In the modern world, taking charge of your health is one of the things that most of us struggle with immensely, to one extent or another. There are many reasons for this – the rising costs of living, busy and stressful jobs, the convenience of modern fast food, and more. The reasons themselves are endless. Yet, it comes down to the same thing – difficulty in caring for ourselves. One of the significant ways this rears its head is in poor weight management. With full acknowledgement that body types are varied and differ from person to person, the truth is that being overweight can be a problem and can lead to health issues both in the short and long term.
What Sort of Health Problems Does Poor Weight Management Put You At Risk Of?
There are several ways that not being on top of your weight management can harm your health. Being overweight increases the risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), including high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and raised triglyceride levels. CAD is a common cause of heart attack and stroke, both potentially fatal. It can also increase the risk of stroke by increasing blood pressure, raising cholesterol levels, and causing the thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
Another problematic aspect of poor weight management is metabolic syndrome. This group of risk factors includes raised blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol levels, and excess body fat around your waistline.
Not being on top of your weight management also increases your risk of certain types of cancer, including breast cancer in women after menopause, as well as bowel cancer and pancreatic cancer in both men and women.
Furthermore, having issues with your weight can lead to lower self confidence, which can be detrimental in many walks of life. Besides having that as a psychological obstacle, you are also less likely to feel your best when having poor weight management, further affecting you.
What Can Be Done To Improve Poor Weight Management?
There are several strategies that can be implemented to improve poor weight management, such as:
- Nutrition counseling – This is an intervention where a registered dietitian (RD) or other health professional meets with you to discuss dietary habits and nutritional needs.
- Exercise counseling – This type of intervention often involves setting goals with a trained professional for increasing activity, developing a physical activity plan, and helping you develop strategies to overcome barriers to exercise participation.
- Health Screening – Not all poor weight management is down to lifestyle and diet choices or patterns. There ARE some natural health conditions that make it difficult for people to keep their weight well-managed, even with their lifestyle and diet habits not reflecting where their body is at. Screening for such conditions and knowing how to manage them can be critical.
At PMN Health & Wellness, we offer Weight Management interventions with trained and qualified professionals. Contact us today to get started!