Healthy Body - The New Year's Resolution

Research indicates that 70 percent of New Year's resolutions are centered in the area of health and fitness. During January, fitness centers and gyms were full of enthusiastic people with water bottles and towels vigorously sweating with new found zeal.

However, by the second week of February the level of activity gradually returns to normal. Why? Are we disillusioned by the results? Many people have the mistaken idea that exercise is a fabulous way to lose weight. Most of us are motivated to exercise simply to get rid of accumulated flab. When immediate weight loss is not realized, we stop exercising and return to the old way of life.

Being "overweight" is really a problem of having too much body fat. Extra "weight" that is due to muscle and/or bone mass does not pose a health risk. However excess body fat contributes to a variety of health problems including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Dieters who exercise lose less lean body mass or muscles and regular exercise helps to maintain weight loss.

To successfully manage your weight, healthy eating and a physically active lifestyle must become everyday habits. Yes, being overweight is a risk factor of heart disease and other chronic illnesses, but, all fat people are not at risk. According to researchers at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, "overweight and obese individuals who are fit do not have elevated mortality rates."

In a study of 25,000 men, researchers found that approximately 10 percent of normal weight participants were unfit. The researchers concluded that low fitness was a strong predictor of other risk factors including high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Exercise promotes fitness and movement improves the quality of life in many ways.

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