Why it is Important to Keep Active

Physical activity is as important a part of a weight loss program as eating the right food. A growing number of women are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnoea (breathing problems while sleeping), osteoarthritis, and some cancers.

It is not just how much fat a person has but also where it is located. A “pear” shaped women, has a tendency to store fat around the hips and buttocks whilst an “apple” shaped women stores fat around the waist. There is greater concern for women with an “apple” shape because carrying extra weight around their waists (larger than 35 inches) raises health risks, for example heart disease, diabetes or cancer. You can work out your body shape by measuring your waist and hips in inches and then dividing your waist measurement by your hip measurement. A result of 0.8 or more generally indicates an “apple” shape women.

Exercise helps you to lose fat and build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. It has been found that bone density is lost when weight loss is achieved through dieting alone. Exercise not only helps to prevent bones from breaking but also makes the body stronger and improves balance, and so helps to prevent falls. However, care must be taken when exercising as there is a need to ensure that the body has enough nutriments to build muscle. Otherwise minerals could be leeched from the bone and so make the bones weak. It is best not to exercise on an empty stomach.

Exercising provides a lot of benefits to the body such as:-

• help to reduce anxiety, depression, and improve moods
• help to control stress
• help to control weight
• provide more energy
• help with sleeplessness
• help you look better

The best way to stay fit is to have a well-rounded workout plan, which combines aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening exercises, and stretching. The ideal plan consists of at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity three or four times a week, adding muscle-strengthening activities to your aerobic workout two to three times a week.

To reduce the risk of injury you need to do a slow aerobic warm-up, then stretch before any aerobic or strengthening activities. An aerobic activity is an activity that speeds up your heart and breathing while moving your body at a regular pace. If you have been inactive for a while you will need to start slowly and gradually build up the pace without hurting the body.

Before starting any sort of exercise routine make sure that you talk to your doctor or health care provider especially if you have or are at risk of any of the following:

• heart disease or a stroke
• diabetes
• obesity
• an injury such as a knee injury
• are older than 50 years
• are pregnant