Obesity: here’s few thoughts

The BBC’s recent article, “Weight loss surgery reduces diabetes risk” got me thinking. Why are there even discussions about surgery for weight loss to reduce anybody’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes? Why? Why not prescribe exercise and a healthy diet? I realise that may not be possible for some people, but surgery as an option? Surely for the masses surgery should be the last resort and the least likely option.

“The UK NHS is considering offering the procedure [weight loss surgery] to tens of thousands of people to prevent diabetes.”

Are we really living in an age when education about healthy food choices and a simple change (yes, I mean increase) to your exercise levels are passed over as viable interventions, and going under the knife is a preferable alternative?

The stats they quote from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence state:

One in four adults in England is obese

So, think about this if you will. You find yourself sitting at work in a room with three other people. Does that means one of you is obese? Well, stats don’t work that way. It could be that none, or all four of you are obese.

Whether you are obese, overweight, or neither, my suggestion to you is this: how about making an effort to support each other – either in the challenge to lose weight, or in getting out and being more active.

Here’s a few ideas:

  1. Pick a work colleague to buddy up with – socialising makes this much more likely to succeed.
  2. Go for a 20-30 minute brisk walk together every day – chat about non-work related things. You are after all entitled to your lunch break. You never know, your stress levels may decrease as well as your waist line.
  3. Swap out your Bring-A-Cake-Day for a Fruit-of-the-Day.
  4. When making your colleague a brew, take them a glass of water as well. Hydration is important too.
Global Therapies commuting to work

Global Therapies commuting to work

You don’t even need to set a target for weight loss or aim for an event/race to get more active and eat healthier. But I promise you this, you won’t regret reducing your risk of diabetes (and other diseases/illnesses associated with obesity).

The final paragraph from the article offers the solution I hope we can all work towards:

“Looking at the bigger picture, as a society we also need to focus more on stopping people becoming overweight, we need to look seriously at how we can make sure people are getting support to lose weight through access to the right services to encourage them to make healthy choices.”

If you’d like some help in getting started, if you need someone to motivate you, then we offer a Personal Training service. Speak to Lynne about how we can help you cut the risk of ill health, and get you going on your journey to a healthy, happier you.

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