8 Ways You Can Enjoy Better Health Losing Only 10 Pounds

Losing weight can be hard. You may make it harder than it has to be, however, when you set the bar too high. Usually, you don’t need to lose lots of pounds in order to reap some of the greatest benefits of a healthy weight level. As an example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you begin experiencing some of the health benefits of weight loss when you succeed in losing just 5 percent of your body weight, or 10 pounds.

You get better joint health

When you add just 10 pounds to your body weight, your hip and knee joints begin to experience an additional 40 pounds of pressure. This causes them to wear out quickly, raising your risk of arthritis at some point. A few pounds of extra fat can also raise your chances of tissue inflammation, which causes damage to the joints. Losing just a few pounds can lower your risk in both these areas.

You lower your odds of getting cancer

Losing 5 percent of your body weight can lower your chances of getting breast cancer by more than 10 percent. You may lower your risk of other forms of cancer, as well, simply because a healthier body weight level can reduce levels of androgens, insulin and other hormones known to raise your risk of cancer.

You get to prevent type 2 diabetes

Weight gain can bring on diabetes. Losing even a little weight can help either do away with your risk of diabetes altogether, or, at least, delay the occurrence. If you already have diabetes, losing a little weight can help you by lowering the amount of medication that you need to take.

You improve your cholesterol levels

Lowering your body’s levels of the bad, LDL cholesterol requires that you switch to a healthy diet and take the right medicines; raising your levels of good, HDL cholesterol, can be harder, however. This substance that helps clear bad cholesterol from your body, requires exercise and weight loss. Even losing a few pounds can raise your levels of good cholesterol.

You get your triglycerides down to a healthier level

Triglycerides are substances that help your body move fat from one place to another for energy production or for storage. If your body’s levels of triglycerides are high, you find yourself at greater risk of a heart attack. Even slimming down a little bit can bring your body’s levels of triglycerides closer to a healthy level.

You get better blood pressure levels

Trimming 5 percent off your current body weight can cut five points off your high blood pressure levels. A little weight loss is the easiest way you have of coming by a healthier blood pressure level.

You can stop worrying about insulin resistance

When you are overweight, you produce chemicals that make it hard for your body to make use of the insulin that it produces. No matter how hard your pancreas works, you may end up with blood sugar levels that are too high. Losing a little weight can greatly lower your insulin resistance.

You get to sleep better

Studies have shown that losing even 5 percent of your body weight can lead to better sleep quality. If you suffer from sleep apnea, losing weight can help reverse that problem, as well.

If the idea of losing weight seems too hard, it’s important to understand that you don’t really need to reach your ideal weight level in order to enjoy improved health. You only need to make a decent start. The idea that you only need to lose 5 percent of your body weight to be healthier, can greatly motivate you to get started.