Let's look at Obesity

What is obesity?
A person is classed as obese when their weight has increased to a point where it seriously endangers their health. Obesity is diagnosed when a person's Body Mass Index (BMI) exceeds 30. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in lbs or kilogrammes by height in feet and inches or metres squared. Use our health calculator to work out yours

What are the causes?

Obesity is normally caused by a combination of eating too much of the wrong types of food and not doing enough exercise. We take a look at the contributing factors:

• Eat less and exercise more - it has long been the mantra for shedding those extra pounds. But now it seems that all the hard work may have been in vain. Traditionally, health practitioners have focused on diet and exercise - and a large dose of willpower - to treat the problem.

• Lack of sleep could be partly to blame, they say in the International Journal of Obesity. In recent years, the average night's sleep has dropped from nine hours to just seven. Sleep deprivation alters levels of the hormones that regulate food intake and body fat and increase hunger and appetite.

• Those who take beta-blockers to control their blood pressure can often put on 3lb. Similarly, studies have shown that going on the Pill can add 11lb to a woman's weight.

Mother Nature may also be to blame, with our body shape being partly inherited. The overweight are also more likely to settle with partners of a similar size, and their children are more likely to be obese.

Obesity related illnesses

Research has shown that being overweight or obese increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Read more about the side-effects:

• Obesity is linked to an increased risk of bowel, kidney, oesophageal and stomach cancers, and also cancers of the womb and breast in post-menopausal women

• Diabetes is a serious condition, which can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, stroke and nerve damage that can cause amputation. Diabetes occurs when the body loses the ability to process blood sugar, leading to high levels which can damage organ

Type 1 develops at a young age, while Type 2 typically occurs in later life. However, high obesity levels mean Type 2 is increasingly developing at younger ages and now makes up an estimated 75 per cent of cases.

In the next Healthy Ramblings I will explore Childhood Obesity, which is rising at an alarming rate in this country. Look at some of the numbers.

Heart Health leads to a Healthy Heart

Today’s Healthy Ramblings will be on Heart health. So let’s get to it.

There are millions of people diagnosed with hearth and cardiovascular diseases can which can benefit from making healthful choices in their daily lives.

There are supplements which are designed to target four key indicators of heart health: cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine and oxidative stress.According to Dr. Richard Stein, M.D., who is a spokesman for the americanheart.org, “While it’s certainly a neccessitiy to take medications to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, it’s equally important to practice a healthy lifestyle. People who are informed and take a proactive approach when it comes to lowering their health risks are very likely to avoid heart disease and heart attacks.”

Heart disease isn't just a man's disease. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases are devastating to women, too. In fact, coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the leading cause of death for American women. Many women believe that cancer is more of a threat, but they're wrong. Nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease and stroke as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer.

Both women and men are more likely to develop heart disease or stroke if their close blood relatives have had them. Race is also a factor. Black women have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke than white women. Compared with whites, African-American men and women are more likely to die of stroke.

I use a supplement daily called Core Complex. It provides me with plant sterols, found in soybeans, which have been shown to reduce LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and total cholesterol, antioxidant protection to support circulation and healthy blood vessels and B vitamins to help maintain healthy homocysteine levels, which are already within the normal range.

YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH ROAD MAP

3 steps to foods for life:

1. IMPROVE YOUR OVERALL DIETARY PATTERN.

Don't look for miracle foods or quick fixes. Make healthy eating your lifelong plan. Begin by replacing unhealthy foods with heart-healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, fish and legumes.

2. CHECK FOOD LABELS.

Read nutrition labels on packaged products, and choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and sodium (salt).

3. EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

Don't be daunted by new guidelines that recommend seven to 10 servings each day. Getting that many is not as hard as it sounds. The official serving sizes are much smaller than restaurant portions -- a serving of vegetables usually is 1/2 cup.

To learn more about heart-healthy diets and nutrition, visit the American Heart Association's website at americanheart.org.

Recommended reading and products

Your Waist measurement and what it could mean to you.

In my last ramblings, I spoke about BMI or Body Mass Index. In that post, it was explained how it is a statistical measure of the weight of a person scaled according to height. Today I would like to expand on that a little more.

According to the Health Day News, research has shown that excess abdominal fat is a good indicator that you're at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the National Dairy Council says.

A waist circumference of greater than 40 inches for men and 35 for women is cause for concern, the council suggests.

The organization offers these suggestions on how to measure your waist circumference:

• Find the upper hip bone and the top of the right iliac crest, the portion of the pelvic bone at the belt line.
• Wrap a measuring tape around your middle at the level of the belt area at the top of your pelvic bone.
• Breathe out -- don't hold your breath or suck in your stomach.
• Make sure the measuring tape is not too loose or too tight around your middle, and make sure you aren't holding the tape at an angle.

The path to good health is surprisingly shortened with knowledge, exercise, and the proper diet. I’m in my early 50’s, so I am really concerned about my health. Needless to say I read a lot and watch what I eat and how much. Looking good and feeling better is my goal and I’m sure it is yours too.

While reading my AARP magazine the other day, I ran across and article that offered ways to boost your wellness in 15 minutes or less. I’d like to share a few of them with you.

1. Catch some sun—I know we’ve been advised to stay out of the sun, but, the sun is our primary source of vitamin D. By spending a small amount of time in the sun, without sunscreen, could help ward off illnesses such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis. Why, because each one of these can be triggered by a vitamin D deficiency.
   
2. Drink more coffee—No I’m not kidding coffee’s main benefit is it’s wealth of antioxidants The beverage can lower your risk of type II diabetes and can protect your liver from damage too. If you have osteoporosis, be sure and follow your physician’s advice for calcium supplementation.
   
3. Take a breather—New age practices like Yoga, Tai Chi, and Meditation are know to boost your health, improve your blood circulation and reduce tension.

May I recommended that you check these titles

Yoga for Athletes®

Meditation and Relaxation with Erich Schiffmann

Well that’s it for today, I hope you find this information useful.

Be sure and join me for my next Healthy Ramblings.
Learn more about products to improve your health.

Your Waist measurement and what it could mean to you.

In my last ramblings, I spoke about BMI or Body Mass Index. In that post, it was explained how it is a statistical measure of the weight of a person scaled according to height. Today I would like to expand on that a little more.

According to the Health Day News, research has shown that excess abdominal fat is a good indicator that you're at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, the National Dairy Council says.

A waist circumference of greater than 40 inches for men and 35 for women is cause for concern, the council suggests.

The organization offers these suggestions on how to measure your waist circumference:

• Find the upper hip bone and the top of the right iliac crest, the portion of the pelvic bone at the belt line.
• Wrap a measuring tape around your middle at the level of the belt area at the top of your pelvic bone.
• Breathe out -- don't hold your breath or suck in your stomach.
• Make sure the measuring tape is not too loose or too tight around your middle, and make sure you aren't holding the tape at an angle.

The path to good health is surprisingly shortened with knowledge, exercise, and the proper diet. I’m in my early 50’s, so I am really concerned about my health. Needless to say I read a lot and watch what I eat and how much. Looking good and feeling better is my goal and I’m sure it is yours too.

While reading my AARP magazine the other day, I ran across and article that offered ways to boost your wellness in 15 minutes or less. I’d like to share a few of them with you.

1. Catch some sun—I know we’ve been advised to stay out of the sun, but, the sun is our primary source of vitamin D. By spending a small amount of time in the sun, without sunscreen, could help ward off illnesses such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis. Why, because each one of these can be triggered by a vitamin D deficiency.
2. Drink more coffee—No I’m not kidding coffee’s main benefit is it’s wealth of antioxidants. The beverage can lower your risk of type II diabetes and can protect your liver from damage too. If you have osteoporosis, be sure and follow your physician’s advice for calcium supplementation.
3. Take a breather—New age practices like Yoga, Tai Chi, and Meditation are know to boost your health, improve your blood circulation and reduce tension.

Well that’s it for today, I hope you find this information useful. Be sure and join me for my next post.

BMI- Bad Monthly Income ( Not Hardly)

I am sure many of us would agree that we have a Bad Monthly income, right? We all could use a boost in pay. Well there is another meaning to the letters BMI.

Body mass index or BMI is a statistical measure of the weight of a person scaled according to height. It is meant to be used as a simple means of classifying physically inactive individuals with an average body composition. The BMI is meant to broadly categorize populations for purely statistical purposes.

People short in stature tend to have lower BMI. Therefore they should use a
lower cut-off value for obesity diagnosis. The same applies to older people, whose reduced muscle mass can hide additional body fat without increasing BMI. A frequent use of the BMI is to assess how much an individual's body weight departs from what is normal or desirable for a person of his or her height. Have you checked your BMI ?

Many of us understand that being overweight can affect our health in a great number of ways. The biggest health risks are heart disease and type II diabetes, and it seems most of us are pretty well aware of the links when it comes to these.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for protection against obesity related illness and disability. If your weight is currently over the healthy range for your height, losing weight will be beneficial to your health, your looks, and how you feel. Find info about what I used to lower my BMI to a healthy level.

I know that I feel a lot better than I did a couple of years ago. Why even the aches and pains have gone away. We only have one life to live, why not make it a long and enjoyable one. Take control of your health, by starting with your Body Mass Index.