Log on, Lose Weight?

For information gathering, social networking, and corporate connecting, the Internet is unsurpassed.

It seems this indispensable tool of modern society can do pretty much anything … including, research says, help people lose weight.

OK, so maybe it’s not plausible for your employees to simply point and click their way to weight loss. But online tools such as calorie counters and fitness trackers seem to be effective in keeping dieters on the path to success.

People who take advantage of virtual fitness instruction, lifestyle counseling, food logs, and the like have an edge, albeit a small one, in the amount of weight they lose, according to a Japanese study published in the International Journal of Obesity.

The research examined 23 weight control programs and compared those with a Web component to those without. Patients who utilized Internet support lost an average of a pound and a half more than participants in non-Web programs, the researchers reported.

It may not sound like much, but with obesity on the rise and obesity-related health problems hitting businesses harder than ever, it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored.

At the very least, the findings underscore the importance of support … virtual or otherwise … for people who are trying to lose and maintain weight and make healthy lifestyle changes.

Encourage your employees to track their daily calories, including those burned and those consumed, and to share their triumphs and setbacks as well as any secrets to success they learn along the way.

Fighting the obesity epidemic and improving the future health of America is a group effort, and one that’s worth every minute you spend promoting it.

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