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Exercise Effects on Obesity
Probably the biggest cause of obesity is lack of or very little
participation in physical activity. The new cyber age has definitely
added to the increasing problem of obesity. Even the number of
child obesity cases has risen to alarming levels. Kids today are
spending more time in front of the TV, the computer or playing
video games, and less time playing outside. In fact child obesity
has reached epidemic proportions in the US today.
Approximately 15% of American children are obese. And that number
has more than tripled in since 1980, according to the American
Obesity Association. If you are a parent and have overweight children
you must take action to encourage them to improve their diet and
exercise levels. There are two periods in life that the number of
fat cells increases in number, first in early childhood and again
in adolescence.
Evidence from recent studies has shown that puberty is the critical
stage at which adult obesity is determined. Overeating during
adolescence can actually increase a person’s number of fat
cells. (1) And this is when teenagers eat products containing
high sugar and fat contents, and refuse to eat healthy. Consequently,
helping to improve your children’s diets and encouraging
them to get active, would decrease their production of fat cells,
which would lower the risk of adult obesity.
What we need to do as adults is set an example and start getting
active. We have to get our own weight back to desirable levels.
One way to do that is to increase the body’s metabolism.
The best way to do accomplish that is to exercise regularly. And
we should include our children in our plans as well.
A good exercise prescription is a program of aerobic exercise
3-5 times a week, at a comfortably vigorous level for 30-60 minutes.
If you are new or out of shape you will have to start at a low
level of intensity and gradually increase it over time. Muscle
burns more calories than fat. Regular exercise increases muscle
mass which in turn increases the metabolic rate and the body continues
to burn fat well beyond the exercise period – even during
periods of rest. This “invisible exercise” is what
makes the difference in achieving weight loss maintenance.
You can participate in a wide variety of sports and activities.
The best ones involve the use of the big muscle groups such as
the legs. Some of these include cycling, in line skating, step
climbing, jogging, power walking. Did you know that walking directly
after a meal increases your metabolism and accelerates digestion?
Walking is one of the best activities overall. The many benefits
of walking include: increase in metabolism and fat burning efficiency,
and decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol. A twenty year
study showed that walking can decrease risks of breast cancer
by 20%, heart disease by 30% and diabetes by 50%. (2)
So get active - start today. As you spend more time exercising
you will spend less time around the house snacking on food; being
inactive or bored usually lead to snacking. You will find that,
once you begin exercising regularly, you will want to improve
your diet. Exercise participation has a positive psychological
effect on people. People begin to avoid unhealthy foods because
they have already made a commitment to improve their health and
body by exercising.
You can go online to find many exercise and weight loss products,
books, e-books, and weight loss programs. You can also search
the net for health clubs in your local area. Shop for the best
deals and offers on products and memberships before investing
your money.
References:
1 www.well-connected.com, “Biological Effect of Childhood
Obesity on Adult Weight”, Reviewed by Harvey Simon MD, Associate
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Retrieved Aug.
30 2004 from <http://www.well-connected.com/report.cgi/000053_4.htm>
2 www.walking.about.com, “Miracle cure found”, retrieved
Aug 25 2004 from <http://walking.about.com/cs/healthbenefits/a/miraclecure.htm>
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