Physio chat: Healthy Weight Week 15-21 February

Next week – 15-21 February - is Healthy Weight Week. Amanda from Back In Motion Mentone chats about the importance of achieving and maintaining optimal health.

As health professionals we take a holistic approach to helping you achieve your goals and getting you to your optimal physical health.

Now that doesn't just mean we'll nag you to do your exercises and sit up straight at work - obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight is also vital to your overall wellbeing.

Research shows that our future is bleak. By 2031 we are expected to have more Australians in the obese category than in the overweight or healthy categories.

15-21 February 2016 marks Healthy Weight Week - an initiative from the Dietitians Association of Australia. This week is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.

The aim of the campaign is straightforward: to encourage more Australians to cook at home as a way to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight. There are events held throughout February to celebrate.

So what can you do?

Only seven per cent of Australians meet the recommended daily serve of vegetables. So let’s start making a change now. Forget the fad diets and look instead at what you’re eating and your portion sizes.

Research shows that cooking at home will result in meals that contain less fat, less salt and sugar, and less kilojoules than eating out. You'll have a smaller portion size and you have the opportunity to pack those stir fries or meat sauces full of extra veggies.

Plus you'll burn off extra calories by chopping, slicing, dicing and of course all the cleaning and tidying up too!

Click here to visit the Healthy Weight Week website for cooking tips, meal plans, weight management plans, events and more ways you can get involved.

Change your habits and change the future of Australia.

Author

Amanda “Mandy” Lowe - Practice Director and Physiotherapist at Back In Motion Mentone

Amanda, better known as “Mandy”, launched the Mentone practice in October 2013 having worked at various Back In Motion practices since 2009.

She graduated with honours from Melbourne University in 2008 with a passion for sporting injuries and chronic pain, and went straight into private practice. She has now developed a keen interest in the treatment and long term management of knee pain especially in runners.

A desire to assist people with these often complex conditions of the knee came about after her own knee injury in 2006. Mandy has excellent diagnostic skills and uses a range of treatment techniques including dry needling and Clinical Exercise. After years as Clinical Exercise Co-ordinator at a different Back In Motion practice, she has extensive knowledge in using clinical exercise to manage a wide range of chronic and acute injuries.

When not at work, Mandy can often be found doing her own Clinical Exercise, walking her dogs or watching the latest, most terrifying horror movie.