Painful feet, knees, hips and back can all be influenced by our weight. Let’s look at it from a physics point of view. Our bone structure and anatomical relationship of bones to each other is largely genetically predisposed, leading to different leverage forces being developed between bones, leading to very powerful forces being generated when we are walking or standing. Very often we feel we cannot do anything about the levels of discomfort and pain we must endure throughout the day. It is quite possible that if you are a higher weight than your recommended Body mass index (BMI), the resulting forces on your feet may be causing you pain throughout many different parts of your body.
Our weight can have a significant effect on the comfort of our feet. The latest research demonstrates activity to be an essential ingredient in controlling our weight over time, and to successfully reduce our weight to a normal level. For that reason, without sufficient activity in our lives we are much more likely to put weight on. Activity should be an important aspect of your portfolio of management to reduce weight. Other important contributions to weight loss include activity and Kilojoule intake journaling, reduction in sugary/high carbohydrate foods, portion size control, mindfulness with our choice of foods, and a high fibre, higher protein and lower fat diet.
So, it is vitally important to address pain in the body that prevents you from spending at least 150 minutes per week on exercise suitable for your standard of medical health, such recommendation not applying to all, as some people may need addition levels of physical exertion. Remember that muscle takes more energy than fat to sustain its activity. For this reason, the strength gained by being active and exercising leads to larger demands of kilojoules per day to keep your fitter muscles operating. If you require more help with any issues that are causing pain throughout your body, please contact us at Hip2Toe Plus for an activity and gait assessment, which can include some counselling on issues relating to weight control, or overweight/obesity concerns. Do not believe the common generalization that you will only put weight back on if you lose it. Research does not demonstrate this to be the case, and there are further recommendations we can make to you. Contact us for an appointment on (07)40543330 or go to our website at www.hip2toe.com.au to register your interest for an appointment. “Have a nice day!” from Dr. Jeremy Hawke (Podiatrist) and staff, at Hip2ToePlus, where your health comes first.