We’ve all heard that being overweight is unhealthy for our bodies. It puts stress on muscles, bones, joints, and most importantly organs. Excess fat in our bodies, especially around organs, can be dangerous. Excess fat around the heart can be deadly.
And before we go further, you also have heard me say on pretty much every post but still just as important – I am not a doctor. Always listen to your medical professionals before making any changes regarding your health.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese Americans continues to rise. In fact, 30 percent of adults over age 20-more than 60 million people-are obese, which means they are 30 pounds overweight and have a BMI, or body mass index (a measure of body fat), of more than 30.
The numbers continue to rise.
One of the goals of the National Institutes of Health is to reduce obesity among adults by more than half by the year 2025. However, current data suggests that the situation is getting worse.
Due to rising rates of childhood obesity, life expectancy for the average American could decrease by two to five years over the next few decades unless major efforts are made to slow down the rising rates of obesity.
We are looking at potentially the first generations of children to have shorter life expectancies than their parents, due to childhood obesity.
What’s more, obesity is a risk factor for heart disease and other serious health complications:
- Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Having these disorders at the same time is a condition called metabolic syndrome, which can lead to an increased risk for heart disease and kidney disease.
- High blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease, is twice as common in obese adults than in those who are at a healthy weight.
- Obesity can also lead to arthritis, which is caused by stress on your joints.
A Likely Trigger For Heart Disease
Obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are a common grouping of risk factors for people with heart disease. Managing all these risk factors will help reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
What You Can Do Today?
Overweight and obesity together represent the number-two preventable cause of death in the U.S. after smoking. (You know I’ll tell you to quit smoking so we don’t even need to say more on that ). There are many things you can do to get your weight under control and to help manage your risk for heart disease:
Talk to your doctor.
This is ALWAYS the first place to start before making any changes when it comes to your health. They may prescribe medicines, a diet and lifestyle plan, or any number of things that may help control your risk factors for heart disease. If you are prescribed medicines, take them exactly as directed and for as long as your doctor recommends. Again, I am not a doctor so always refer to them when it comes to your health.
Change Your Diet.
Notice I didn’t say go on a diet. I have said many times before that diets don’t work in the long term. If you are overweight or obese, changing the way you eat can be difficult and is often overwhelming. My go to is small changes in your every day habits stacked together to create large, lasting changes.
It doesn’t have to be overly complicated.
Start by drinking water every day.
Start by eating a healthy breakfast.
It doesn’t really matter how you start- just start.
If you want a little more on how to start check out this post here for more tips.
Develop an exercise plan that you feel is realistic and that YOU can maintain.
After getting the ok from your doctor, get a plan together for your exercise. Again, start small. What is realistic for you may not be realistic for someone else, that’s why we say that You can maintain.
No two people have the exact same lifestyle and factors when it comes to finding what will work best for you. Maybe starting by literally walking to your mailbox and back or just sitting down and standing back up 10 times is a place to start.
For others it may be a 45-minute walk. The duration at the beginning doesn’t matter as much as just starting. Figure out what suits your life and needs and start with a baby step.