Top 10 Health Hazards of Being Overweight- Part I

So you can't fit into your "skinny" clothes-that's the least of your troubles if you are overweight. Forget fitting into those jeans, you've got bigger fish to fry (strictly metaphorically speaking, of course-do not eat ANYTHING fried!) Seriously, do you know there are 10 serious health risks for you if you are overweight? Some are manageable- others deadly. And that you can greatly reduce those risks by losing as little as 10 lbs!? So what are you waiting for to get into the gym? Here's a scared straight, Top 10 List you need to stay OFF!

1.) Heart Disease and Stroke-when your arties become clogged or narrowed, your risk for heart attacks and strokes increases greatly. Heart disease and strokes are the #1 and #3 leading causes of death, respectively. And even if you survive a heart attack or stroke, irreparable damage is done to your heart muscle, motor and cognitive skills. If you're overweight, you're more likely to develop high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides blood fats, LDL cholesterol “bad cholesterol”, and low levels of HDL cholesterol “good cholesterol”. These are all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition, excess body fat—especially belly fat—may produce substances that cause inflammation. Inflammation in blood vessels and throughout the body may raise your risk for heart disease.

2.) Cancer: Your risk of developing this #2 Leading Cause of death may be greater if you're overweight. Why? It may be that fat cells release hormones that adversley affect cell growth, leading to certain types of cancer like those of the colon, esophagus, kidney, and perhaps uterine and post-menopausal breast cancer in women. And poor eating and non-physical activity habits that lead to obesity, may also be contibutors in cancer risk. Remember yesterday's blog about your body being your temple-how do you honor your temple?

Now of course, heredity , genetics, and outright lousy habits such as smoking-the devil that deserves its very own blog entry- play a huge part in whether or not you are at risk for cancer- But the tremendous rewards earned by maintaining a healthy lifestyle are far too many to ignore by maintaining obesity and these poor habits.

3.) Sleep Apnea: Some people who are overweight stop breathing for short periods throughout the night while they sleep. During the day, they are often sleepy and have difficulty concentrating. Why? It's sleep apnea, the risk for which is higher if you're overweight, because more fat is stored around your neck, making your airway smaller, making it hard to breathe, and causing you to snore or stop breathing altogether. And did you know fat stored in your neck and body produces harmful substances that cause inflammation? This inflammation in your neck causes sleep apnea. And excessive snoring can be a tremendous burden on your partner, especially if a light sleeper. So if not for your own health and saftey, consider the one you love!

Please internalize that you owe it to yourself and the people who love and depend on you to protect your health! Stay tuned tomorrow for #4 through 6...