Exercise Physiologist - Weight Loss
Obesity is quickly becoming one of the leading health conditions in Australia where over 6 million people, aged 18 and over, are obese. Obesity in children has also increased at a substantial rate. It is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. It is a significant risk factor of many chronic diseases such as:
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Diabetes
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Cardiovascular Disease
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Different forms of cancer
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Hypertension
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Osteoarthritis
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Gall Bladder disease
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Liver and Kidney disease
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Sleep apnoea
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Depression
Obesity can be well managed through healthy lifestyle changes such as finding a healthy diet you can stick to and regular exercise. Exercise has many benefits in helping obesity such as:
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Weight loss
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Increased muscle mass
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Improved metabolic rate aiding in energy expenditure
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Improve quality of life
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Improve active daily living
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Better hormonal control Eg, Leptin, which is the hormone regulating energy expenditure and controls hunger. Leptin resistance may develop in people who are obese.
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Reduce risk of chronic illnesses
It is always recommended to start with light exercises but do it frequently to build up to a higher intensity and frequency. It’s recommended to exercise at a moderate intensity for more than or equal to 150 minutes/week of aerobic exercise (eg, 30 minutes of walking 5 times a week) with 2 days of resistance training. Our exercise physiologist can discuss with you which exercises will suit you best in order to keep you consistent without injuring yourself.
Diet plays a very important role in weight loss. Our dietitians can help you create a nutritionally adequate plan so you can lose weight and keep it off in combination with healthy exercise and physical activity.