Train HARD Be READY

Train HARD Be READY
Get into the BEST shape of your life!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Top 10 Health Hazards of Obesity- Part 3

By now you should see a pattern, or a link between not taking care of your health and maintaining healthy weight, and the potential for illness. If #1-7 were not enough to get you off the couch and into the gym (We started our countdown with the heavies, and you're probably thinking, "really, what are the odds?), here are a few more common and avoidable ailments that can make your life difficult and painful. Not deadly, but still very serious.
8.) Joint Problems- Pain in your knees? Hips? Elbows? Well, that could be excess weight putting extreme pressure on your joints, sometimes causing inflammation-aka arthritis. And the obesity-arthritis link is even stronger for females.
9.) Osteoarthritis- primarily affects the weight- bearing joints of the knees, back. hips, spine, and ankles. This common joint disorder causes the joint bone and cartilage (tissue that protects joints) to wear away. How are these linked to being overweight? Extra weight may place extra pressure on your weight bearing joints and cartilage, like in your knees, causing them to wear away, and hurt when you walk, jog, or jump. Also, if you store more body fat, you may have higher blood levels of substances that cause inflammation. Inflammation at the joints may raise the risk for osteoarthritis. Now, losing just 5% of your body weight may decrease this excessive stress on your knees, hips, and lower back, and lessen overall inflammation in your body. And if you already have osteoarthritis, losing weight may help improve your symptoms.

10.) Back Pain: Excess weight, especially in the abdominal area, can eventually put strain on one of your body's most vulnerable parts- the spine. And of course, ladies, lower back pain is especially common for you if you're overweight. Constant or recurring back pain adversely affects your quality of life. Left unchecked over time, can be very debilitating. And the best treatment for this lower back pain? Yep, you guessed it-weight loss and exercises! As little as 20 lbs (especially around your mid-section) can make a big difference in reducing the heavy load borne by your spine! So the sooner you take off the extra pounds with a slow, sensible weight loss program, the better for your health.
The consensus? You can avoid or eliminate many health ailments by keeping fit and eating right! This is something people think most about at New Year's Resolution time, but taking care of your body is not something you should put off for once per year-or a big event, like a wedding-the quality of your entire life depends on your getting up, getting off that couch, into the gym! Why? Because if you're currently overweight and inactive, you probably don't have the self-motivation to keep you moving. You need an environment that motivates you-pushes you to dig deep and release your inner warrior-think Normandy Gym. And exercising out around other people who are striving towards similar goals can be inspiring- remember the buddy system works! And once you've committed to a regular gym fitness routine, it will be easier then to add on additional activities you might enjoy outside of the gym, like jogging the beach, team sports-whatever you like. Not only will you look amazing in your skinny clothes again, but the most important part of your body (the inside, folks) will thank you.

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