Your practical guide to understand and tackle obesity

As living costs rise, running has been picking up the pace as a free alternative to the gym ^{Footnote [1]}, with a ‘get up and go’ attitude capturing our interest as a frugal way to fight fat. Brits are also becoming more calorie conscious, as staying healthy at home is often a win-win for both the body and the bank balance.

While these changes are a step in the right direction, unfortunately the obesity epidemic remains a ticking time bomb for increasing numbers of the population ^{Footnote [2]}, not to mention the NHS ^{Footnote [3]}.

In this article, we’ll learn how obesity develops and the health risks it poses, as well as how to moderate body weight, the bonus of breaking bad habits and how we can help those on a weight loss journey.

Obesity rates in England have nearly doubled since the early 1990s, with around one in four adults having a BMI over 30 ^{Footnote [2]}. Digging up the root causes is like solving a jigsaw puzzle— first look how the pieces fit together to understand the bigger picture. Here are three big causes:

• Digital technology has transformed how we work, rest and play. Easy access to affordable smart devices and speedy broadband makes venturing outside almost optional. We can do nearly anything, for as long as we like, without opening the front door.
• Convenient access to junk food can easily overload us with calories.
• Rising living costs relate to rising obesity levels. England's most deprived areas have 12 percentage points higher obesity or overweight rates than the least deprived areas ^{Footnote [2]}.

Regularly taking in more calories than you burn off can mean gaining weight and, over time, this can start to cause problems. The risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke and cancer increases, while breathlessness, aches and pains ^{Footnote [4]}, are also common. People with obesity are also more likely to miss work ^{Footnote [5]}, reducing their income and creating further problems.

Body mass index (BMI) is a way to measure if you're a healthy weight for your height, and we have a BMI calculator that can tell you exactly what that is. Simply input your weight and height (either imperial or metric, it's your choice!) to reveal your score. Try our BMI calculator. 

As a BMI alternative, a tape measure around your waist works well, a waist to height ratio (either in cm or inches) of less than 0.5 is preferable ^{Footnote [6]}.  And so does the ‘stand up and sit down test’ – a measure of how difficult you find it to move from standing to sitting and back to standing.

The benefits of maintaining a healthy weight go far beyond just dodging health problems.

• Feeling good – Losing weight might improve how you feel about yourself and can also boost your general wellbeing ^{Footnote [7]}.
• Feed your mind – Nourish yourself by replacing foods high in salt and sugar with vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. Your body and mind need these to perform at their best ^{Footnote [8]}.
• Keep it moving – Being physically active is the key to losing weight ^{Footnote [9]}. Finding time for hobbies like playing sport, gardening or going for a brisk walk means you'll burn calories while you’re enjoying yourself.
• Now you're cooking! Creating healthy meals and trying new recipes could make the weight loss journey more exciting while wowing your friends and family.

Even though obesity doesn't directly affect your policy, any related pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease, may not be covered.

The good news is that cutting the calories might also help to cut your renewal cost. That’s just one way our health insurance can help support positive lifestyle habits.

Changing your approach to eating can be a challenge, but your past choices shouldn't dictate your future. Every day is a new opportunity to take advantage of advice and support to take a healthy and nutritious path.

Our health insurance policies come with a range of value-added services designed to help you look after your health and wellbeing, including weight management. MyHealthCounts, Get Active or Aviva Digital GP, are just a few of the services that will be by your side for every hop, skip and jump.

• MyHealthCounts is a digital health and wellbeing tool to help you feel your finest. You can also save up to 15% if you renew by updating it on your progress. Spend just 10 to 15 minutes answering a series of questions about your health and lifestyle to get a Q score. The higher your score, the healthier you are. You'll receive advice on the lifestyle factors you should work on to make improvements and access to features to help you do so, such as joining a 12 week program to improve a lifestyle area or goal setting. You can also save up to 15% if you renew by updating it on your progress.
• All our health insurance customers can take advantage of Get Active, helping to take the weight off your wallet as you race towards your health and fitness goals. Get access to 3,500 health clubs, online workouts, and products and services designed to help you improve whatever areas of wellbeing may be important to you, helping to beat your personal best, time and time again.
• With Aviva Digital GP, you can talk to a NHS-registered private doctor, usually within 24 hours of booking. You can even select a GP by reviewing their profile and choosing one whose bio best suits your needs. And with no GP practice to travel to, you can make the living room your waiting room.

Meanwhile, for top tips, guides, and general advice on looking after your health, browse our improving your health articles.