Poor mental health can harm your physical health
How are weight loss and mental health linked?
Many assume that losing weight is about pushing your physical limits. However, that is only partially correct. Like any monumental step, our state of mind plays an integral role in directing our actions.
Trying to lose weight requires mental strength and willpower. You have to mentally push yourself to exercise and stay away from unhealthy foods and habits. There are several ways that our mental health influences our physical health and our weight loss process.
How does mental health affect our weight?
As discussed above, mental health has a crucial influence on our physical health and the weight loss process. Here are several ways our mental health affects our physical health:
1. Depend on each other
Our mental health and our physical health go hand in hand. Poor mental health can worsen your physical health. To achieve healthy physical health, you must work on improving your mental health.
2. Hormone levels
Poor mental health can disrupt our hormone levels. Alterations in our hormone levels can affect our weight. Poor mental health can lead to the development of mood disorders like stress, depression, anxiety, etc. These conditions cause hormonal imbalances, making it difficult to manage your physical health.
3. Energy levels
The change in hormone levels also affects our energy levels. Lack of energy is one of the most common symptoms of mood disorders. Energy levels can also drop due to lack of motivation. This lack of energy can negatively affect your weight.
4. Eating disorders
Poor mental health can lead to eating disorders. Eating disorders can affect your relationship with food. Various eating disorders have various effects on our body and mental health. While some can trigger binge eating, others can cause poor appetite.
How to use mental health in our favor when trying to lose weight?
1. Improve your own body image
The first to improve the relationship between our mental health and the weight loss process is to improve our relationship with the image we have of ourselves. You should try positive affirmations and communicate a better relationship with your current self.
2. Avoid the all-or-nothing mentality
Many people often struggle to lose weight due to an all or nothing mentality. An all or nothing is when you follow a strict routine and every time you have a slight unhealthy relapse, you abandon the healthy routine altogether. Relapses and cheat days are part of a successful weight loss journey and should not stop you from continuing your weight loss journey.
3. Improves mood
This factor goes hand in hand. You need a good frame of mind to follow your weight loss journey and you need to follow your weight loss journey to improve your mood. Staying positive is another way to stay motivated.
4. Improve your relationship with your routine
When we equate our improved routine with a ‘diet’ and ‘exercise routine,’ we practice these healthy habits like homework. Tasks that we may not want to perform. It is important to understand that your healthy lifestyle is the goal. You need to improve your quality of life permanently to ensure a healthy weight loss journey and even a lifetime.
What is the takeaway?
To lose weight, you need to understand the link and dependency our mental and physical health have on each other. Having a healthy relationship with yourself and developing strong willpower can help you achieve your dream weight. Try the ways you can use your mental health to your advantage for successful weight loss.
Disclaimer: This content, including tips, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV is not responsible for this information.