It’s all about losing
In sports as well as in life, most people say that winning is everything and that losing simply sucks. But life in general is not all about winning that sometimes, losing can teach us to be persistent and determined to finally achieve what we desire. I had trouble with losing since I was a teen and up to recently, the struggle continues, at least with moderate success. But this kind of losing does not involve competing with others but a contest with oneself.
It’s about shedding the excess baggage in our bodies, the extra weight that we carry around but often, we have no power over it because gender, age and genetics are beyond our control so that if some of us gain or lose weight faster than the rest, blame it on the above factors.
Medical practitioners say that losing just 5% of our body weight makes us feel better and lessens the effects of whatever health issues we’re having. Shedding some pounds eases the effects of pressure on our lower body joints preventing assorted joint problems. More importantly, it lowers the risk of stroke, arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease. Proper diet and exercise is the key.
Weight problems can gain extra tissues in the back of our throats that when we go to sleep, the tissue can drop down and block our airways. It causes sleep apnea which makes our breathing erratic and overworks our heart. With the extra weight, our blood pushes harder against our artery walls, making our hearts work harder, raising our blood pressure.
Fat around our stomach area gives off chemicals that limits our body to react to a hormone that normalizes our blood sugar levels. Then we get insulin resistance if our blood sugar is too high. Called visceral fats, they stay deep inside our bellies that could wrap around major organs – liver, pancreas and kidney, which could cause medical problems.
Clinical research showed that slimming down also keeps depression away. In the study, depressed and overweight people felt better after losing an average of 8% of their body weight. Better appearance, good sleep and improved health are factors for the good mood.
Cutting down on sodium and sugar intake and eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and low-fat dairy helps us in slimming down. Believe me, it’s never easy. The always inviting pungko-pungko stall is just a corner away and we always have gatherings almost every weekend with all the edible temptations laid out on the table, with ice-cold beer to wash down the bidli. There can never be a perfect diet for losing weight but health professionals give us a basic rule – half of our plate should be fruits and vegetables.
The same health experts say not to skip breakfast because it keeps us from overeating for the rest of the day and it boosts our memory. We’re low on glucose when we wake up in the morning and our brains run on this. Breakfast improves our focus, alertness and performance and the energy that it gives let us burn more calories throughout the day.
People who eat more in the morning and less at night tend to lose more weight. Another study showed that those who don’t eat breakfast are 21% more likely to get type 2 diabetes than those who had a mixture of whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein. High fiber lowers the risk of insulin sensitivity.
The struggle is real and add the fact that metabolism slows down when we reach 40, we really need to watch it. Medical issues related to aging creeps up. Slimming down lessens visit to doctors and improves our overall health.
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