Physical activity is just as important a part of a weight loss program as eating the right food. A growing number of women are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea (breathing problems while sleeping), osteoarthritis, and some cancers.

It is not just how much “fat” you have but also where it is located. “Pear” shaped women, have a tendency to store fat around the hips and buttocks whilst “apple” shaped women store fat around the waist. There is greater concern for women with an “apple” shape because of carrying extra weight around their waists. A waist larger than 35 inches raises health risks, for example heart disease, diabetes or cancer. You can work out your body shape by measuring your waist and hips in inches and then divide your waist measurement by the hips measurement. A result of 0.8 or more generally indicates an “apple” shape woman.

Exercise helps you to lose fat and build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. It has been found that bone density is lost when weight loss is achieved through dieting alone. Exercise not only helps to prevent bones from breaking but also makes the body stronger and improves balance, and so helps to prevent falls. Though care has to be given when exercising, it is also important to ensure that the body has enough nutrients to build muscle otherwise minerals could be leeched from the bone and so make the bones weak. Therefore it is best not to exercise on an empty stomach.

Exercising provides a lot of benefits to the body such as:-

help to reduce anxiety, depression, and improve moods

help to control stress

help to control weight

provide more energy help with sleeplessness

help you look better.

To reduce the risk of injury you need to do a slow aerobic warm-up, then stretch before any aerobic or strengthening activities. An aerobic activity is an activity that speeds up your heart and breathing while moving your body at a regular pace. If you have been inactive for a while you will need to start slowly and gradually build up the pace without hurting the body.

Before starting any sort of exercise routine make sure that you talk to your health care provider especially if you have any of the following:-

have or at risk of heart disease or a stroke

have or at risk of diabetes

are obese

have an injury such as a knee injury

older than 50 years

are pregnant

The best way to stay fit is to have a well-rounded workout plan, which combines aerobic activity, muscle-strengthening exercises, and stretching. The ideal plan is to do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity three of four times a week, adding muscle-strengthening activities to your aerobic workout two to three times a week. Exercise is not just for weight loss but is an important part of keeping and maintaining a healthy body.

The first of these two Inner Health articles dealt with diet, healthy eating and exercise habits. This article deals with hygiene and avoiding the dreaded “tummy bugs.”

Poor hygiene can lead to food poisoning and gastro-enteritis. The biggest cause of food poisoning is transmitted from the hands of people who do not thoroughly wash them after visiting the toilet. A few weeks ago, when I first started planning these articles I decided to do a private poll on how many men fail to wash their hands after visiting the toilet. The result was a real scary 60%. Obviously this figure cannot be claimed as totally accurate because I did not hang around public toilets for long periods; instead I just took my time when visiting a public toilet, washing and drying my hands thoroughly. During this period I found that around 40% walked out without washing and a further 20% just flicked their hands under running water. Parents please note that the time to educate your children about washing their hands starts as soon as the start going to the toilet alone. Habits that start in early childhood usually remain with us.

Food Care:

Storing food is important, more so in hot weather when bacteria flourish on the surface of chilled or frozen food which start to warm up in the hot boot of a car as you drive home from the supermarket. The same applies to storing food in an inefficient or overloaded refrigerator. Here are some tips:

- Meat that is not frozen should be covered and refrigerated at a minimum temperature of 37 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees C). It must be covered fully and aluminum foil is better than plastic wrap to ensure that light doesn’t penetrate.

- We all re-heat food at times and most are guilty of just warming rather than heating. Bacteria thrive on cooked meat surfaces and warming doesn’t destroy bacteria. If you are re-heating please re-heat thoroughly to ensure that bacteria does not survive.

Allergy Problems:

Certain people have allergies to various things such as: dairy products, nuts, shellfish etc. and eating these foods may result in diarrhea, palpitations or a skin rash. Others simply have food intolerance and find that their insides react to particular substances. If this problem is persistent it may be due to an underlying disease and you should visit your doctor. When the problem is identified it will be possible to avoid the offending foods and limit the recurrence.

When you are fully sure that your actions and habits are compatible to good food hygiene you are able to identify problems in those around you early and obtain early medical action to cure them. If your hygiene isn’t up to standard you can never be sure when a health problem exists. – It’s worth the effort to take care of your inner health for your own peace of mind.

This article is copyright © David McCarthy 2006 and may be reproduced in its entirety with no additions.