What's your BMI?

Do you know that it is reckoned that by 2050 more than half of the UK population will be obese (that’s a BMI of over 30) – OK – so that’s still 36 years away – and there is a very high probability that I won’t be one of those – however, this is in our children’s life time if not our own – and we all know about the health risks associated with being obese (diabetes, heart disease and cancer for a start). 

Should we be concerned – you bet we should – we know we are, on the whole, living longer – but being fat and ill and living longer may not be entirely joyful.

The National Obesity Forum suggests 5 key tips – see what you think;

Tip 1 – Find out if you are a healthy weight – so, so often I hear people say that they don’t know how much they weigh , but ……….

But they think they are OK

But they think they have put on a stone over Christmas

The truth may well lie somewhere in between – but it is best to know – anyone of our staff in the gym will help you to work out your Body Mass Index (BMI) – which is your height to weight ratio.  And once you know you can be on the road to getting it to where you want it to be.

Tip 2 Make Long –term changes

Make changes to your diet nad exercise regime that you can sustain.  Set yourself a goal – I want to lose a stone before I go on holiday (for example) – and hold yourself accountable for getting there

Tip 3 Make short-term goals to change your lifestyle

The Obesity Forum suggests ideas like swapping sugary drinks for water, swapping crisps for rice cakes.  And how about healthy recipes?  - home made healthy food twice a week – that could be a goal

Tip 4 Stay motivated

Keep remembering why you are doing this – ‘I want to be healthier’ – ‘I want to fit into my clothes again’ – just hold onto those ideas so if the going gets tough you can hold on tight!

And finally

Tip 5 Small steps lead to big changes

Ditch the bread, walk to the shops, take the stairs – you don’t have to drop down to under 1000 calories or run a marathon – little steps can lead to big changes as long as they are sustained.