Calculating one’s Body Mass Index, or BMI, has become a popular way of categorising you into either underweight, normal, overweight or obese parameters. This method was devised by Adolphe Quetelet from Belgium as early as the mid 1800’s and the parameters are set as follows:
Below 18.5 – Under weight (A BMI of 17 qualifies for anorexia)
18.5 to 25 – Optimal weight
25 to 30 – Over weight
30 + – Obese
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Those wanting to lose weight, get fit or maintain their fitness levels are urged to keep on walking. This form of exercise boasts countless benefits. Diets may be effective over the short-term, but eating plans need to be coupled with regular cardiac exercise for weight loss and the maintenance of a healthy mass to be sustained.
One of its major selling points is that it can be executed at your convenience and personal pace. Whether you can manage 15 minutes before and after work or an hour during the day, it will ultimately benefit you and add to your fitness regime. Your pace is determined by your age and existing fitness levels. Walking is so effective because it uses most of the large muscle groups in one activity, and this applies regardless of the speed or length of time of your walk, providing these are within your reasonable capabilities. Best of all, it is FREE!
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Weight loss is only effective in the long-term when you adopt an eating lifestyle, rather than a diet. This means that the eater needs to maintain a constant consciousness about what they eat, making it a habit, rather than a temporary inconvenience to their daily routine. This implies being able to adapt the behaviour you may once have taken in order to incorporate your new eating lifestyle into ordinary life. Visiting a restaurant can be traumatic, a total breach of your fad diet, or an unnecessary indulgence.
However, there are several small precautions that may be taken in order to enjoy your eating out experience without the guilt:
There are several contributing factors to being or becoming overweight; it is not always solely due to an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise. While these factors may explain our reasons for weight gain, they do not excuse obesity. Being overweight and, more especially, being obese is dangerous and even deadly, and must be avoided at all costs. However, identifying these possible risk factors aids in the prevention and treatment of weight gain.
Genetics play a large role in weight gain or in being overweight in general. Your genetic makeup determines how your body burns energy (metabolism) and how effectively it receives and handles calories. If one or both of your parents suffer from obesity, it is vital that you keep a close watch on your weight and metabolism.
Men’s bodies are made up of more muscle and less fat than women’s. Their metabolisms are also faster than women’s, which means that they are able to burn energy faster and more efficiently. Therefore, women are more susceptible to obesity and weight gain than men are. Women need to be more diligent in ensuring that they remain relatively fit and healthy to avoid becoming overweight.
As we age, our bodies gradually slacken in their ability to burn energy as effectively. Muscles deteriorate and are replaced by fat and flab (flaccid muscles). As energy decreases, older people are unable to maintain their exercise regime. All of these factors combine to cause weight gain.
Of course, our diet plays a key role in our weight situation. Regularly consuming foods that are high in saturated fats, sugars and preservatives all contribute to our body’s susceptibility to weight gain. It is imperative that your diet be rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, fibre and water to assist the body in maintaining healthy levels of fat within the system.
A lack of exercise is another key ingredient to being overweight. Exercise not only burns calories, it also kick starts the metabolism so that, even when you are not actively exercising, you are still burning calories at a higher rate than an unfit person.
Medication and medical problems are known to cause some cases of obesity. Cortisone is known to lead to water retention and bloating, while hypothyroidism is one of the leading causes for fat retention in women. Hormonal imbalances also negotiate the effectiveness of the body’s ability to burn excess energy and lead to weight gain.
Women expect to gain weight during pregnancy, but it is normal to retain some of that weight long after the birth of their baby. On average, a woman’s weight will increase by 5 pounds (2.2kg) after each pregnancy.
While your particular vulnerability to these factors may not necessarily be in your control, being aware of the dangers they pose is empowering and allows you time to change your lifestyle in whatever ways you can, depending on the reason for your weight gain. Preventing unnecessary weight gain is always far healthier and easier than trying to lose weight once it has settled so comfortably around hips, bums and thighs.
The prospect of entering a gym or arriving at a track may seem a little more than daunting to those who have neglected their health and bodies for too long. While going to the gym has numerous benefits to your health and weight loss, exercising at home is preferable to no exertion at all. And there are many tools and options that exist right in the house or in your neighbourhood.
The most important first ‘step’ is to start walking! You will be surprised at how many opportunities to increase our daily number of steps we manage to avoid. Some suggestions:
• Park the car in a bay that is as far away from the shop’s entrance as possible. This will force you to walk (while possibly pushing a laden trolley / cart back).
• Instead of driving to a friend’s house, school or work, try to walk the distance if it is safe.
• Relieve the kids of one of their chores and walk the pooches yourself. If you are able, it would be even better to jog with them.
• Herd a few friends together and form a ‘walking club’ – it’s always more fun when you have support. Walk around the block, explore the neighbourhood, or find a nature trail in the vicinity. Reward yourselves with fruit smoothies or foot rubs.
• Be the first to jump off the couch to replenish refreshments, even if it’s just for the family in the TV room.
• ALWAYS take the stairs. Let the elevator become your enemy. If you face too many floors to climb, take the elevator up to a certain floor and then climb the last 5 or 10 stories.
The point is GET MOVING. Of course, bursts of activity are not quite as effective as a regular vigorous 1-hour walk (for example) but, by increasing the amount of physical activity in your daily life, you will eventually reach a point where a jog around the block is not quite as terrifying.
Sports clubs are plentiful, and fulfilling an obligation to a team is a fantastic motivator. Call your local recreation department or ask your friends if they know of any local sports teams that you may enjoy joining. And then do it. Once you have decided on a sport and signed up, purchase all the gear to ensure that you are as comfortable as possible, giving you little excuse to quit.
Play with your children. Kids have considerably more energy than adults do. Running around the garden, swimming, riding bicycles, rollerblading, or playing sports with your children is sure to tire you out long before they peter out. Of course, apart from the health benefits, your children will enjoy their extra time with you.
Dancing is not only fun, it is also excellent for boosting your metabolism and burning calories. Close the curtains, don your best party outfit and pump your favourite station / CD. Best of all, the lack of an audience allows you to let go and jump around as much as you feel inspired to do.
Being outside is another fantastic way to lose weight – even washing your car or watering the garden helps you to burn calories and to attune your body into getting active. Of course, as you get used to an activity, you will need to intensify it. This could mean going from watering the garden to mowing the lawn to digging holes for trees.
There are certain exercises that do not require special equipment, and there are many props within the home and office that can be used. Be innovative. Lift tinned beans in bicep curls, sit on the edge of your desk and lift your legs to strengthen stomach muscles, or run up and down your stairs. If you are a mother, make a game out of lifting your baby or child into the air, or lay them on the floor and do push-ups over them, kissing them on the nose with every dip. Just be creative.
Exercise has, for too long, carried the reputation of being an arduous task, far too difficult for the average overweight person to carry out on a daily basis. For this reason, people have resigned themselves to a fate of inactivity, leading to one of the more tragic vicious circles of our overweight society today. By finding fun, innovative ways to get moving, you are taking the first step to leading a healthier and skinnier life.
Weight loss and a movement towards sustainable fitness is a continued effort for many of us. It can appear so overwhelming at first that most avoid embarking on this journey until it is absolutely non-negotiable. However, there are 4 aspects to regaining control over your weight and life, and these require a shift in paradigm. Only once these are understood and achieved can we begin to see improvements. These are: 1) The right FOOD, 2) the right TIME, 3) the right AMOUNT and 4) the right EXERCISE.
The Right Food
Get into the habit of knowing what is in your food. Ingredients should be natural, nutritious and not processed. Ensure that your diet contains lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, that your meats are lean (preferably chicken and fish) and that your meals are low in sugar and bad fats. By making sure that you get sufficient proteins, good fats, fibre, minerals and vitamins, your body is able to function at an optimal level (as faster cell renewal is facilitated) and your metabolism is increased. Not only will you feel healthier and more energised, but you will start to shed the kilos that pile on as a result of bad eating habits.
The Right Time
Break the habit of nibbling while you are distracted by the television, work, driving, and so on. Most of us are unlikely to opt for a carrot or stick of celery to munch on, and these snacks are most commonly salty or sweet and of very little nutritional value. Being more aware of a stipulated eating time will reduce the tendency to grab a snack every time you walk past the fridge. An increased awareness is the first step to breaking a bad habit.
Timing also involves frequency of meals. The body is less likely to accumulate fat deposits if smaller meals are eaten more frequently, so replace 3 large meals with 6 small ones. If you do not feel hungry enough to eat this often, just have a protein shake, or even a small fruit or raw carrot. Never negotiate on having breakfast, it is essential to kick-starting your metabolism.
The Right Amount
Many people suffering from being overweight actually do not eat enough and certainly not of the right foods. Depriving the body of food causes a panicked reaction of fat retention by the enzymes, whereas the body is more likely to burn fat if it is confident of being fed on a regular basis. Eating regularly will present slower weigh loss, but it will be steady, consistent and long-lasting. Fasting, on the other hand, will cause rapid weight loss, but all that weight will be gained soon after the fast ends.
Of course, gluttony is on the other end of the scale and is an increasingly critical crisis. Eating huge portions too fast and too often is a major cause of weight gain. If this is the problem you face, eat off a side plate and eat slowly, counting the number of times you chew, if necessary. Consider how hungry you are before you begin dishing up and then eat accordingly. You need to become aware of the signs from your body that you have had enough to eat, and listen to these.
The Right Exercise
Exercise is essential to weight loss and healthy living, there is no getting around it. Both aerobic exercise and weight training are important to lasting weight loss. Aerobic, or cardiac, workouts are especially beneficial at the beginning of a new weight loss initiative. Weight training is then effective for toning, increasing core strength, improving posture and sustaining a high metabolism.
At least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 times per week is required. This is the minimum and should be increased as soon as it is accomplished so that one never becomes accustomed to it – exercise should remain strenuous. This type of exercise includes walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or playing a fast sport such as rugby, soccer, hockey or tennis. A good cardio workout has been shown to increase the body’s resting metabolism for up to 15 hours afterwards, which means that more calories are burnt while you are resting. Aerobic exercise causes the mitochondrial cells of the muscles to increase in number and size, increasing the metabolising enzymes in those cells. Regularity is more important the intensity.
Exercise actually reverses much of the damage that excess weight causes (heart disease, high blood pressure, etc…). For these manifold reasons, it is no doubt essential that we resolve to take these steps to starting a healthier, fitter and lighter life!
I am hugely optimistic about 2009. I don’t just mean for myself, either, I mean for everyone. I mean for YOU! Why? Because no matter what’s going on in the world, in the economy, or in the news, there is a way to reach your goals!
I have no doubt that a scientist somewhere just read the title of this article and said out loud, “YES! Venuto is right! That little thing in your head – the hypothalamus – it IS the thing that is keeping you fat!….
People choose different methods to build muscle lose fat, even though they are all after the same goal. There are three major factors that play a part in each person’s goal; nutrition, exercise and mindset. However you choose to balance them, is up to you and what your major goal is?
You should set smaller goals at first to obtain your desired goal to build muscle lose fat. This will help you establish a well balanced view that you can achieve these goals, this is critical to your mind set. You don’t have to have a personal trainer in order to meet your goals, but they can be extremely helpful in pushing you to succeed.
The process to build muscle lose fat can be challenging when you first start out, with some people the first five pounds are the hardest to lose. After you get past that point the fat seems to melt off, giving you the desire to do more.
You can find varieties of different ways to go about weight loss exercise online, as well as your local gym. For those of you who are not comfortable about exercising around others it would benefit you to do a good aerobic exercise routine, followed with a simple weight lifting exercise to tighten up those muscles, giving you a more cut look.
There are videos that are available, offering you the opportunity to have a proper weight loss exercise that will work all areas of your body. These videos are put out by professional trainers that want to help you meet your goals. You will begin to notice when using these videos that your buns, abs and thighs tend to tighten up first. In most cases you will feel the effects before you actually see them.
There are many benefits to fat loss. Your body not only looks and feels better, but you greatly reduce your risk of serious health complications such as; heart attacks, strokes and diabetes among many more. It’s not always what you see that matters most, but what you can’t see. By being fit you add more years to your life.
Speaking nutritionally, a diet is simply “the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism.”
No pain stated or implied.
Every organism alive is on a DIET…has been since it’s life began…and will be till it’s life ends.
A human infant thrives on a diet of milk alone–natural or “formulated”. Soon enough that diet expands to include strained thises and thats; and before long the transition to solid food. Somehow these youngsters know when they have had enough and they turn instantly to some other diversion.
Never bored, and living in a relatively stress free world, they simply eat to live rather than “living to eat”.
Living to eat comes later, and is a learned rather than instinctual response to hunger.
Exposure to the all pervasive world of advertising comes along at just about the same time as the transition to solid food. Now instead of being satisfied by the healthful and nutritious offerings from a loving parent, they are tempted and re-tempted by a constant barrage of sugary delights.
Prove it to yourself. Watch an hour or so of what is currently being offered as and see for yourself. A few dozen empty calorie messages later, you will probably find yourself very “hungry”; and it will be a totally misguided hunger that has nothing to do with “eating to live”.
And thus begins the “eating in response to” experience. Some of us eat “in response” to boredom; for many it is stress; for some it comes with frustration. For a lot of us it is simply a response to suggestion–TV, and radio, magazine ads, billboard blasts,–you name it. It often seems that the world is conspiring to cause overeating.
Just how effective that “conspiracy” can be is borne out by the fact that over half of the world’s population is overweight. Over HALF–and increasing (poor pun intended) every year. And that’s in the face of natural selection–nature’s way of “thinning the herd”. We who are overweight tend to die sooner–the ultimate “double whammy”. We pay a dear price for these extra kilograms; and our kids are practically assured of the same fate.
Since you’ve read this far, it’s safe to assume that you’ve already been around the “dieter’s world/hell” long enough to be familiar with the buzz words: NEW MIRACLE DIET, LOSE WEIGHT FAST, THE LAST DIET YOU WILL EVER NEED, GREEN/BLACK/WHITE TEA DIET, etc.
Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all, put things in a new perspective. Google returned 29,500,000 results for the word “diets”. That’s TWENTY NINE AND A HALF MILLION.
Can they all be effective? Sure. Because the bottom line for all of them…at least the legal ones…is simple: EAT LESS…EXERCISE MORE. Twenty nine and a half million pages condensed into four words. And you thought this was gonna be tough?
Sure, lots of those millions of pages suggest that you: EAT LESS…EXERCISE MORE and “drink this magic tea” or “eat this magic supplement” or “drink gallons of cabbage soup” or some such.
The question that so many of us fail to ask is: “What happens if I just EAT LESS…EXERCISE MORE and also save a gazillion dollars by not buying any of your magic pills, potions and soup recipes?”
We all know the answer; yet we continue searching for the quick and easy diet, routine, and/or supplement.
At the risk of short circuiting over twenty-nine million other suggestions, it’s time to accept the fact that the only “magic” is in us–programmed there since birth. We simply need to get back in touch.
For the continued purposes of this blog and accompanying web site, we’re going to expand the theme a bit:
EAT…MORE OR LESS AND EXERCISE…MORE OR LESS.
I have embarked on a realistic and achievable goal.
For some answers to where? when? how? Here is my “magic pill” I found: Lose Weight Guaranteed and Lose Weight Diet Plan
PS Don’t let the pictures frighten you…..
