|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
What is Your Healthy Body Weight
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 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 Being a healthy weight can help: - improve blood cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood glucose levels 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 Kim is successful a weight loss coach who will cut through the diet-hype and help you 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 body fat assessment at http://leanmachine.org/?refid=overweight-23705
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Eat More Often to Lose Weight I'm sure you have heard it before, but one of the best ways to control your caloric intake and lose weight is to eat more often throughout the day. Ideally, you should eat 5 to 6 times per day, with 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours between each meal or snack. The Secret To Permanent Weight Loss AND SAVE MONEY IN THE PROCESS. The secret is simple and basic. Weight Loss/Control Glossary of Terms A Little Help With Some Difficult terms------------------------------------------ Aerobic Exercise. Any activity involving large muscles, done for an extended period of time. The Public Stoning of Gastric Bypass Patients: When Things Get Ugly Recently a woman went public in her online diet community with her decision for gastric bypass surgery. She was asking for fellowship and support from fellow dieters. Low Carb Intelligence vs. Low Carb Stupidity Remember that movie with Jim Carey, "Dumb and Dumber?" And remember the sequel to that movie, "Dumb and Dumberer?" Well, the low carb mania that is sweeping the globe today has reached a level beyond dumberer? It's more like dumberererer (try to say that five times real fast)There is an epidemic of "low carb stupidity" running rampant among millions of people throughout the world today - and fast food restaurants, food product manufacturers, supplement companies, and weight loss programs are capitalizing on it in a big way!The low carb diet is not inherently "stupid," however. It can be quite beneficial within certain parameters and under the right circumstances. Rejuvenation and the Protein Revolution Rejuvenation and the Protein Revolution in Your Kitchen©2003 Marilyn DiamondIf you're like me, you want to see some serious rejuvenation when you look in the mirror. But you're not interested in Botox, chemical peels, micro-dermabrasion, lypo-suction, jaw and cheek implants and all the other pricey, temporary, somewhat invasive "solutions. Three Easy Ways To Prevent and Suppress Cravings on a Low Carb Diet If you've been on a low carb diet for any amount of time, you have undoubtedlyfelt the pangs of hunger that accompanystrong cravings. There are a number ofways in which you can deal with thesecravings and mitigate them in the future; andif you want to be successful on yourlow carb diet, you will do exactly that. 7 Tips to Help You Beat Your Sugar Habit Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on candy, cookies, and cake - and do you then hate yourself for caving into your cravings?Do you pop by the drug store for paper goods but always leave with junk food, too? And do you feel like an incurable sugar addict with zero will power?Take heart. You can quit (or at least cut back on) both sweets and processed, "much-like-sugar carbs" such as white bread, white rice, and pasta. Why Breakfast is Good for You Ok.. Obesity and Weight Loss - Muscle and the Importance of Low Body Fat! Today you have a good chance of getting diabetes or becoming obese or both. And if you do, then chances are you will be in for a long life filled with pain, discomfort and little quality in your life. Diet Tips for Weight Loss: Free Diet Tips Which You Cant Afford to Miss! (Part 2) Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a bacteria or virus but a person's own eating habits. It is a disease which is very easy to get rid off just by changing your food habits. Children of Gastric Bypass Patients at Risk for Eating Disorders As parents who've had gastric bypass we face many challenges raising a family. Perhaps an unexpected challenge is when a child develops an eating disorder that may be exacerbated by the parents dieting habits. Lose Weight and Keep it Off Permanently Without Fancy Diets For years the experts have been telling us that diets do not work, and my experience in the field for almost twenty years confirms that. Yet every year several new fad diets and supplements emerge, claiming they have the answer, and making people rich. How To Cop An Attitude With An Overzealous Hostess We all encounter those hosts and hostesses who feel it is their duty to make us eat whatever their specialty is and generate a sense of guilt if we do not flatter their creation by stuffing ourselves with it, regardless of our weight control plans and weight loss goals. Here are some nice ways to decline her offering. Hispanics and Obesity - The Worrying Truth What is the link between Hispanics and obesity? Are people of Hispanic origin more prone to obesity than others?Respected Hispanic trend watcher Jaun G Tornoe feels there is enough anecdotal and scientific data supporting the link between Hispanics and obesity to raise warning flags?One of the culprits he identifies is the huge choice of cheap, fast food and sugary drinks on offer to newly arrived Latino immigrants, many of whom come from extremely deprived backgrounds?Fast Foods and Obesity - a Warning From a Friend.. Weight Loss, Exercise, and Bodybuilding Tips - Keeping Your Body-Fat Low: Part 4 of 10 Which is easier to do - turn a car's steering wheel while sitting still in the driveway or when it is speeding down the highway? Sure, the answer is simple.. Know How Many Calories To Cut For Permanent Weight Loss It is not recommended to lose more than 1 pound per week for healthily weight loss. The reason for this has do to with the issues which quick and drastic weight loss can have on your body's metabolism and muscle mass. Gastric Bypass Myth - All Patients Stretch their Stomachs and Regain Weight Have a conversation about gastric bypass surgery with just about anyone and you will hear, "Yeah, I know someone who had that done and within a year they stretched out their stomach and regained all that weight - plus some."Unfortunately it is true that some weight loss surgery (WLS) patients do regain their weight after losing it. Is Zone Diet a Fad? Is Zone Diet a Fad?How do you recognize a fad diet? When I asked myself this question, some generous people hurried to offer me free, quick, easily digestible answers. I chose the top ten from the list, and decided to match them with the Zone diet's most common features. Diet Pills and Consumer Fraud Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come with many different promises. But at what point does the line between misleading advertising and outright fraud cross? And how long will health products be allowed to cross this line? Some diet pills have proven very effective, but were then found to have serious health side effects.
|
 |
 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||||
| Pendle Writers .com © 2006 | |||||
