Health Risks of Being Overweight
Are you overweight? In the United States population, there are 60% that are overweight right now, with children comprising a big 20% of the pie, according to National Health Statistics. These statistics are staggering! Overweight means that your BMI (body mass index) is 25 or greater. Many websites offer free BMI calculation so you can determine your BMI and find out if you are overweight.
Today, becoming an overweight person is not just a vanity problem, but it has already become a major health problem for many. The top health risk killers for overweight people are diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, hypertension, and heart disease. Also, overweight people are depressed more often than the slimmer ones.
These risks are even more life threatening for children. Having early obesity problems will increase their glucose metabolism and lipid levels, making them at risk for child diabetes or heart disease. This will definitely be a heavy cross that they will bear throughout their life.
So why do people get overweight? Certain factors contribute to the increase of obese people in our society. Modern diet consists of high levels of additives, preservatives, processed food, and junk food. Aside from that, we are consuming excess amounts of food, and we are not participating in daily strenuous physical activities. The last century has provided us a lot of inventions and innovations that will not require us to work that hard. The availability and attractiveness of computers and home entertainment has allowed most of us to just sit down the whole day and become less active.
The result of this inactivity is an increase in obesity problems in our society. If you are physically active, you can control your weight by using the excess calories, instead of your body storing it as fat. If you have kids, involve them to enjoy physical activity too. It has been found that children who are inactive during their adolescence will gain an average of 10-15 pounds more than the active children. This is according to a 10-year observational study result of an obesity research.
If you are overweight, experts recommend at least daily 30 minutes of physical activity that is just a little bit moderate. Physical activity or weight-loss programs may include strength training, biking, or jogging. You can also convert your activities everyday to exercise routines such as dancing, gardening, and washing the car yourself rather than taking it to the car wash.
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