You Can Be Healthy at Any Size By Bonnie Bernell www.thirdage.com

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Did you know it's possible to be healthy at any size? A new study confirms that you don't have to be thin to be fit.

According to Steven Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, "There is a misdirected obsession with weight and weight loss. The focus is all wrong. It's fitness that is the key."

Blair's study shows that trim people who don't exercise have twice the death rate of larger people who do exercise. You don't need to lose one pound to be healthy, but you do need to:

Move. Take your eyes off your scale and move your body in enjoyable ways. Dance. Stretch. Garden. Park a few extra steps away. Walk for five minutes a day. Start where you are, begin slowly and pick up the pace as your fitness level grows. Make a 1 percent change now, and in 100 days you'll be at a dramatically different fitness level.

Drink. Drink water -- not coffee, wine or soda -- just water. Experiment and you'll find that water intake makes a huge difference in your energy level. Here's the formula: Divide your weight in half to get the number of ounces of water you need each day. If you weigh 200 pounds, you need about 100 ounces of water -- about eight, 12-ounce glasses.

Rest. Most people need a minimum of eight hours of sleep per night, yet most of us are sleep deprived. If you've been dreaming, you're likely sleeping well, since dreaming occurs during periods of deep sleep.

Eat. Do not deprive yourself of foods you especially want. Remember, there are no bad foods. Nourish yourself with nutritious choices of vegetables, fruits and lean protein. When you crave chocolate, try eating something that's good for you (like an apple), and then eat the chocolate. You may eat less, you may not, but you will become more aware of your choices.

Be current. Get excellent medical care in a timely way. If your physician sees fat and does not see you, try asking, "If I were a thin person, what would you do next?" If he or she cannot see the entire you, immediately go elsewhere. Do not avoid routine checkups. Bodies of every size need more tender loving care as we pass 40!

Be loved. Who you spend time with matters. Invest your time in people who cherish you. Make the choice to live a full, fit and bountiful life.

Bonnie Bernell is the author of Bountiful Women (Wildcat Press, 2000) and the owner of Bountiful Women.com.

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-- Anonymous, July 26, 2001

Answers

Good News If You're Overweight LONDON (AP) - Obese people who exercise have half the death rate of those who are trim but don't exercise, a leading expert said Tuesday.

Previous studies linking obesity and death from heart disease and other major killers have missed the important influence of exercise, said Steven Blair, director of research at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas.

"There is a misdirected obsession with weight and weight loss," he told a meeting of the Association for the Study of Obesity in London. "The focus is all wrong. It's fitness that is the key."

However, some experts cautioned that reaching an appropriate weight is still advisable for preventing other complications of obesity that are not thought to be related to fitness, such as cancer, arthritis and infertility. The ideal is still trim and fit, they said.

"When you look at the data and the number of subjects he's studied and you recognize that Steve is an excellent scientist, I think nobody would say the data are flawed," said Dr. Susan Jebb, director of the Human Nutrition Unit at Cambridge University in England.

"I think that's good news for people who are overweight because it kind of gives them two options. You don't have to lose weight. You can instead improve your fitness," she said. "However, the reality is that both of those are quite tough challenges. The question is just how many people do manage the level of fitness that he is showing is beneficial?"

Blair said that about 50 percent of the obese people in his studies were fit. It is unclear how that compares with the rate of fitness among obese people in the general population.

The studies involved 25,000 middle-aged men and about 8,000 women who were followed for 10 years. Fitness was measured by a standard stress test -- how long people could walk on a treadmill at increasing intensity before becoming exhausted.

Associated Press (c) iSyndicate

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2001