Most people would like to be slimmer, and many people stand to derive great health benefits from losing weight. This year many people will enter a weight loss program with the expectation of feeling better about their appearance, gaining energy, fitting into their favorite clothes, and possibly living longer. There are a number of health and other benefits that losing weight can bring to the table. Whether you engage with a weight loss clinic or begin a fitness regimen for weight loss- here are 8 surprising benefits that you are likely to enjoy when you lose weight.
1. Massive Energy Boost
Alright, you probably do expect to feel more energetic after losing weight. But if you have struggled with obesity for many years- there’s simply no way to prepare for the amount of energy that you will gain. People who lose a significant amount of weight, who are accustomed to carrying hundreds of extra pounds- after losing weight will feel simply supercharged. The difference will absolutely amaze you!
2. Improved Memory
In 2013, a weight loss study out of Sweden suggests that those who lose even modest amounts of weight show improved memory function. While this is not wholly understood, emerging science is telling us that the health of our digestive system and the functionality of our brains are closely linked. It affects both long and short-term memory and may have something to do with improved serotonin production.
3. Reduce Cancer Risk
This should not be surprising, but it is important. Increased risks of cancer are linked to all sorts of ill health conditions, but none so much as obesity. This is believed to be the case as our bodies are always fighting off potential cancer cells, and our bodies store toxins in the form of fat, and many of these stored toxins both reduce our resistance to cancer as well as provide some of cancer’s favorite foods. While this may be obvious, it bears noting that with the decreased risk of this serious disease comes the added peace of mind of having a significantly lowered risk of developing cancer.
4. Improved Mood
Being overweight is uncomfortable, burdensome, and it decreases our ability to enjoy life. For these reasons and neurochemical reasons, losing weight will improve your outlook on life. Weight loss has been linked to lower rates of clinical depression. This stands to reason as depression, is in many cases, a kind of learned helplessness wherein people feel less rewarded by achieving goals and engaging in enjoyable activities. The added energy and improved brain function collaborate to make you much less likely to feel depressed.
5. Taste Sensitivity Increases
In the same way that you can grow tired of even your favorite foods when you have had them too often, being overweight creates a kind of cellular saturation of many of the substances in foods that we might otherwise enjoy more. Because storing fat is part of the way our bodies try to prepare us to survive a famine, we actually have the chemical residue of foods in our fat. That means, when you achieve a thinner body, your taste receptors will light up with excitement during meals. Because eating is the single most stimulating experience that our brains can be subjected to, that means you can add a huge amount of added enjoyment to life by losing weight.
6. Working Out will be more Fun
When we are slimmer, and lighter, with more available energy- it naturally becomes more fun to do physical activity. Of course, everything you do will feel much less burdensome- including exercise. That means you will be more likely to go to the gym or do your fitness routine, rather than putting it off day after day. You can think of it as an upward spiral to better fitness- the better you feel- the more you feel like working out!
7. Save Money on Healthcare
Being overweight causes many health problems from poorly regulated blood sugar, constipation, heart disease, low energy, degraded immune system response, and the list goes on and on. So it stands to reason that with significantly lower health risks, fewer health complaints, and a generally improved feeling of health and wellbeing you will also enjoy lower healthcare costs. Naturally, this will include better premiums for any healthcare insurance policy that you pay for.
8. You Might get a Raise
Speaking of insurance, many employers are now incentivizing healthier lifestyles for employees. Many employers have recognized that longevity and better health among their workforce means a more energetic, productive, and more innovative workforce. Naturally, employers that provide health insurance have an obvious financial interest in healthy workers. This has spurred many companies to offer bonuses to staff members who lose weight.
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