Healthy Weight Week: January 17-23, 2022
It’s time to stop struggling to reach some unrealistic “magic number” that’s stuck in your head. And it’s a good idea not to fixate on what you weighed back in high school. Instead, focus on determining and achieving your own healthy weight — the one that’s best for you right now.
Your healthy weight is defined as the weight that can be “comfortably maintained with normal healthy eating and regular physical activity, without medical problems.”
Synchronous Health Specialist Lisa Harley, LMFT, says, “Being at a healthy weight varies from person to person. We have often developed the idea of a healthy weight from our family of origin, social influences and societal influences. As we get older, we sometimes struggle with what this means to us personally.”
Lisa adds that it’s all about achieving a healthy lifestyle and working to be our best version of ourselves. We can do that through our choices, lifestyle changes and conscious living.
Health and weight by the numbers
In 2016, 1.9 billion adults worldwide were overweight, with 650 million being obese.
Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.
Global eating disorder prevalence increased from 3.4% to 7.8% between 2000 and 2018.
70 million people internationally live with eating disorders.
The connection between physical and emotional well-being
Anyone who has tried to lose weight — or gain, in some cases — knows there’s a strong, unavoidable connection between physical and emotional well-being. If it were as simple as following a specific diet or exercise routine, it would be easy for everyone to reach a healthy weight. But we all know it’s usually more complicated than that. One challenging day at work might find you reaching for unhealthy comfort foods (ice cream, anyone?).
On the flip side, we experience better results when we feel more empowered about our relationship with food and exercise. Here are some things you can do to get to your healthy weight:
Be mindful of what you eat. It might sound cliché, but it’s true: Eat three healthy, proportionate meals daily, plus one or two planned healthy snacks, only eating when you’re hungry.
Be mindful of what you drink. Drink at least six to eight cups of water or other low to no-calorie fluids throughout the day. But avoid diet sodas. Research shows they can actually increase food cravings.
Move. Exercise at least 4-5 times each week, including movements you enjoy, like gardening, walking, hiking, bowling, martial arts, canoeing or swimming.
Reach out. If you could use some additional support to set and maintain healthy weight goals (or you’d just like to talk with someone in general), our team is ready to help. To learn more and connect with a specialist, visit: sync.health/mnps or call 615-258-6654 to register.
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Sources: Sources: World Health Organization; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019; National Eating Disorders Association; NPR.org