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.

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...

Beat the Summer Heat with these easy but IMPORTANT tips!

We know, we know- it's hot out there! But did you know that once you're thirsty enough to reach for that first drink during your workout, you're already 3% dehydrated? That's right. That's why it is so vital to remain hydrated THROUGHOUT THE DAY-don't wait till you're in class to reach for that bottle of water or sports drink.

That means for women, about 2.2 liters (9 cups) of fluids per day, and men, 3 liters (about 12 cups) If you're an athlete or active, you'll need even more, especially if you train in a hot climate (think Normandy Gym). Now, if you're properly hydrated even before you get to the gym, you'll be way ahead of the game- because your endurance can be as much as 33% better during you workout! Think about that the next time you feel you can't keep up and wonder why-you're parched, dangerously so!

Now whether you drink water or a sports drink (which adds water, sodium, carbohydrates, and electrolytes) is up to you. There are plenty of studies that show the benefits of sports drinks during exercise for replenishing-you can decide which, if any suits you best. But absolutely stay away from carbonated drinks like beer, coffee, and soda, etc., because the alcohol and caffeine in these drinks draw fluid OUT of the body: the exact opposite of what your body needs when your body is under exertion.

So remember to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and drink your water or sports drink during exercise breaks to and maximize your workouts. Your body will thank you! Especially during the hot summer months, when it's most important to reduce your core temperature by sweating, and surface temperature with the evaporation of sweat. Make sure you replenish those lost fluids to enjoy a safe, effective workout each time! See you at the gym! :)

The long, HOT summer is here...

And are you ready for it? Bikini season is upon us, and the beach is beckoning (and yes, our beaches are still clean here in Miami Beach, for all of you wondering)



NOW is the best time for you to get back on the fitness horse, for several reasons. First, and especially in South Florida, we wear less clothes during the hot summer months, and are less able to hide bulges and excess weight as later on during the cooler months. That means it's harder to justify and cheat ourselves-skipping workouts and eating poorly-because your problem areas are more evident in those tank tops and bathing suits! And somehow, summer-the heat, the sun, makes us want to get out there, move around, get active...the only problem is, figuring out WHAT to try...

What better way then to try boxing? No, you don't have to get hit! Cardio boxing classes have grown in popularity over the years because they provide not only a great way to burn TONS of calories, lose weight, and decrease body fat (think lean and mean), but it's FUN! Imagine spending an hour with your own personal punching bag, and great music pumping, while you punch, kick-work! Talk about a MAJOR stress reliever! To be able to unload all your tensions on a heavy bag (and NOT get hit back :)- to push yourself beyond the point you think is your limit-what a power rush to know you have an inner superhero inside, waiting to be unleashed! Now THAT's hot!