Tag: Obesity

Dont Shortchange Your Efforts Diet Is Important

Accomplishing your fitness goals is the goal when it comes to fitness. We all know by now that all foods are not created equally. The best of food sources is fruits and vegetables free from toxic by products and other negatives like saturated fats, high sodium, and nitrates. Years of research has repeatedly shown that grains, fruits and vegetables are the bodys preferred food sources for optimum performance. Full of nutrients that the body needs to heal itself and operate properly the top of the food pyramid will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to essential nutrients.
Reasons to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables include, helping to supply our bodies with much needed energy, improving immunity to diseases, and overall mind health. Read on to find out how to take advantage of a great diet.

Much like a car your body is built for performance thus proper maintenance, fuel, and care is needed. Simple, right? Then why is it that increases in obesity and other diet related illnesses still exist in abundance. We just are not taking care to what it is that we are putting in our bodies and expecting results that are simply unrealistic. We need to be champions and caregivers to our bodies and perform the fundamentals of overall body care by committing to better diets for overall better health. Our choices in nutrition and level of activity are partially a learned behavior. We can learn to eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups to help maintain weight, increase cardiovascular fitness, and increase energy levels naturally. Lowering blood cholesterol can be accomplished by increasing your intake of whole grain foods; fish can decrease the risk of death from coronary artery disease. The benefits of a healthy well balanced diet are endless and should be taken very seriously for optimum health.

Base your food choices on these patterns:
Lean meats and poultry without skin and added saturated and trans fats
Low fat dairy products
Low dietary cholesterol
Cut back on added sugars
Use little or no salt
Drink in moderation
And take care when eating out

Naturally these will be altered if you have any abnormal circumstances (for example, if you are very thin and you work out a lot, then you can ignore many of the rules related to fat and cholesterol, since your body can actually use them).

A healthy diet and life style will provide you with all of the energy, stamina, and endurance to met and exceed the challenges of everyday life. All you really need is provided by nature and at the top of the food pyramid in whole grains fruits and vegetables. So if you are trying to stay in shape, get in shape, maintain good shape or the like remember to handle your body like you handle the care of your automobile. Choose the right fuel to keep your engine running for a long time. Dont shortchange yourself or your life by fueling your body with damaging food sources and other activities that will diminish your chances for a long healthy happy life.

These principles hold true for anyone in the world. Seniors will reap many benefits from healthy lifestyles, as will young people. Sometimes it can be hard to be sure what the best intake for your body is, but if you start experimenting with different diets you will surely be able to adjust the different levels to their ideal amounts. You can also consult the advice of a dietician or a doctor, or simply find a calculator on the internet that will tell you what kind of food you need to be eating. Once you have found something that works for you, stick with it for the rest of your life. You will be glad that you did.

Childhood Obesity And How To Combat It

This chronic condition has increased rapidly over the past years has finally gained national recognition. Many more children between the ages of two years old and five years old are already on there way to becoming the next generation of obese teens, and eventually obese adults and obese seniors. With obesity being one of the leading causes of morbidity, disability, discrimination, and employment problems, it has become one of the biggest public problems since tobacco use and exposure. Bad eating habits are not the only culprit, genetic diseases that can predispose children to become overweight cannot be forgotten. Diseases such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome are common in obese children, however still playing a larger role in the general overall population is bad eating and exercise habits.

It is the hope of many health educators, and medical professionals from psychologists to medical doctors that increased public awareness and preventive policies will eventually improve the situation. Professionals are treating this as a major public health concern that is threatening to damage our most precious resources, the children. Introduction of healthy play, healthy food choices, and recreation that promotes physical activity is on the top of the list for discussion and plans of battling this epidemic. Having caretakers take pro active measures to keep the child on the right track and setting good examples are key elements to helping these children to learn a healthier behavior and attitude towards their own health.

The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has come to the conclusion that as many as one third of U.S. children are overweight or at high risk for childhood obesity. The health problems that will begin to manifest themselves from the heavy weight of such young children will start kids down a road the problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and increased risks of diabetes. These are diseases usually reserved to adults, not children. Combating this troubling condition must however, begin at home with the caregivers for these children. Improving overall diet, not dieting, and exercise is the key to resolving the problem. Protecting childrens health now and in the future will depend greatly on education of parents and caregivers to implement healthy daily living strategies.

Preventing an at-risk child from becoming overweight can start a process of healthy and active lifestyles to ensure longevity and energy throughout the childs life. Little things such as: not getting into power struggles with the child over food, never use food as a behavior modification tool, and setting a good example are some starting places. This only perpetuates the same behavior and may cause psychological behaviors that are unwanted. Critical commenting, and taunting rarely if ever handles the situation with a positive outcome. Emphasizing whats positive and benefits of changing behavior can make all of the difference in the world. Just fostering the childs natural inclination to please you, have fun, and explore are perfect opportunities to introduce fitness routines, and reduce such incidents like eating out of boredom. If these things are done with every child in danger of becoming obese, then the numbers suffering will likely decrease.

Therefore, you should always keep in mind the health of yourself and your children. By keeping in shape yourself and displaying a good diet, you can impress upon them the importance of being a health-oriented individual. These habits will stay with them for all of their lives. You will also have quite a few benefits from eating healthy and slimming down. If you shed your extra weight, you will feel much better about yourself. If you want to find out more information about how you should change your diet habits, you should go to your local library for a book about diet and health. You can also talk to your doctor if you want some recommendations that are specific for your current health.

Children and Blood Pressure

Did you know that even babies can develop high blood pressure? Many might think of this as uncommon but it isn’t. When babies have high blood pressure it is usually because they are premature or have kidney or heart problems. When an older child has high blood pressure it is usually a result of their family history.

As you might have noticed today, there is an increase in obesity in children. This also increases their blood pressure putting them at health risks. A great way to prevent this is to have your child’s blood pressure checked often as they grow older.

More ways to help are watching your child’s diet and making sure they get plenty of exercise. Some kids are not as active today what with the video games and all. Try to get your child involved in regular activities from the start. It will benefit their health as well as their self esteem later down the road.

Just like adults, you can easily help control your child’s blood pressure. Watch their diet. Be sure they are getting the right nutrition and limit their salt intake. Get them eating vegetables and fresh fruits. While many children do not like vegetables, there are many ways to overcome this. You can spice up a recipe that involves vegetables.

Physical activity is the key to any healthy lifestyle. Getting your child involved in physical activity when young will help ensure they stay active and healthy as they age. Involve them in sports of their choosing and take walks with them. You can both benefit from this.

If your family has a history of high blood pressure, be sure your child gets routine check ups. This will help ensure they do not develop high blood pressure and if they do, you can start controlling it. Remember stress can raise blood pressure and while some kids shouldn’t be stressed, they are.

Children deal with stress just like adults, just in different ways. Talk with your child and stay active in their life and what goes on. You want them to have a happy healthy life and you can help them achieve that goal.

If you are unable to control your child’s blood pressure through their diet and exercise, you might have to turn to medication. Talk with your doctor and let them know what you have already tried. Sometimes this is not enough alone, but with medication, can help control it.

Try to exercise with your child every day. Exercising alone sometimes is harder for children and adults alike. You can get involved with your child this way and it will benefit you both.

Talk with your teenager about smoking and drinking. These both cause high blood pressure and once they know the risks they are less likely to try them. Do not think your child is invisible from developing any health problems along with high blood pressure.

Remember that blood pressure increases with age until you are around fifty. If you get a head start on watching yours and your child’s at an early age, you will both benefit very well in the end.

Obesity in Adolescents

Obesity and overweight are the second most major reasons of preventable deaths in America. Stagnant lifestyle and junk food is to be blamed for more than three hundred thousand deaths per annum. The sad thing is that this problem is on the rise. Obesity is a chronic disease which poses serious health risk to the health of an individual. Also, obesity is the easiest recognizable medical problem, but is very difficult to deal with.

People usually confuse obesity with overweight. Overweight is gaining of a few extra pounds. A person is considered obese when the total body weight is minimum ten percent more than the recommended weight for his/her body structure and height. According to an estimate every year hundred billion dollars are spent on the obesity problem. It is very important to treat the problem as early as possible. Obese children between the age of ten and thirteen have eighty percent chances of growing into obese adults, unless they change their ways and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The obesity problem starts from the age of five and continue till adolescence.

Obesity can be caused due to complex reasons including biological, genetic, cultural and behavioral factors. Usually a person gets obese when he/she consumes more calories than the body burns. Also there are fifty percent chances of becoming obese when both one of the parent is obese and when obesity has affected both the parents, the chances increases to eighty percent. One percent of obese people can have that fat because of health reasons, as obesity can be caused due to few medical disorders. The causes of obesity in adolescence are overeating, family history, bad eating habits, little or no exercise, medical illness, low self esteem, medications, depression, emotional problems, stressful life, and family problem.

Obesity can cause many major problems. Some of them are diabetes, sleeping disorders, high blood pressure, breathing problems, emotional problems and increase in heart disease risk. Teenagers are more prone to get emotional problems. Because of the weight, they develop low self esteem. They get into depression, obsessive compulsion disorder and anxiety.

Adolescents who want to tackle the obesity problem should approach a pediatrician who will thoroughly evaluate the cause. If no physical disorder is to be blamed, the weight is reduced by limiting the calorie intake and increasing physical activity. The doctor can advice a weight management program and change the eating habits of the teenager, slowly. The patient must avoid oily, fatty, fast and junk food. The potions must be reduced in order to decrease the calorie intake. If the adolescent has developed emotional problems because of obesity, an adolescent psychiatrist can collaborate with the pediatrician in order to make a comprehensive plan for treatment. The plan includes reasonable goals, behavior modification, family participation, and management of physical activity.

Self motivation is extremely necessary in loosing weight. Because obesity is more a family problem and not an individual problem, the whole family can switch to eating healthy food and exercising regularly. This can make the weight control program a success. Parents can play a major role by boosting the self esteem of their children by concentrating on their strengths and encouraging them, instead of targeting the weight problem. The whole family should eat meals together, instead of eating individually while watching a movie. This helps all the members to focus on the food and the quantity being eaten. If the teenager isnt getting support from his family members, he/she can join support groups which can help towards the goals.

After the adolescent has lost weight, it is very important that he/she maintains it. In majority of the cases, people shift back to their old eating habits after loosing weight. That is the reason why obesity is more of a lifetime issue. So the main aim of any weight loss program must be make the adolescent like healthy food. He/she must also be made to exercise regularly, irrespective of the weight.

PPPPP

Word Count 660