THE DANGERS OF OBESITY

Most people who decide they need to lose wight are aiming to improve their appearance, but the health benefits of good nutrition and a sound exercise program are ultimately far more valuable.

Study after study has demonstrated that obesity is a significant threat to longevity and good health, but many people are not even aware that they are medically obese – the generally accepted definition of obesity is over 25% body fat for men, and over 32% body fat for women. An estimated 20% of American adults fit this profile.

The problem only gets worse with time: The average American adult puts on about a pound a year after the age of 25, meaning that by middle-age many people have put on 25 pounds or more. To make matters worse, your metabolism naturally slows down as you age, while at the same time, sedentary adults tend to lose one pound of lean muscle mass every year from inactivity, depressing metabolism even more.

The dangers of excess body fat range from insulin resistance and diabetes to heart disease and cancer, and the cause-and-effect relationship is not difficult to understand: If you are overweight, your heart has to work that much harder to supply fresh blood to the body, making everything from moving around to simple breathing more of an effort. Over time, this extra effort takes its toll, resulting in damage to the heart muscle.

Obesity also comes with a greater risk of high cholesterol, which can increase the chances of developing arteriosclerosis, in which the blood flow in the arteries is slowly choked off by plaque deposits, depriving internal organs of adequate blood supply and forcing the heart to pump harder, raising blood pressure. A full 25% of heart problems today can be traced directly to obesity.

While many people may be aware that obesity can damage the heart, few are aware that it can also result in a higher risk for cancer – in men, being overweight comes with a higher risk of prostate and colon cancer, while in women the risk of uterine and breast cancer is significantly higher. It is believed that excess body fat serves as storage for carcinogenic toxins in the body, and these toxins can leach from fat packed around the internal organs.

The good news is that by losing weight you can undo much of the damage caused by excess body fat and reduce your risk factors for cancer and heart disease – in fact, studies have shown that losing just 10-15% of your body weight can improve your overall heart health and cholesterol levels even more than prescription drugs in many cases.

Those who lose weight and exercise regularly have proven to be eight times less likely to die of cancer and heart disease, and 53% less likely to die of other diseases. Even if it takes you several years to implement a healthier way of life, the results over the long term will be more than worth the effort.

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Running as part of your quick weight loss program?

Running is one of the most effective ways to lose weight fast and get in good shape quickly – you can burn as many as 275 calories per mile, or up to 1,000 calories per hour, making it the most effective calorie-burning exercise method besides cross-country skiing and swimming.

In addition to helping you lose wight, running has also been proven to have a number of other health benefits, including helping to fight the effects of aging, such as the natural loss of muscle mass and bone density that tends to occur after middle age. While a sedentary lifestyle can lead to a reduction in muscle strength and brittle bones over time, running can keep your body in good form, allowing you to remain active and potentially reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis.

If one of your primary goals is to lose weight quick, you should make sure that you are maintaining a healthy diet that includes high-nutrient-density foods like fruits and vegetables, along with lean protain and fiber. Track the number of calories you are burning per day by running, and aim to consume enough calories to give you the energy you need to exercise, but not so many that the added calories cancel out the fat-burning benefits of exercise. No matter how far you run, you still need a calorie defecit in order to lose wight.

Although running can seem a bit daunting if you are just starting out, it does not need to be difficult – by starting out slowly and gradually increasing the distances you run and your average running speed as you get better, you can get all of the benefits of running while minimizing your risk of injury. Keep in mind that you can vary your routine by running outdoors or on a treadmill, depending on your schedule and the weather, making it one of the most flexible forms of exercise – you will almost never be able to find an excuse for skipping a workout.

In the very beginning, you may actually gain a few pounds, since running will prompt your body to put on lean muscle mass, but after a couple of weeks you should begin to see steady weight loss, and the added muscle will actually help you burn more fat throughout the day, even when you are at rest.

Running also makes it easy to collaborate with friends who may also be trying to lose wight or simply get in shape. By running with friends, you can increase your motivation to keep going and the natural competition can help you get better faster and encourage you to run longer distances. Running with friends can also take your focus off any nagging discomfort that might otherwise make you slow down and quit.

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