Fighting Obesity

Since the early 1980s, the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been advocated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and health professionals as a tool for indicating if a person is underweight, healthy, overweight obese.

Be aware that frame size, water retention, ethnicity,age, bone and muscle density can distort a persons BMI. For instance a healthy bodybuilder could have a BMI above 30 (ranked obese), due to muscle mass!

Calculating your BMI
1. Measure height in metres and multiply the figure by itself.
2. Measure weight in kilograms and then divide weight by height.
Example: You are 1.65m tall and weight 89kg
1. 1.65x1.65 = 2.72
2. Your BMI would be 89 divided by 2.72 = 32.72

This result shows that you fall into the very overweight category and therefore you should consider the benefits of a Herbalife ShapeWorks Programme.
BMI Thresholds
Male
Underweight: 20
Ideal: 20 to 25
Overweight: 25 to 30
Obese: 30 to 40
Morbid obesity: 40
Female
Underweight: 18
Ideal: 18 to 25
Overweight: 25 to 30
Obese: 30 to 40
Morbid obesity: 40

A recent study was made that found obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs.

For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5 foot ten inches in height, weighing 288 pounds with a BMI greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity. While this study referenced extreme levels of obesity, there are still millions of overweight people with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than their healthy-weight counterparts.

It is therefore vital that obesity is targeted at an early age to enable people to lead a healthy and productive life. Not only will this be of obvious benefit to them, it will also relieve the pressure on the health care system, which has seen its resources stretched to the limit in dealing with this growing problem.Number of obese people set to increase.Obesity is on the rise due to unhealthy lifestyles and eating habits.

By 2010 over 10 per cent of the European population aged 15 and over will be obese* It is estimated that obesity will overtake smoking as the biggest cause of heart disease. Obesity can also cause strokes and diabetes which puts a strain on global healthcare systems and health costs.

People are leading unhealthy lives; skipping breakfast, eating junk food and lack of exercise have all contributed to the rise of obesity. The number of overweight people in the world has now topped one billion.

Over the next few years, it is vital that the message gets across about health and nutrition, so that people will lead healthier lives. It must be emphasised to the people the importance of healthy eating habits.
*Euromonitor international,2005.

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