Obesity is on the rise and the number of people with too much body fat is higher than ever. A human body consists of fat, water, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. When the amount of fat is too high then you are at higher risk of serious medical problems like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

When you have excess fat in your body it raises your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It can also raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of diabetes. The risk of heart disease is significantly higher when you are obese. In fact a person that is obese may have double the risk of having a major heart attack or a stroke.

When a person consumes more calories than they burn then those calories turn into stored fat. This causes a person to become overweight and may lead to obesity. When there is too many calories consumed that contain a lot of cholesterol and saturated fats the cholesterol levels in the blood increase. This increase of cholesterol will increase the risk of heart disease.

How do you know if you are obese?

Body fat is measure by both body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. If your waistline is more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men then you are at a high risk of becoming obese.

The BMI is the body weight in comparison to the persons height. This is calculated by taking the body weight (in pounds) and dividing it by the height (in inches) squared then multiply this by 703.

Here are the levels of body mass index calculations:

18.5 or less is considered as being underweight

18.5 to 24.9 is considered a healthy weight range

25.0 to 29.9 is considered as being overweight

30.0 or higher is considered as being obese

40.0 or higher is considered as extreme obesity.

How to reduce or prevent obesity:

1. Add some exercise into your daily routine, even if you start out with something simple such as walking for 30 minutes a day. If you can’t exercise every day then try to exercise at least three to four times a week.

2. Reduce the amount of time you spend doing activities sitting down, such as watching TV or time on the computer.

3. Make fitter choices, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift.

4. Eat a healthy, nutritious diet that is low in fat. Include lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet.

5. Reduce the amount of food consumed each day by making your proportions smaller.

It is easiest to prevent obesity but if you are already obese it isn’t too late to get back to a healthy weight range. To live longer and have a healthier and more active life, try the above tips to get yourself to a healthy weight and stay at a healthy weight. Having a healthy weight range is the best choice for avoiding those serious conditions, such as heart disease and stroke, which you are at higher risk at by being overweight.

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Do you dream of having a flat, firm stomach? Do you have just a little too much excess fat around your belly that you just can’t seem to get rid of? If so then this article might help you by giving you some ideas for how to lose your belly fat.

Unfortunately when you put on weight the belly is usually the first place to get fat and unfortunately it is usually the last place that you will lose fat. That is why there are many people that are reasonably fit but still have a bit of a tummy bulge. Even gym junkies who workout regularly and watch their diet closely may still be unhappy with their stomach. If you are wondering how to lose your belly fat then you need to know that you do have to be in reasonably good shape all over before you can get rid of that flab around the tummy.

If you are extremely overweight then your belly fat should not be your first concern. First you should focus on losing weight in general and getting down to a healthy weight range. You should begin eating a healthy diet and also introduce some exercise into your daily routine.

If you are in a healthy weight range but still carry some extra fat around your middle then you can start worrying about how to lose belly fat. When you are a healthy weight you will have a much better chance of tackling the belly fat problem.

Most people think that the best way to get rid of belly fat is to do sit ups or crunches and if your so called belly fat is actually just untoned muscle rather than fat then these exercises can be very effective.

If it is belly fat that you need to get rid of then you might need to try something more effective such as using a stability ball. Stability balls cost around $30 from sports stores and really are a great investment. Studies have shown that people who use a stability ball have twice the muscle fiber than people who do regular sit ups and crunches without a ball.

Other effective exercises for getting rid of belly fat are exercises that involve bringing your legs up to level with or above your waist. Kickboxing is a great way to exercise like this and get a flatter stomach. Kickboxing will give you a great cardio workout as well as giving you the left lifting exercises that help tone stomach muscles.

Dancing is another form of exercise that can benefit the stomach. There are many different types of dancing and they are all great for exercising and losing weight and toning the body. One very effective dance is belly dancing which specifically targets the muscles in the stomach. You can join a belly dancing class or even grab a DVD and do it from home. Zumba is another type of dance exercise that is becoming very popular and gives a great cardio workout. You can also do Zumba from home with a DVD or join a class.

Cardio workouts are great for burning fat but don’t rely solely on this type of exercise. It is best to combine cardio exercise with some strength training exercise to build your muscle mass. Muscle burns fat so the more muscle that you have the faster your will burn off fat.

The most important point to remember when you are trying to find out how to lose your belly fat is that if you are overweight all over there is no point focusing only on your stomach. You need to tone your body all over and lose weight all over and then if you still have some excess tummy fat you can then deal with it.

When you are a good weight for your height and age you can then target the problem area with exercises specifically designed to tone the muscles in the stomach and burn off fat.

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Once your doctor gives you the all clear to start working out, losing weight after pregnancy is pretty much the same as losing weight at any other time. Get more exercise and eat a balanced diet and you will lose weight. I make it sound so easy, don’t I?

Many first time moms are astonished to go home and to take that first post baby look in a full length mirror. I know I thought that once I delivered my baby (all 10 lbs of her!) that the rest of the weight would be gone. Not so much, but it actually does go pretty quickly when you get home.

The fact is that after your baby is born, even before you are fully recuperated, your body will start to bounce back. Just the busy daily routine you are undertaking will start to make positive changes in your muscle tone.

Eventually, though, after you settle in to your new lifestyle, you will want to take your fitness and weight loss efforts up a notch. When that time comes, here is some good advice for you to follow:

1. Most women see the biggest difference in their stomachs and mistakenly think that doing thousands of crunches is where they should concentrate their efforts. Wrong. There is no such thing as ‘spot reducing’. If you want your waistline back you will have to lose weight and that happens with a balanced diet and a whole body exercise plan.

2. Stay away from quick fix cleanses and fad diets. You’re a mom and you have children depending on you. The last thing you need is anything that will make you feel tired and sluggish (after all, you just gave birth to something that can make you feel tired and sluggish, why add to it!).

3. With young children it can be a challenge to find the time to work out. Not to worry. You can make a huge positive impact on your body with 15 minute power workouts throughout your day.

If you don’t have time to spend 30 minutes straight on a treadmill, how about just 15 minutes of some form of activity? Something as simple as a few jumping jacks, a few minutes of jump roping, or even taking your newest addition for a walk in their stroller can be all you need.

4. Don’t forget to take care of yourself either. Get dad to take the baby at least for a few minutes every day to give you some much needed down time. Stress has a way of making you hang on to your excess body weight. Even a 15 minute soak in your tub, all by yourself, in peace and quiet can make a world of difference.

With some common sense, and realistic expectations, losing weight after pregnancy doesn’t have to be the daunting task it may seem. Just make sure to take good care of yourself and you will be better able to take care of your new (screaming and puking) bundle of joy!

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