Author: Janet A. Aker
Did you know that dropping just 10 pounds of body weight takes 40 pounds of pressure off your knees? That's equivalent to not carrying around a cinder block. Losing even a little weight now can have a major impact on your health and quality of life. This long list of benefits might help motivate you to adjust your habits to achieve a happier, healthier lifestyle.
Reduce Blood Pressure
Eating more nutritious foods and drinking more water can reduce high blood pressure, and its risk of stroke and heart attack. Nearly half of service members diagnosed as overweight or obese are also diagnosed with hypertension, Defense Health Agency data shows.
Reduce Joint and Back Pain
Carrying less body weight will reduce stress on your entire body. DHA data shows that one in five overweight service members reports lower back pain.
Women's Health
Obesity can also have significant consequences for women's reproductive systems, including menstrual disorders, infertility, miscarriage, and poor pregnancy outcomes. If you plan to get pregnant, now's the time to shed some weight.
Better Sleep
The more weight you lose, the less likely you are to snore or have sleep apnea, where your breathing actually stops for short periods of time throughout the night. You might even get to stop using your C-PAP device. DHA data finds that 1 in 4 service members who are overweight share a diagnosis of sleep disorder like apnea and snoring. The result of better sleep? You're less fatigued, have more energy, and a happier bedroom partner.
Reduced Risk of Diabetes
Another bonus of losing weight? Your chances of developing prediabetes or full-blown type 2 diabetes drop significantly as your blood sugars drop.
Mood improvements
As you take more control of your weight, you may see a decrease in symptoms of depression and an improvement in self-image.
Finally, you likely will reduce the anxiety that hovers over you knowing that you're going to have to pass that fitness test.
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