With the holiday season in full swing, we all eat too much, gain weight, and vow to do better after the new year. Who can resist all those savory dishes or sweet treats! You may be tempted to go on a diet after the holidays. Help our members remember that the key to maintaining a healthy weight is not dieting but living a healthy lifestyle.

Remind your Independence patients that eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and balancing the calories they eat with what they burn can help them reach a healthy weight.¹ They don’t have to completely deprive themselves of things they love, but make smarter decisions in what they eat. Balance what they eat with being active.

What is a healthy weight?

Being over, or under, weight can lead to health issues. What is a healthy weight and what does it mean for your patients? Healthy weight can vary per person, based on height and weight, and gender. Providers can determine whether the patient’s weight is within the normal or healthy range by calculating the patient’s Body Mass Index (BMI).²

Providers can use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) BMI Calculator. Body Mass Index can be used as a screening tool but talk to your patients about what it means to them. The following can be a general guide to BMI:²

• If it is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range.
• If it is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the normal or healthy weight range.
• If it is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the overweight range.
• If it is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obese range.

Exercise and weight

As we age, the body changes. How does this affect weight gain? As muscle decreases and fat increases, metabolism slows.³ This makes it easier to gain weight. People also become less active as they get older.

Inform your patients that regular physical activity is important, and it can help them lose or maintain a healthy weight:⁴

• To lose weight, more exercise increases the number of calories your body burns.
• The only way to maintain weight is to be engaged in regular physical activity.
• Most importantly, physical activity reduces risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes beyond that produced by weight reduction alone.

The CDC recommends adults get 150 minutes of exercise each week.⁴Examples of exercise include:

• walking briskly (a 15-minute mile)
• light yard work (raking/bagging leaves or using a lawn mower)
• light snow shoveling
• actively playing with children
• biking at a casual pace
• jogging/running
• swimming laps
• rollerblading/inline skating at a brisk pace
• cross-country skiing
• most competitive sports (football, basketball or soccer)
• jumping rope

The key to staying active and maintaining a healthy weight is for members to find something they enjoy. If they like the activity they are more likely to continue doing it. They should try different things until they find what works best for them.

Independence Medicare Advantage members should always speak with their primary care physician before starting an exercise program.

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Healthy Weight.” 2018. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/

²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Assessing Your Weight.” 2015. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html

³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Preventing Weight Gain.” 2015. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/prevention/index.html

⁴Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight.” 2015. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

^*Membership includes SilverSneakers instructor-led group fitness classes. Some locations offer members additional classes. Classes vary by location.

^†Participating locations (“PL”) are not owned or operated by Tivity Health, Inc. or its affiliates. Use of PL facilities and amenities is limited to terms and conditions of PL basic membership. Facilities and amenities vary by PL.