Your Health – Your Weight

Your Health – 004 – Your Weight.

 

 

Member Care Media from TWR … and InterHealth.org.uk invite you to take a moment for your health.

 

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So you’re a little heavy. Is that really all that important? Should you really be concerned about it? Would overweight be better?

 

Yes you should be concerned. For several good reasons.

 

In the first place your health is affected when your weight is more than it should be.

 

To calculate your ideal body weight there are a number of sources on line to give you the number, after you enter your current weight, height, age and gender. In your favorite browser go to Google, perhaps, and type in Body Mass Index. You will be given a choice of a number of easy to use calculators that will give you the numbers in just a few seconds.

 

So if your weight is higher than it should be, how can that affect you – apart from giving you somewhat of a bulge around the middle – and maybe requiring you to purchase new clothes to accommodate your weight and shape?

 

Well let’s take a look at a brief list of problems that various degrees of being overweight can cause for you.

 

High blood pressure – also known as hypertension. Being overweight can sometimes be linked to having high blood pressure, and the problems that can cause for you. Losing weight is one step in helping to control your blood pressure. … For more information you can check the health link to blood pressure.

 

Linked to high blood pressure … being overweight can increase the risk of developing coronary heart disease. And this is especially true if you also have high cholesterol which can often be connected to your weight.

 

Those who are very much overweight also run the risk of developing diabetes.

 

And then there is arthritis. True osteoarthritis mostly affects older people. But … packing excess weight on your body can increase the risk of arthritis in your knee joints … your ankles and your feet … as well as in your hip joints.

 

If you are living in … or about to live in a country with a hot climate … then being overweight means you will adapt more slowly to the heat. You may get tired more easily. These also apply if you are living in a location at a higher altitude. You will need to give yourself more time to adjust to the climate, and to pace yourself. Also drink plenty of fluids. … If you do these things, you help reduce your risk of developing heat exhaustion … becoming dehydrated … or seriously fatigued.

 

Losing some of that weight would also be a good idea.

 

Something else to watch out for if you are more than just a little overweight. Skin infections need to be treated. If you are living in a hot or humid climate … then skin infections can develop in folds of the skin.

 

And one more danger signal for those who are overweight. Deep vein thrombosis. What’s that? … It’s a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body. These can form in different parts of the body, but most deep vein clots occur in the lower leg or in the thigh. If these clots break off and move through the body they can cause some serious health problems. … Being overweight  adds to your risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis when traveling … especially during long haul trips by plane.

 

There are other problems that can be triggered or made worse by being overweight, but these will be enough for a start to help you realize a little how important it is to keep your weight under control, and how dangerous it can be to not take seriously the problem of being overweight.

 

So what can you do to lose weight? In the first place, as we mentioned earlier … find one of those calculators on line that help you to calculate what your ideal weight should be as compared to your current weight and height.

 

Next you need to find a way to either reduce the number of calories you put into your body, or a way to burn some extra calories. One pound of body weight is worth about three thousand five hundred (3500) calories. That means reducing your food intake by that many calories over a certain amount of time. If you reduce your food calories by 500 calories a day, then you should be able to lose a pound of body weight in a week. … That seems slow, doesn’t it? … That’s why it’s a good idea to add planned exercise to your program to lose weight.

 

Food is also important. The kind of food you eat. And the amount you eat. So here are a couple of useful tips. Always put about a quarter less on your plate than you usually do – and don’t let someone else pile on more than you need. And here’s a hard one … No second helpings! In addition, cut down especially on fatty food like cheese and fried food and above all reduce the amount of oil you use in cooking.

 

A moment ago, you might have noticed that I said … planned exercise. Any activity or exercise will help, but you’ll be able to watch your progress better if you have a plan … if you schedule when you are going to involve yourself in your exercise activity. Plan what you will do. Set goals for how long you will exercise, and how often you will do this.

 

Now that brings up another question. What kind of exercise should you try, or should you plan on? A lot of this will depend on where you live … what is possible there … maybe even questions of the local culture.

 

No … you don’t have to start training for a marathon. Certainly not unless you’re already in pretty good shape physically. A brisk half hour walk every day would be a good start, though. If, that is, it is safe to do that where you live, and if it is culturally acceptable. You might even organize a long hike to the top of a nearby mountain. Good physical exercise as well as helping your weight, can also be a good psychological break away from a stressful situation.

 

Would swimming be one of your choices for exercise? Well, that would probably be good, if proper facilities are available. It is probably not a good idea to go swimming in a nearby lake or river. Places like that are excellent for picking up local parasites or other unpleasant interruptions to good health. However, if there is a hotel nearby with a swimming pool, that might be a possibility. Is it clean? Would the hotel people be willing for someone like you to use it once in awhile?

 

Team sports are another option. Soccer maybe … in the UK and Europe that of course is known as football.  There may be some other sport in which you can participate,  that is popular locally at the level of the ordinary person . Maybe you can join in and play with some local players now and then. It could be in a field. Or it could be street soccer – or football. It is excellent exercise, as well as a good way of making contact with some of the local people.

 

Exercise like this, combined with watching your calorie intake, can all help to bring your weight in line with what it should be for your health. And a great bonus – when you start losing weight and you exercise regularly, it sets up a really good feeling – you often have more energy and feel better about yourself.

 

 

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A moment for your health is presented by Member Care Media from TWR, and by InterHealth.org.uk. For links to more information check out our website at www.membercaremedia.com or www.interhealth.org.uk