FACTS ON OBESITY
In 2008, more
than 1.4 billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight. Of these over 200
million men and nearly 300 million women were obese.
35% of adults
aged 20 and over were overweight in 2008, and 11% were obese.
65% of the
world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more
people than underweight.
More than 40
million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011.
Obesity is
preventable.
What are
overweight and obesity?
Overweight
and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may
impair health.
Body mass
index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to
classify overweight and obesity in adults. It is defined as a person's weight
in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2).
The WHO
definition is:
a BMI greater
than or equal to 25 is overweight
a BMI greater
than or equal to 30 is obesity.
BMI provides
the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the
same for both sexes and for all ages of adults. However, it should be
considered a rough guide because it may not correspond to the same degree of
fatness in different individuals.
Facts about
overweight and obesity
Overweight
and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million
adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In addition, 44%
of the diabetes burden, 23% of the ischaemic heart disease burden and between
7% and 41% of certain cancer burdens are attributable to overweight and
obesity.
Some WHO
global estimates from 2008 follow.
More than 1.4
billion adults, 20 and older, were overweight.
Of these
overweight adults, over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were
obese.
Overall, more
than 10% of the world’s adult population was obese.
In 2011, more
than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight. Once considered
a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in
low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. More than 30
million overweight children are living in developing countries and 10 million
in developed countries.
Overweight
and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. For example,
65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity
kill more people than underweight (this includes all high-income and most
middle-income countries).
What causes
obesity and overweight?
The
fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between
calories consumed and calories expended. Globally, there has been:
an increased
intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat; and
an increase
in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms
of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.
Changes in
dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental
and societal changes associated with development and lack of supportive policies
in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment,
food processing, distribution, marketing and education.
What are
common health consequences of overweight and obesity?
Raised BMI is
a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases such as:
cardiovascular
diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), which were the leading cause of
death in 2008;
diabetes;
musculoskeletal
disorders (especially osteoarthritis - a highly disabling degenerative disease
of the joints);
some cancers
(endometrial, breast, and colon).
The risk for
these noncommunicable diseases increases, with the increase in BMI.
Childhood
obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and
disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese
children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures,
hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and
psychological effects.
Facing a
double burden of disease
Many low- and
middle-income countries are now facing a "double burden" of disease.
While they
continue to deal with the problems of infectious disease and under-nutrition,
they are experiencing a rapid upsurge in noncommunicable disease risk factors
such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban settings.
It is not
uncommon to find under-nutrition and obesity existing side-by-side within the
same country, the same community and the same household.
Children in
low- and middle-income countries are more vulnerable to inadequate pre-natal,
infant and young child nutrition At the same time, they are exposed to
high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods, which
tend to be lower in cost but also lower in nutrient quality. These dietary
patterns in conjunction with lower levels of physical activity, result in sharp
increases in childhood obesity while undernutrition issues remain unsolved.
How can
overweight and obesity be reduced?
Overweight
and obesity, as well as their related noncommunicable diseases, are largely
preventable. Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping
people’s choices, making the healthier choice of foods and regular physical
activity the easiest choice (accessible, available and affordable), and therefore
preventing obesity.
At the
individual level, people can:
limit energy
intake from total fats and sugars;
increase
consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts;
engage in
regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes per
week for adults).
Individual
responsibility can only have its full effect where people have access to a
healthy lifestyle. Therefore, at the societal level it is important to:
support
individuals in following the recommendations above, through sustained political
commitment and the collaboration of many public and private stakeholders;
make regular
physical activity and healthier dietary choices available, affordable and
easily accessible to all - especially the poorest individuals.
The food
industry can play a significant role in promoting healthy diets by:
reducing the
fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods;
ensuring that
healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers;
practicing
responsible marketing especially those aimed at children and teenagers;
ensuring the availability of healthy food choices and supporting regular physical activity practice in the workplace.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Other definitions have been proposed, among which a recent definition that correlates health and personal satisfaction. Classification systems such as the WHO Family of International Classifications, including the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the International Classification of
Diseases (ICD), are commonly used to define and measure the components of health.
Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet.
According to WHO "Nutrition
is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary
needs. Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with
regular physical activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor
nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to
disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced
productivity".
11 TIPS ON HOW TO STAY HEALTHY
1. Maintain healthy
eating habits. Avoid fad diets like the plague; to get all the nutrition
the human body needs, eat carbs, protein, and fat (yes, even fat!) at
every meal. By doing so, you'll have a healthy heart, healthy brain, and
a fully functional immune system. Eating highly varied foods will also
help insure you get all the vitamins, minerals, oils, and enzymes your
body craves.
To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. That’s all
there is to it. With the exception of sweets, eliminating one area of
the food pyramid from your diet won’t replace the need to simply consume
fewer calories.
Avoid skipping meals, which is hard on the body. Some people even
recommend eating up to 6 mini meals a day instead of 3 large ones, which
can sustain energy and steady blood-sugar levels; however, many people
end up turning their “mini meals” into junk food sessions and end up
consuming not just more calories, but emptier ones. Be honest with
yourself before making this choice.
If you want to work on portion control, eat low energy-density foods
(i.e. more substance, fewer calories). Fruits and vegetables, for
example, are packed with not only vitamins and minerals, but also water
and fiber, making them take longer to digest and keeping you full
longer.
Drink more water. This helps flush metabolic wastes to keep your
metabolism in top shape. Water can also help you feel fuller, so drink
at least a half-gallon (2 liters) of water every day (or more if you are
active or live in a hot climate).
2 Sleep well every
night. Adults should get 7 to 9 hours daily, whereas school-aged
children should get 10 to 11. One of the absolute most important ways of
improving the quality of your sleep is to do it in complete darkness,
as even small amounts of light interfere with the chemicals that tell
your body to rest. If you can’t eliminate the light in your room, wear
an eye mask. Another one of the best ways to improve your sleep is to
exercise
.
.
Sleeping is also a good way to prevent overeating. A study by The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that men who only
slept for 4 hours consumed, on average, 500 more calories than they did
after sleeping for 8.
3 Stick to an exercise
regimen. If you don’t want to pay for a gym membership, try
strength-training at home. The muscle you develop will help increase
your metabolism: the bodies of muscular people burn more calories even
while they’re at rest. To keep your heart in shape, do cardio. One
particularly effective way to improve your cardiovascular health is to
do interval training, which means alternating between low- and
high-intensity activity. This has been shown to be a quick and extremely
effective way to improve heart health and endurance. (Anyone over the
age of 60 or who has heart disease, high blood pressure, or arthritis
should consult a doctor before attempting interval training.)
4 Pursue your passions.
No, not everyone can make a living playing sold-out concerts, traveling
around the world trying new foods, or churning out bestselling fantasy
novels, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on your dreams. Set
some time aside to practice an instrument, do art, take photos, build
models, weld, bake gourmet cakes, or whatever else enriches your free
time. If you want to learn something new, take an evening or weekend
class. If you can’t think of anything interesting off the top of your
head, take the time to find a hobby.
If you’re convinced that there isn’t enough time in the day to pursue
any outside activities, try to cut back on a time-wasting activity like
channel-surfing or hitting refresh on Facebook
.
5 Limit your vices. Quit
smoking, beat drug addiction, and, if necessary, stop drinking. Avoid
other risky behaviors like speeding, fighting, unsafe sex, and excessive
thrill-seeking.
6 Improve your psychological
health. Prioritize developing meaningful relationships above simply
being social. Practice self-disclosure, which means sharing things that
are unique to you (your thoughts, fears, favorite movies and music, pet
peeves, etc.) with those you trust. This has been shown to be of immense
importance to not only forging deeper interpersonal connections, but
also feeling validated emotionally.
Learn how to have a healthy relationship. If you think you’re in a
manipulative or controlling relationship, get out of it. It’s better to
stand strong on your own than be held back by a so-called companion.
Learn how to understand your emotions so that you can truly know yourself.
Learn how to cope with emotional pain and, if necessary, deal with emotional abuse.
7 Keep your mind limber.
Read more, solve puzzles, play games of strategy, learn to play an
instrument, improve your memory, and never stop learning, even if you
feel like you’re “past your prime.” In addition to the fact that staying
mentally active is emotionally rewarding, studies have shown that there
is a correlation between mentally-challenging activities and a
decreased risk of Alzheimer's.
8 Be hygienic. Wash your
hands thoroughly after coming into contact with a sick person, using the
bathroom, or anything else that could make you sick. (If you’re not
sure what “thoroughly” entails, sing Happy Birthday to You in your head
as you scrub.) In addition to flossing regularly, brush your teeth and
tongue at least twice daily to limit plaque and harmful bacteria.
9 Make little lifestyle
changes. Don’t tire yourself out by making large gestures toward health
without addressing the small stuff. Instead of running yourself ragged
at the gym three days a week, park farther away from the store, walk the
dog more often, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or weed your
garden; instead of attacking your veggies and dip distractedly in front
of the computer or TV, set time aside to slowly enjoy each meal and
prevent mindless overeating. Get your new habits to stick by tackling
them at the grass-roots level.
10 Remember to do
everything in moderation – including moderation. Turning each aspect of
your life into something you need to check off a list can not only make
you feel trapped, but also make you more likely fall (or possibly even
throw yourself) off the wagon. Allowing yourself the occasional
indulgence to blow off steam will make you much more satisfied with your
new lifestyle choices.
11 Know that friends play an
important role. Many studies show that people with a wide range of
social contacts get sick less than those who don't. Friends make you
laugh, and laughing is also an important part of health.,
DIET
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are
the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing
what foods to eat. The word diet often implies the use of specific
intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons (with the two often being related). Although humans are omnivores,
each culture and each person holds some food preferences or some food
taboos. This may be due to personal tastes or ethical reasons.
Individual dietary choices may be more or less healthy.
Proper nutrition requires ingestion and absorption of vitamins, minerals, and food energy in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Dietary habits and choices play a significant role in the quality of life, health and longevity. It can define cultures and play a role in religion.
Diet classification table
Food Type
| paleolitic diet | |||||||||
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
| |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
| |
No
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
No
|
No
|
Yes
|
No
|
Religious and cultural dietary choices
Some cultures and religions have restrictions concerning what foods are acceptable in their diet. For example, only Kosher foods are permitted by Judaism, and Halal foods by Islam. Although Buddhists are generally vegetarians, the practice varies and meat-eating may be permitted depending on the sects. In Hinduism, vegetarianism is the ideal, but meat-eating is not banned. Jain are more or less strictly vegetarian
Dietary choices
Many people choose to forgo food from animal sources to varying degrees (e.g. flexitarianism, vegetarianism, veganism, fruitarianism) for health reasons, issues surrounding morality, or to reduce their personal impact on the environment. Raw foodism is
another contemporary trend. These diets may require tuning or
supplementation such as vitamins to meet ordinary nutritional needs.
.Weight management
A
particular diet may be chosen to seek weight loss or weight gain.
Changing a subject's dietary intake, or "going on a diet", can change
the energy balance and increase or decrease the amount of fat stored by
the body. Some foods are specifically recommended, or even altered, for
conformity to the requirements of a particular diet. These diets are
often recommended in conjunction with exercise. Specific weight loss programs can be harmful to health, while others may be beneficial (and can thus be coined as healthy diets).
The terms "healthy diet" and "diet for weight management" are often
related, as the two promote healthy weight management. Having a healthy
diet is a way to prevent health problems, and will provide your body
with the right balance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Eating disorders
An eating disorder is
a mental disorder that interferes with normal food consumption. It is
defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient
or excessive diet.
Health
A healthy diet may improve or maintain optimal health. In developed countries, affluence enables unconstrained caloric intake and possibly inappropriate food choices.
It is
recommended by many authorities that people maintain a normal weight by
(limiting consumption of energy-dense foods and sugary drinks), eat
plant-based food, limit red and processed meat, and limit alcohol. However, there is no total consensus on what constitutes a healthy diet.
The story of a 625lb mother-of-six who died as a result of her weight is documented in a new TLC show.
Dominique Lanoise, 40, from Miami, Florida, was virtually housebound for almost two decades with her daughters washing, feeding and caring for her.
She died in March, after being given less than a year to live by doctor's who had been waiting to give her potentially life-saving stomach surgery.
Commenting on her situation, Dr Oscar Hernandez from the Southern Bariatric Center in Miami, said: 'She’s gone to town eating, there is no operation at these numbers.
'It wasn’t a one time slip-up it was a systematic assassination of her weight loss program.'
During the TLC special, 600-Pound Mom: Race Against Time, he is seen visiting Lanoise at home telling her: 'You are going to die in this bed; this bed is your coffin.'
Dr Jorge Rabaza the bariatric surgeon in charge of giving her life-saving surgery agreed that operating at that point would be too risky.
'I'm willing to be reasonable with that number. Dominique is 625 I will not do the surgery,' he said.
'There is a high mortality rate for morbidly obese patients, where they get blood clots in their legs and the blood clots go up to their lungs. A large blood clot will kill a patient instantaneously.'
He said the eventual goal was to reduce her stomach by 90per cent.
Lanoise, born in Haiti, started gaining weight aged 16, following the birth of her first daughter, Witelane.
'I used to be skinny but after I had my first baby I got so big.' she told Asiantown.net.
As her weight skyrocketed to more than 600 lbs, she spent her days sitting in bed wrapped in sheets as she couldn't find clothes to fit.
She first came to the media's attention in 2010 when she was forced to stay in Haiti for three months after the earthquake, because she was too heavy for commercial airlines.
Instead she was forced to travel back to the U.S. in a military cargo plane.
Despite doctor’s orders to eat healthier, she continued to indulge in her favorite Haitian dishes and sprinkled her meals with appetite-suppressing powder, wrongly thinking it would counteract the calories.
At one point, Lanoise was close to her target weight - but she explained that 'sometimes I feel so hungry.'
Lanoise's daughters had mixed feelings about the surgery and some are concerned about the risks although they were keen to get her walking again.
One of her daughters recalled: 'When they told me the weight. I was like very surprised and very angry. I thought the scale was wrong but as they did it over and over again it was right.'
Dr Hernandez added: 'I do need to have a conference with her daughters, make sure they support what we’re doing. I’m not here 24 hours a day.'
Culled: Dailymail.co.uk
MORE ARTICLES...
'Fitness Myths Busted'
MYTH 1: MUSCLE TURNS INTO FAT
REALITY: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it's physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.
MYTH 2: YOU NEED TO EXERCISE 30 MINUTES STRAIGHT TO GET FIT.
REALITY: Three 10-minute cardio stints offer the same healthy payback as a single 30-minute one. If you are trying to peel off pounds, of course, the more you do, the faster you'll succeed. But don't feel guilty if all you can squeeze in is a few minutes here and a few minutes there—it all adds up.
Short on time? Ratchet up the intensity of your workout: Go hard for 30 seconds on the elliptical or jog for a minute in the middle of your walk to maintain your fitness level and your habit. And remember, anything you do—whether it's a brisk 5-minute walk or carrying heavy groceries to your car—for any period of time, provides some benefit.
MYTH 3: OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE HAVE A SLUGGISH METABOLISM.
REALITY: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism. Try this fat-burning workout to really see results.
MYTH 4: LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS MAKE WOMEN BULK UP.
REALITY: Women don’t have enough of the muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even using heavy weights. The truth is, some people will gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed some of the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath. Shape sleek muscles with this workout from The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels.
MYTH 5: YOU CAN’T LOSE ANY WEIGHT BY SWIMMING.
REALITY: OK, it’s true that long-distance swimmers who navigate colder waters tend to retain body fat for insulation. But ask anyone who laps it up while training for a triathlon: You will sizzle off pounds in the pool, since swimming burns 450 to 700 calories an hour! One reason you might not shed flab doing freestyle? If you throw in the towel and cut your workout short.
MYTH 6: STRETCHING BEFORE EXERCISE PREVENTS INJURIES AND ENHANCES PERFORMANCE.
REALITY: Researchers are still scratching their head over this one, since studies have yet to show conclusively that limbering up has any effect on staving off strains and other injuries. But they do know that stretching regularly can make bending, reaching, twisting and lifting easier. Best move: Save your stretching for post-exercise, when muscles are warm.
MYTH 7: YOU BURN MORE CALORIES EXERCISING IN CHILLY WEATHER.
REALITY: If you shiver through a long run in the frigid winter air simply to experience the extra calorie burn, you might want to come in from the cold: You do torch a few extra calories during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same whether you’re exercising in Siberia or the Sahara. Try a treadmill circuit workout with a great playlist to keep you going!
MYTH 8: WHEN YOUR BODY GETS USED TO AN EXERCISE, YOU'LL BURN FEWER CALORIES DOING IT.
REALITY: Unless you've adjusted the intensity, you'll burn as much jogging or cycling today as you did last week, last month, even last year. Experts say that this principle only applies to exercises that we're naturally inefficient at, such as using the elliptical machine: After five to six sessions, you'll be smoother in your movements and expend fewer calories—but the difference is only about 2 to 5 percent.
MYTH 9: THE CALORIE READOUT ON MACHINES IS ACCURATE.
REALITY: If only! Research has shown that some types of machines can be off by as much as 70 percent. The culprit? Contraptions such as the elliptical machine haven’t been around long enough for exercise scientists to develop the appropriate calorie-burn equations. On the upside, stationary bikes and treadmills, the grandfathers of the gym, generally give a fairly precise reading, particularly if you enter your age and weight.
Rather than swearing by what the machine says, use the calorie readout to monitor your progress. If the tally climbs during the same workout for the same duration, you’re working harder and getting fitter.
REALITY: Muscle and fat are two completely different tissues that have different functions, so it's physiologically impossible to turn one into the other. If you stop exercising, your muscles atrophy, so you lose the tone you worked so hard to create. And if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain fat.
MYTH 2: YOU NEED TO EXERCISE 30 MINUTES STRAIGHT TO GET FIT.
REALITY: Three 10-minute cardio stints offer the same healthy payback as a single 30-minute one. If you are trying to peel off pounds, of course, the more you do, the faster you'll succeed. But don't feel guilty if all you can squeeze in is a few minutes here and a few minutes there—it all adds up.
Short on time? Ratchet up the intensity of your workout: Go hard for 30 seconds on the elliptical or jog for a minute in the middle of your walk to maintain your fitness level and your habit. And remember, anything you do—whether it's a brisk 5-minute walk or carrying heavy groceries to your car—for any period of time, provides some benefit.
MYTH 3: OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE HAVE A SLUGGISH METABOLISM.
REALITY: Though some folks do have metabolic disorders that slow their metabolism, fewer than 10 percent of overweight people suffer from them. In fact, the more you weigh, the more calories you'll burn during exercise at the same relative workload as a slimmer person. If you notice the scale climbing higher, worry about your activity level, not your metabolism. Try this fat-burning workout to really see results.
MYTH 4: LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS MAKE WOMEN BULK UP.
REALITY: Women don’t have enough of the muscle-building hormone testosterone to get bulky, even using heavy weights. The truth is, some people will gain muscle faster than they lose fat, so they may look bigger until they shed some of the flab and reveal the slim, toned muscles underneath. Shape sleek muscles with this workout from The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels.
MYTH 5: YOU CAN’T LOSE ANY WEIGHT BY SWIMMING.
REALITY: OK, it’s true that long-distance swimmers who navigate colder waters tend to retain body fat for insulation. But ask anyone who laps it up while training for a triathlon: You will sizzle off pounds in the pool, since swimming burns 450 to 700 calories an hour! One reason you might not shed flab doing freestyle? If you throw in the towel and cut your workout short.
MYTH 6: STRETCHING BEFORE EXERCISE PREVENTS INJURIES AND ENHANCES PERFORMANCE.
REALITY: Researchers are still scratching their head over this one, since studies have yet to show conclusively that limbering up has any effect on staving off strains and other injuries. But they do know that stretching regularly can make bending, reaching, twisting and lifting easier. Best move: Save your stretching for post-exercise, when muscles are warm.
MYTH 7: YOU BURN MORE CALORIES EXERCISING IN CHILLY WEATHER.
REALITY: If you shiver through a long run in the frigid winter air simply to experience the extra calorie burn, you might want to come in from the cold: You do torch a few extra calories during the first few minutes, but once you get warmed up, the caloric expenditure is the same whether you’re exercising in Siberia or the Sahara. Try a treadmill circuit workout with a great playlist to keep you going!
MYTH 8: WHEN YOUR BODY GETS USED TO AN EXERCISE, YOU'LL BURN FEWER CALORIES DOING IT.
REALITY: Unless you've adjusted the intensity, you'll burn as much jogging or cycling today as you did last week, last month, even last year. Experts say that this principle only applies to exercises that we're naturally inefficient at, such as using the elliptical machine: After five to six sessions, you'll be smoother in your movements and expend fewer calories—but the difference is only about 2 to 5 percent.
MYTH 9: THE CALORIE READOUT ON MACHINES IS ACCURATE.
REALITY: If only! Research has shown that some types of machines can be off by as much as 70 percent. The culprit? Contraptions such as the elliptical machine haven’t been around long enough for exercise scientists to develop the appropriate calorie-burn equations. On the upside, stationary bikes and treadmills, the grandfathers of the gym, generally give a fairly precise reading, particularly if you enter your age and weight.
Rather than swearing by what the machine says, use the calorie readout to monitor your progress. If the tally climbs during the same workout for the same duration, you’re working harder and getting fitter.
Lucy Danziger, author of "Fitness Myths Busted", is
editor-in-chief at Self Magazine
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.