 |
|
|
|
Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources | HOME PAGE Health Club 101 DIRECT Natural Supplements | HGH Energizer | Eazol Natural Pain Relief | Revitol Cellulite Solution IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome | Menopause Symptoms Relief | Insomnia Sleeping Aid Articles & Information Medicine | Nutrition | Exercise | Fitness Equipment | Pregnancy Bodybuilding Supplements | Weight Loss | Breast Cancer | Diabetes Category Site Map |
 |
Does It Matter If You Are Overweight?
Everywhere we look in the western world we are inundated with pictures, images, icons and inferences of the 'perfect' female shape! The truth is that many of these images are altered or enhanced in some way and do not depict the typical female form. The pressure to lose weight is immense when we are bombarded every day with media selling products based on slimness, sex appeal and fashion. The constant message is that slimness will make you desireable. With the current demographic trends in western countries, and faced with a sea of high fat, high sugar combined with physical inactivity; it is time to pay attention to our weight but not for any reasons of desirability. The most important reason for wanting to be a healthy body weight is for health rather than for how your body looks. Overweight and obesity are major public health problems in western countries. Since the 1980s both adult men and women have become heavier, with obesity rates more than doubling in the last 20 years! Children are also becoming heavier. There is a growing concern that we are inadvertently training our overweight children to become obese adults. It has been said, we are digging our graves with out teeth! So just why should we be concerned with achieving a healthy body weight? Overweight linked with diabetes. In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured two studies that highlighted the topic of obesity and its impact on health. The first study focused on the relationship between obesity and diabetes, as well as the growing concern of diabetes in the U.S. between the years 2000 and 2001. The numbers don't look good, with an alarming 5.6% increase of obesity in both men and women-from all ethnic groups, age ranges and educational levels. The occurrence of diabetes also increased-up 8.2% from 2000. Overweight linked with premature death. The second study found that obesity appears to markedly lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs. For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5'10" weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity. Findings were similar for women with higher BMIs, who were estimated to lose an average of eight years. While these studies reference extreme levels of obesity, there are still millions of overweight people in developed countries with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than their healthy-weight counterparts. Overweight linked with heart disease. Overweight people tend to have higher blood pressure and higher blood cholesterol, which are major risk factors for heart attack and other blood vessel disease. Being overweight can contribute to problems in the joints, and is also associated with other serious diseases such as diabetes. How you tell if you are overweight As we are all different shapes and sizes, there is not one recommended weight for your height. Instead there is a range of weights that are healthy for your height. One way to check your weight is to calculate your Body Mass Index or BMI. Your BMI is a ratio or comparison of your height and weight expressed in a number. To find out your BMI you need to divide your weight (measured in kg) by your height (measured in m) squared. If you do not know your measurements in the metric system you can find any number of BMI calculators online that will do the conversion for you into empirical measures. One such calculator is at the website listed below. The accepted definitions of weight categories by BMI are: Underweight - BMI less than 18.5 Healthy weight - BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 Overweight - BMI equal to or greater than 25 and up to 29.9 Obese - BMI equal to or greater than 30 These BMI values only apply to adults aged 18 years and over and are based on studies of Caucasian populations. Therefore, they are not applicable to children and adolescents and they may not be appropriate for people of other cultural backgrounds. Another way to check your weight is to measure your waist circumference, using a tape measure. This gives you an idea of whether you have a lot of fat stored around your middle. Waist circumferences associated with increased health risk are: For men - Waist circumference greater than 94cm For women - Waist circumference greater than 80cm Being a healthy weight can help:
If you are obese or overweight?try not to gain additional weight. This will help you in years to come as people tend to increase weight with age. Better still look after your body and follow a healthy lifestyle incorporating a nutritious, delicious, health enhancing weight loss program. Just by losing 10 pounds you can significantly improve your overall health. (c) Copyright Kim Beardsmore About The Author Kim is successful a weight loss coach who will cut through the diet-hype, reach your goal weight and never 'diet' again. No public 'weigh-ins', meetings that cost you money or fads...simply results you'll love. You can receive a free, no obligation consultation today. http://tinyurl.com/5c9cw. Are you interested in a fantastic home business? Visit: http://tinyurl.com/62wo6.
MORE RESOURCES:
Men's Health
|
Women's
Health |
Children's
Health |
Elder
Health
Medicine - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top 10 Diet Tips From Diet Winners Use these tips to turbo charge your weight loss program.Take it one pound at a time:Don't get overwhelmed by how much weight you need to lose. The Best Carbs For Low Carbers With the popularity of low carb diets such as Atkins, The Zone, and South Beach, more and more people are becoming aware of the bad effects to the body of too much carbohydrate consumption. As people try to cut down on their carb intake, it should be noted that not all carbs are created equal. Summer Dieting Tips Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and you want to get into the swim of things, but the B word - bikini - has been blindsided once again by that C word - calories.What can you do to get in shape at the last minute?Adam Shafran, co-author of the new book "You Can't Lose Weight Alone The Partner Power Weight Loss Program," says it's never too late to start losing weight. Spritz On Some Flavor! Now that everything from a tan to pantyhose comes in a spray form, it's little wonder someone has found a way to put liquid pork in a can.Well, almost. Do Diet Pills Really Work? You've seen diet pill advertisements? You have read the testimonials claiming diet pills work. You have often wondered - will diet pills work for me?For fast weight loss, diet pills can work. How to Gain More Pleasure While Losing Weight It's easy to lose sight of our goals, "Do I eat one of these delicious looking, fruit engorged, glossy, sugar coated lovelies or .. The Psychology of Weight Loss: Part 3 - Lose the Hang Ups! We have missed the boat and your boat is sinking fast. You have weighted your ship down with stats, calories, grams and pounds. Water and Weight Loss Water is useful when we are trying for losing weight. Water suppresses the appetite and helps to reduce the body fat. The Psychology of Weight Loss: Part 2 - How are You Motivated? New Years Resolutions do not work because you are really not motivated when you think you are. On the surface you may be, but deep down you are not. Ive Been Dieting for Five Minutes - Am I Thin Yet? When Instant Results Take TimeYesterday I decided to "get back in shape," and today I'm already checking in the mirror to see if there's a difference. Sound familiar? Everything else is instantly obtainable from microwave dinners to pay-on-demand TV, so why should weight loss take so long?Before microwave ovens people had to decide in the morning what to make for dinner because it took all day to thaw the meat. Could False Memories Be An Efficient Diet Helper? Speculating on the scientifically proven memory unreliability, the memory specialist Elizabeth Loftus, a professor of psychology at the University of California at Irvine thought of using the technique of false memory induction as a new approach to dieting. And this is how: by inducing false memories about specific foods. Diet: Are French Fries Really A Vegetable? The government, nutritionists, doctors, and dietitians implore us to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day. Considering that a serving is only half a cup, a decent-sized side of vegetables and a big salad does it for the day. Weight Loss - Make a Significant and Lasting Lifestyle Change Losing weight can make a significant and life altering change in how we live our everyday life. After losing weight many people experience better sleep patterns, increased energy levels, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Hydrate to Lose Weight: The Real Skinny On Water Retention and Sodium If you've been scouring the news, devouring as much information as possible regarding weight loss, you've likely heard all the buzz about the relationship between weight loss and drinking water. It has been well documented that the liver is able to metabolize more fat if you help out your kidneys by drinking plenty of water each day. How Dance Dance Revolution is Getting Kids Off the Couch Are you concerned about the lack of exercise your child is getting?Would you like to see them up and moving instead of sitting around so much?Dance Dance revolution is the lastest dance craze that is a fun and addictive way to help your child get get up and move without realizes they are even exercising.Our kids health and fitness is more important today than ever before since video games, tv and computers are turning our kids into couch potatoes. Lost Weight with Gastric Bypass? Hints for Great After Pictures I clearly remember how much I loathed having my picture taken when I was morbidly obese. Actually, I didn't mind having the picture taken, it was seeing the picture of the sad fat lady that bothered me. Weight Loss: The Strength in Setting Goals, Achieving Objectives, and The Power of Intention The act of taking the first step is what separates the winners from the losers. -Brian TracyObjectives and goal setting and a desire or an intention to meet said goals and objectives is, undoubtedly the most imperative piece of the puzzle when attempting to achieve anything worthwhile in life. Gastric Bypass Surgery - Just The Facts Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the morbid obese. In order to qualify for the surgery, you must have a body mass index of more than 40, which usually translates to being 100 or more pounds overweight. Pediatric Obesity and Vitamin Deficiency - Developments to Fight Future Disease Obesity, especially in children, is a matter of rapidly growing concern in the United States. For the first time in decades, we are projecting a decline in life expectancy for the current generation of pre-teens and children! This crisis has attracted the attention of everyone from former president Bill Clinton to the Surgeon General to pediatricians and parents everywhere. Atkins Diet Plan - Whats The Catch The Atkins diet Plan breakfast can usually composed of eggs strips of bacon and coffee. A snack might include coffee with cream, and chunks of cheese.
|
|
home | site map Men's Health | Women's Health | Children's Health | Elder Health Holistic Health | Healthy Heart | Cancer | Weight Loss Exercise & Fitness | Healthy Resources |
|
|
