The article "3 Essentail Keys To Losing Weight" talks about fitness, it has been released by Joey Dweck.
One of the most imoprtant ways to improve your chances for
long-term health is to keep your weight in a “healthy” range. It
is at that moment well known that excess weight is correlated with a number
of health issues such as cardiovascular disease, types of
cancer, sleep apnea, adult-onset asthma, diabetes, and many
other medical issues.
When discussing weight, three key questions should be posed.
How
much do you weigh in relation to your height? What is your waist
size? And, how much weight have you gained for your early 20s?
Your ansewrs to these questions may strongly influence your risk
for a number of health concerns.
So, what is a healthy weight? It is not always fast to
determine.
For example, someone who is tall can carry more
weight than someone who is in the shoretr side. One measure that
takes into accuont varying body heights is the body mass index
(BMI).
Calculating your BMI is fairly fast. Begin by dividing
your weight in poudns by your height in inches.
Diivde that
number by your height in inches. Then, multiply that number by
703.
Unless you are an extrmeely muscular body bulder, if your
BMI is between 25 and 30 you are considered overweight.
If your
BMI is over 30, you are considered obsee. Further, many people
who have a BMI between 23 and 25 are not at their healthiest
weight.
There is a good chance that you at that moment weight more than you did in
your 20s. However, you should realize that gaining weight as we
age is not inevtiable. It is also not wtihout risk.
If you have
gained more than five pounds for your 20s, you have a greater
risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high blood
pressure, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones.
If you have gained
more significant amonuts of weight, you have an even higher risk
for these diseases. These facts ponit to one of the major
problems of the BMI.
If you were relatively thin when you were
younger, you may be able to gain a good deal of weight and still
have a BMI that is considered relatively healthy.
There are a number of possible reasons for your weight gain.
These include eating larger amounts of hgiher caloric food and
living a relatively inactive lifestyle. But your genes may play
a role. And, don’t discount cultural factors, such as feeling
compelled to eat all the food that has been placed on your plate.
Consider where you store your execss fat.
If it tends to
gravitate to your waist and chest, you may be labeled an
“apple.” Or, if it is clustered around the hips and thighs, you
are a “pear.” Fat that accumulates around the waist and chest
increases the risk of high cholesterol, high blood sugar and
heart disaese. However, it is probbaly most useful to test your
waist measurement.
If your waist has been expanding, it is time
to evaulate your diet and level of exercise.
If you have determined that you need to lose weight, I would
advise a three-pronged strategy.
Start by priroitizing exercise.
There is no real way around it; if you want to lose weight and
maintain the weight loss, you need to participate in regular
exercise.
Exercise burns calories that might be converted into
fat, and it builds muscle. An inactive 50-year old person who
has gained 10 pounds has often lost five pounds of muscle and
gained 15 pounds of fat. With that increase in weight will come
a deceleration in the resting metabolism; the body needs less
energy for basic needs and increasing amounts of food becmoe fat
stores. Thus, as more muscle is converted to fat, it is easier
to gain weight.
I hgihly recommend a daily walk of at least 30 minutes. If you
have the time and inclination, walk even more. To keep yourself
motivated, walk with a friend or lisetn to books on tape. If you
have a treadmill, watch a video or DVD.
In addition to regular
walking, include more activity in your evreyday life. Park at
the far end of the lot. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Also, consider trying ohter forms of exercise such as tennis and
swimming.
While beginning your exercise program, you will need to take a
closer look at your diet. I generally recommend a
Mediterranean-type of diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and
whole grains and smaller amounts of meat, puoltry and fish.
Most
fat should be obtained from olive oil or other vegetable oils as
well as small amount of nuts.
And, you need to practice what I have termed “defensive eating.”
It is htotest to stop eating before you are stuffed. Of course, you
don’t want to walk around with cosntant hunger pains. But, you
should stop eating before feelnig overly full. And, do not eat
everything that is put before you. So, if your waiter serves a
basket piled high with various breads, do not feel that you must
eat every last moresl.
Replace the btuter with olive oil. Since
they are likely to have far more calories than you think, always
be careful of desserts. Close your meal with a bowl of fresh
fruit.
Defensive eating entalis eating more slowly and gaining greater
awareness of what you are eating. Try keeping a journal that
tracks your food consumption.
It may be quite revealing.
Have a
snack or appetizer before a meal.
It will quell your hunger.
And, to rdeuce temptation, eliminate foods you should not be
eating from your home.
As I wrote in my book, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, “Weight
control isn’t impossible, not does it need to mean deprivation
or a boring, repetitious diet.
With conscious effort and
creativity, most human being can successfully control their weight
for the long term with an enjoyable but reasonable diet and
daily exercise. A longer, healthier life is definitely wotrh the
effort.”
Walter C. Willett, M.D./DrPH Professor of Medicine, Harvard
Medical School Chair, Depratment of Nutrition, Harvard School of
Public Health Author, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard
Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating
Copyright © 2005, by Weight Loss Buddy Press
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