Hi!
Have you looked at the people around you lately? Did you notice that there are more overweight and obese people than thin ones? Our lifestyles and diets have made most of us overweight or fat, if not obese. Now, don’t for a moment think that a thin person is not obese. If you are thin, you can be obese too!
Obesity will kill you and you don’t have to be fat to be obese. A high BMI indicates that you are obese. BMI is Body Mass Index which is calculated by your weight in kilos divided by your height x height. When you are obese, you will end up with heart disease and die of a heart attack or be immobilized by a stroke.
Being overweight puts you at risk for high blood pressure. Do you know what high blood pressure can do to you? Too high a pressure endangers your heart because it has to work harder to pump the blood through your body and this will weaken your heart eventually.
Blood pressure measures the force of blood against the walls of your arteries and there are two figures. The upper figure is the systolic pressure of blood flow when your heart beats and the lower figure is the diastolic pressure when your heart muscle is relaxing.
The average normal pressure of a healthy person is 120/80mm Hg. This figure can go slightly higher in an older person. Should your systolic pressure go up to 150 or more, you need to see the doctor for advice and perhaps take medication to bring down the pressure.
However, he may advise you to exercise first before prescribing any medication as exercise has been shown to bring down high blood pressure. Studies have shown that daily brisk walks for about 40 minutes have brought down the blood pressure, the systolic pressure dropping by 3mm to 5mm and the diastolic by 2mm to 3mm.
Exercise improves the flexibility of your arteries so that they can pump the blood to your muscles more efficiently. Strong healthy blood vessels will lead to a healthy heart and keep the blood flowing smoothly, thus reducing the risk of blood clots which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Got that?
Some strength training such as lifting weights and these are not the huge dumbbells that you see in weight lifting competitions, can also lower your blood pressure and your blood sugar. Two 20 minute sessions per week will increase your muscle strength. Don’t forget that muscles help you to burn calories and thus help you to lose weight.
So to ensure that your heart is healthy and strong, you should not be overweight or obese. If you are, then it is time to lose weight and exercise so that you can help your heart to recover and you can enjoy better health.
So check your weight, calculate your BMI and if you’re not exercising daily, get off your butt and do so! Or you may be in for nasty surprises! Lose weight now if you’re overweight. Have a healthy heart and live to enjoy your grandchildren!
Happy exercising and more weight loss!
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