Shopping for a bikini can be worse than a visit to the dentist

Does the above statement apply to you? If yes, you are probable one of the 62% of people who are overweight or obese. Being overweight, that is a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 25 (and if you’re over 30 you’re obese), is not only unsightly but leads to health problems. These can be mechanical e.g. joint pain or metabolic e.g. diabetes and heart disease. Try to lose weight gradually (1kg per week) and exercise daily. Vary your activities to improve overall fitness and keep your interest up – guided walks are available from the walking for health group (www.whi.org.uk), exercise videos and DVD’s can be purchased for those who do not feel comfortable in the gym. With the onset of summer a daily walk can be enjoyed by all, 1 hour’s fast walk burns up 382 calories see http://www.ramblers.org.uk/INFO/everyone/health.html for more details.

So what should you be eating – a balanced diet consisting of 3 meals and 2 snacks, the bulk of the diet should come from carbohydrates with 25% fats and 18% from proteins. Sweets, cakes, pies and pastries are treats not items to be consumed daily. Did you know one slice of cheesecake has 390 calories? Saturated fat (derived from animals) needs to be kept to a bare minimum; these are in pastries, cakes, fat on meat, cheese, butter and cream. Good fats are called polyunsaturated, these are derived from fish oil – that’s omega 3, nuts and seeds – that’s omega 6, corn and sunflower oil etc. Flax seed oil is good for your skin, heart and immune system however you cannot use this one in cooking.

Taking care of your health now may prevent premature diseases of aging.