I just did some sit-ups. I vow to do them tomorrow, too, and the day after that. Not many -- my abdominal muscles are somewhat out of shape. But
over time, a few exercises at a time, I will get them back into gear.
Why am I so motivated? Because of the clearest story I think I've ever seen linking the size of a person's waist to the risk of early death -- in some cases, it doubles the risk. Doubles it.
Even people who are not considered overweight have a higher risk if more of their weight centers around their stomach. Apparently the fatty tissue around your middle produces specific hormones and other chemicals that lead to the development of cancers and cardiovascular disease.
The study, published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, tracked nearly 360,000 people for about 10 years.
Here's a quote from one of the researchers:
"Although smaller studies have suggested a link between mortality and waist size, we were surprised to see the waist size having such a powerful effect on people's health and premature death," said Professor Elio Riboli from Imperial College London. "There aren't many simple individual characteristics that can increase a person's risk of premature death to this extent, independently from smoking and drinking," he said.
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/11/14/big.waistlines/
All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.
Add a Comment2 Comments
We also signed up for a gym membership this week. Since we have recently moved, neither of us had been very active outside the house (inside the house, it's all boxes and dust, lol). And walking the dogs is fun, but with all their stops and starts and sniffing, it's rare when I actually get my heart rate anywhere above collie-stroll speed.
The three times in my life when I was leanest were, of course, the three times in my life when I was most active. One time was the years I was a runner -- I ran 5 miles at least three times a week, and loved it sooo much, but over time, it hurt my knees. The second time I was taking Jazzercise classes -- the music and the dance moves really are motivating. The third time, I had a gym membership and visited my favorite elliptical trainer almost daily.
This time, I want to put together a combination of weekly workouts that include the elliptical, strength training and yoga. The gym offers all of this, so I'm excited. I need to get my extra weight off, and simply cutting back on food never does it for me. For me, my losing weight "family tree" always starts with exercise, and the exercise makes me want to eat better, which helps me lose the weight. Dieting alone flips that family tree upside down and it never seems to work.
So wish me well. My hope is that by the time January comes around, I'll have made a big dent in my extra weight, especially the pounds that have settled around my waist.
November 17, 2008 - 11:13amThis Comment
And then, there was menopause...
Unfortunately, for some of us, the thickened waistline that develops sometime around the outset of menopause is a very real dilemma. I was barely 100 lbs and very slender half my life ago. But, between age 45 and 50, I gained nearly 30 lbs, then another 20 within another few years. That's when I joined a marathon training program.
Even though the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I would like, my body shape is changing for the better, albeit slowly. This I attribute more to changes in my daily diet than the training. But, the muffin top is the hardest to control.
Because of 2 C-sections, with vertical incisions, developing core strength has been a constant struggle. A co-worker's friend, a nurse, just started a new boot camp program that I'm going to join next week. I already run distances 3X/week; so, strength and X-training is in order for my plan. Most personal trainers will have you vary the type of exercise you do over the course of a few days/week, not repeat the same routine every day.
Core training and flexibility are just as important to anyone as to endurance athletes. These are areas where I personally need improvement in order to deal with visceral fat. Better this than to succumb to the negative health possibilities.
November 14, 2008 - 7:36pmThis Comment