The natural way to manage your weight

It’s all over the newspapers. The UK has an obesity epidemic. Being overweight is costing the nation in healthcare, working hours and quality family time. The cost to individual’s is even more significant. Being overweight is a major factor in creating a negative spiral of low self esteem, poor relationships, poor nutrition and lack of energy.

The official line is for people to compare themselves with others and to get on to an exercise programme. I’ve got a big problem with this approach. If we are starting from a position of low self esteem, comparisons with others who are deemed healthier and fitter can lead to even lower esteem as we start seeing everyone else as better looking, more successful, happier and so on.

Where the most effective long term weight loss and weight management begins is within ourselves – and that, believe it or not is something that chiropractors, spinal specialists and wellness doctors – like Dr Christian Farthing – can help with.

The chiropractic approach is to look at your whole physiology and your lifestyle. Working with you to help you feel physically better and developing a lifestyle approach to your diet, exercise and energy, you will have a natural plan and the professional support to make steady, effective progress in achieving and maintaining your ideal health and weight.

You can expect the following:

Spinal health check – assessing the impact of your weight on your spine, taking a standing digital Xray so as to identify any subluxations (vertebral misalignments)

Spinal adjustments – these adjustments are vital. It’s part of the process of ensuring a healthy spine and fully functional central nervous system. A properly aligned spine will make exercise more comfortable and minimise the rise of injury. A properly aligned spine means freer movement and flexibility – allowing you to tap into energy you didn’t know you had.

Nutritional plan – not just a diet, but a way of living and enjoying food. Finding the foods and meals that will boost your energy and give you the nutrition you need for a healthy future.

Exercise plan – at the outset, exercise can seem scary. Your chiropractor won’t have you climbing mountains or running marathons – at least not straight away! But he or she will develop a plan that ensures you achieve targets and gain the satisfaction of incorporating exercise into your life in ways that you can enjoy. Don’t forget, with a healthier spine and a good diet of healthy foods, you’ll have energy and enthusiasm for exercise.

Time – this isn’t a quick fix. Old habits can be hard to break. Long held patterns of thinking can be among the hardest habits to change. Depending on your health and the amount of weight you wish to lose, this could take anything from 3 months to 2 years. Be realistic and be ready to see steady progress with occasional plateaus of weight loss as your body adjusts to your lifestyle changes.

The difference support can make

Managing your weight with the support of a dedicated, health professional will make a massive difference to the success you achieve. And let’s be clear, managing weight loss will be YOUR achievement. No one else can do this for you:

Empowered: Your chiropractor will explain the significance of each part of the spinal health, nutritional and exercise plans. Being a fully informed patient, will make you a more effective patient, empowered to take charge of the things you can be responsible for and not asking you make comparisons with the people or things that you are not responsible for.

Focused: With professional support you can stay on track, focused towards specific goals without worrying if you shouldn’t try ‘this’ quick fix diet or ‘that’ great new exercise plan. If you need to make changes – say because of holidays or work commitments – you have the benefit of your chiropractor’s knowledge and experience to make appropriate changes that won’t divert you from your overall goals.

Ready for change: These are changes that will change your life. When you start to see the changes and live in a healthier way, you will sometimes feel nervous about moving away from old habits (even though you know they weren’t healthy and didn’t make you happy). With chiropractic techniques and dedicated support you will be quicker in jumping over these mental hurdles.

Quite frankly, if you aren’t already reaching for the phone to your nearest and best chiropractor, I’m surprised. If you want to lose weight and get active do it now with your setting your first appointment and accepting that you are ready to ask for help in managing weight loss.