Obesity is very much a growing concern in the UK and is one of the leading health risks. Battles with weight are common conversations we have in clinic, especially relating to joint pains and exercise.
How much is exercise key in weight loss and how much is your calorie intake?
There are numerous research papers across the web and beyond, that examine the need to focus on moderating what we eat, as the key to weight management. Most attempt to counter the idea that it is possible to maintain a healthy weight using exercise alone to compensate for poor diets or excessive calorie intake. When we look at the basic stats of how many calories are in a biscuit or cake for example, it actually takes a fair amount of exercise to burn those calories off. It is commonly known that at certain stages of our lives; as we grow, when pregnant or when we are very active; we need more calories and on the same basis, when we do less or as we age, we need fewer calories too.
Being diet obsessed is also not healthy and there are aspects to buying food which add to the problem. Low calorie, low fat, low GI etc can all look good, but are they? What has the low sugar been substituted for; exactly what is a low GI food? All of these things can be confusing.
One statement does stand out, in relation to back and join pains, that for every 1 pound lost the impact on the weight-bearing joints is up to 4x that weight loss. Therefore even loosing a few pounds, if you need to, can greatly impact your joints.
Small changes to what we eat and drink can make big differences too. Simply cutting out those snacks, replacing sugary snacks with fruit or cutting down on alcohol can all help.
If you need help or guidance with weight management issues, call and speak to Helen or Nicki. Both therapists have interests in nutrition and weight management.
