Saturday, December 4, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
What is BMI and Why is BMI Important?
• BMI stands for “Body Mass Index,” a ratio between weight and height. • BMI is a standard “tool” for helping you judge your body weight and the amount of
body fat you have. • For older adults the BMI normal range is 18-25. The higher the BMI number above
the normal range (18-25), the greater the degree of overweight. Generally speaking
an adult BMI of 27 is considered overweight and 30 or above is severely overweight. • People with a higher percentage of body fat tend to have a higher BMI except for
body builders. • Carrying excess body fat, not muscle, puts you at greater risk for health problems
such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke.
Exceptions to BMI?
• BMI is a better predictor of disease risk than body weight alone. However, there are certain people who should not use BMI as the basis for determining relative disease risk.
• Competitive athletes and body builders, whose BMI is high due to a relatively larger amount of muscle, and women who are pregnant or lactating should not be disturbed if their BMI is not within the normal range.
• The BMI for children and teens is calculated the same way. But you must put the BMI on a growth chart to find out what it means. A BMI greater than the 85th percentile for age is considered “at risk for overweight.” A BMI greater than the 95th percentile is considered “overweight.” A BMI less than the 5th percentile is considered “at risk for underweight.”
Why is BMI important?
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If your BMI is high, you may have an increased risk of developing certain diseases including:
-high blood pressure -heart disease -high cholesterol and blood lipids (LDL) -Type 2 Diabetes -sleep apnea -osteoarthritis -female infertility -gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) -urinary stress incontinence
Prevention of further weight gain is important and weight reduction is desirable.
What should my BMI be?
For Adults • Normal BMI 18.5 – 24.9 • Underweight BMI < 18.5• Overweight BMI 25 – 29.9 • Obesity BMI 30 – 39.9 • Extreme Obesity BMI > 40
How can I improve my BMI?
Improving Your Health • Weight reduction is an important way to reduce your BMI and improve your
overall health. • Even a modest 10% reduction from your current weight is beneficial to your
health. For instance, a 5’2” female who weighs 150 pounds (BMI=27), can improve her health by losing as little as twelve pounds, reducing her BMI to 25.
Tipping the Scales in Your Favor • The Energy Balance Equation is the key factor in the weight loss, weight gain
puzzle. • Consistently consuming more energy (calories) than you burn will cause
weight gain and burning more energy (calories) than you consume will cause weight reduction.
Remember These Tips:
Set Realistic Goals • The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to balance the foods you eat
with daily physical activity. • Losing more than 1 to 2 pounds per week is unhealthy and greatly improves
the chances of gaining the weight back. Magic Pills and Potions: • There are none, so don’t waste your money or time. • If you eat a healthy diet and get the recommended 30 minutes or more of daily
physical activity – excess weight will melt off (magician not included).
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Overweight? Even a few extra pounds raises risk for premature death, large US study finds
By STEPHANIE NANO , Associated Press
NEW YORK - Lugging around a few extra pounds? One of the largest studies to look at health and weight finds that you don't have to be obese to raise your risk of premature death. Merely being overweight carries some risk, too.
Obesity increases the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. But whether being merely overweight contributes to an early death as well has been uncertain and controversial. Some research has suggested being a little pudgy has little effect or can even be a good thing.
The latest research involving about 1.5 million people concluded that healthy white adults who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the time they were followed in the study than those whose weight is in an ideal range.
"Having a little extra meat on your bones — if that meat happens to be fat — is harmful, not beneficial," said Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, senior author of the study.
The study's conclusions, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, are similar to three other large studies, said the lead author, Amy Berrington of the National Cancer Institute.
"Now there's really a very large body of evidence which supports the finding that being overweight is associated with a small increased risk of death," Berrington said.
For their government-funded analysis, the researchers pooled 19 long-term studies of mostly white adults. They used each person's body mass index — a measure of height and weight — and checked to see who died during the follow-up periods, which ranged from five to 28 years.
They focused on people who were healthy at the beginning of the studies, excluding smokers and those with heart disease or cancer because those affect death rates and researchers wanted to see the impact of weight alone.
NEW YORK - Lugging around a few extra pounds? One of the largest studies to look at health and weight finds that you don't have to be obese to raise your risk of premature death. Merely being overweight carries some risk, too.
Obesity increases the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. But whether being merely overweight contributes to an early death as well has been uncertain and controversial. Some research has suggested being a little pudgy has little effect or can even be a good thing.
The latest research involving about 1.5 million people concluded that healthy white adults who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the time they were followed in the study than those whose weight is in an ideal range.
"Having a little extra meat on your bones — if that meat happens to be fat — is harmful, not beneficial," said Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, senior author of the study.
The study's conclusions, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, are similar to three other large studies, said the lead author, Amy Berrington of the National Cancer Institute.
"Now there's really a very large body of evidence which supports the finding that being overweight is associated with a small increased risk of death," Berrington said.
For their government-funded analysis, the researchers pooled 19 long-term studies of mostly white adults. They used each person's body mass index — a measure of height and weight — and checked to see who died during the follow-up periods, which ranged from five to 28 years.
They focused on people who were healthy at the beginning of the studies, excluding smokers and those with heart disease or cancer because those affect death rates and researchers wanted to see the impact of weight alone.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
31 Days left!
I have 31 days to reach my goal BMI. I'm just trying right now to get from Obesity to Overweight. Than in the new year working on getting to normal BMI.
People always put off doing things instead of doing it now. Example I'm doing this in the heat of the holiday eating season. I like the challenge of competing against myself. The hardest person to compete against is yourself and that's why you can push yourself to succeed. Follow me and see what happens.
People always put off doing things instead of doing it now. Example I'm doing this in the heat of the holiday eating season. I like the challenge of competing against myself. The hardest person to compete against is yourself and that's why you can push yourself to succeed. Follow me and see what happens.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Create your own blend of cereals
Create your own blend of cereals from a choice of over 60 fresh and healthy ingredients. http://ow.ly/3gP3V
Monday, November 29, 2010
Beatles remake!
The video that started it all and done to a Beatles classic. http://www.youtube.com/mestomach
Sunday, November 28, 2010
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