which also interrupts your sleep.
2. Now your brain is sharper. A study over 10 years in Neurolgy, studied brain cognition in obese subjects and those of normal weight. Can you guess the results? The obese subjects experienced a 22.5 per cent faster decline on their cognitive test scores than those who were of normal weight. Heart disease and inflammation could be a factor in those scores. Also, exercise and healthy eating make a decided difference to the brain, so those who are overweight might be neglecting those areas of their lives.
3. You’ll make more money. Now that should get your attention. A study from the University of Florida found women who weighed 25 pounds more than average earned $13,847 less a year that a normal-weight female employee. Over 25 years, that adds up to a $399,300 difference! Does this mean employers are discriminating against those who are overweight and therefore underpaying them? The study doesn’t say why.
4. You’ll keep more of your money. When you cut out fast foods, fried foods like french fries, sauces, ice cream, too much cheese and dairy, fatty snacks, you will save money. Fresh fruit and veggies cost less and don’t contribute to weight gain.
5. Your skin will be healthier and more vibrant. Obesity affects hormone levels, contributing to increases in the risk of skin infections, psoriasis and excessive hair growth. It can also affect your skin barrier function, which can lead to pimples and blemishes and changes to your collagen structure. I’ve often noticed than when clients lose weight, their skin texture and look improves.
6. You’ll even see more clearly. This is a benefit I never considered before, but according to a review in the Survey of Ophthalmology, obesity is linked to cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Apparently, obesity increases the odds for oxidative damage, which worsens your vision over time. In addition to keeping my weight in check, I take Visionex every day, an antioxidant supplement formula designed to protect the delicate tissues of the eye from photo-oxidation.
7. You’ll be happier and less likely to fall into Clinical Depression. Researchers at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands aren’t sure whether obesity leads to depression or vice versa, but whatever the truth, people who maintain control over their weight to within a normal range, seem to be happier and less likely to fall into depression. From a psychological and sociological standpoint, I notice that people generally feel happier with themselves when they lose weight and they feel more acceptable in social circles. There shouldn’t be judgement on people because of their weight, but sometimes there is. The most important reason to achieve a normal weight is for long term health of course.
8. You will have more energy and strength to keep fit. It’s interesting to see how people who begin to run, cycle, work out in the gym and develop some kind of consistent exercise program, begin to lose weight. In the process, they gain more energy to continue and to even add to their program. Before they know it, they are also more fit.
9. You can earn income promoting weight management programs. The weight loss industry is in the millions, since 50% of North Americans are either overweight or obese. A great percentage want to lose at least 5 or 10 pounds, and many need to lose 50 pounds or more. The program I represent is highly scientific, offering not just products that are helpful, but an exercise program at all levels and suggestions for healthy, low glycemic meals and snacks.
I highly recommend USANA’s RESET and Transformation System to lose weight and keep it off. Please contact me for further information:
Deanna Waters watersdd2@gmail.com