Suffering from overweight/obesity?
A large proportion of the population struggles with obesity. From research reveals that in 2019, more than 50.1% of Dutch people aged 18 years and above will be overweight and 14.7% of them will even struggle with obesity. Being overweight can have a lot of impact on your daily life and hinder you from performing certain activities. Being overweight or obese can even lead to emotional damage in young children. So it is important to get to a healthy weight. How do you tackle this? You often cannot do this alone. It is important to know where excess weight comes from and how you can work on it. In this article, we will discuss what obesity is, the risks and what we can do for you.
What is overweight and what is obesity?
Obesity occurs when your body takes in more nutrients than it needs for maximum energy requirements. You take in more calories than you consume. Those extra calories are stored in your body in the form of fat. You can measure the degree of obesity using the Body Mass Index (BMI). A measurement method that looks at height, weight, gender and age. You should also include waist circumference in centimetres. A healthy weight is below a BMI of 25. We speak of being overweight when the BMI is between 25 and 30. So if you don't fit a size 38, it doesn't mean you are overweight.
But how do you know when obesity is present? At a BMI of 30 and above, you are obese and at a BMI of 40, we speak of morbid obesity. There is also a difference between men and women. Obesity in men is defined as a waist circumference of 102 cm or more and in women it is a waist circumference of 88 cm or more. But obesity is not only caused by not exercising enough. It can also have a hereditary cause or be caused by certain metabolic diseases such as a slow-working thyroid gland.
What are the risks of obesity?
It is no surprise that obesity is a major health risk. The most well-known problems of obesity are: an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension. Someone who runs with this also has an increased risk of early death compared to someone who is at a healthy weight.
Some associated risks:
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Joint complaints/arthrosis
- Diabetes Mellitus (diabetes)
- Elevated cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Different forms of cancer
- Faster wear of joints
What can physiotherapy do for obesity?
Physiotherapy plays a supportive role in managing obesity. Our physiotherapists can help you develop a healthier lifestyle and exercise more. For example, our colleague Myrthe specifically gives tailored advice to help you do this. With the help of Myrthe, you will reduce your body weight, increase your fitness and also reduce the risk of health risks. Under the Myrthe's guidance, you will take part in active exercise therapy, aimed at improving your fitness and strength and burning fat. Exercise therapy is often accompanied by support from a dietician or psychologist. A tailor-made exercise programme is drawn up, which can be adjusted if necessary.
Are you overweight or obese and in need of weight loss and exercise support? FriskFysio is here for you!
The moment you want to tackle your overweight or obesity, you can contact us via the contact form on our website. You can also contact us by calling 085-5000333 or email info@friskfysio.nl.
