Being too skinny is just like being too overweight. Both pose serious health risks. Skinny might look good but it comes with low muscle mass, compromised immune systems, osteoporosis, anemia, and hair loss. Weight loss is important and advertisements of weight-loss pills, shakes and miracle diets are all over social media, television, magazines, and almost every conversation with friends and family. There is a total lack of diversity in body shapes are being portrayed and discussed. Everyone wants to be skinny! This leads to unrealistic and unhealthy weight-loss goals. Skinny should be an objective measure based on your appearance, metabolism, weight, and body structure. Weight is not a one-size fits all.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, being skinny is not really in your best interest. Studies have shown overweight people or those with body mass indexes of 25 to 30 have a lower risk of dying than people of normal weight and/or skinny people. For too many years the thinking has been a skinny body is a healthy body and a heavy body is not. This is so wrong. Healthy bodies come in all sizes and shapes. If you are a little overweight, but healthy and happy then you are much better off than someone who is skinny and hungry.
Being healthy means feeling good in your body, mind and spirit. Health is characterized by your ability to function and live a life free from disease and those ticky-tacky ailments that hinder everyday life. There are components affecting health and being skinny is one of them.
Achieve a Healthy Weight
Start by maintaining a steady calorie intake. Don’t skip meals thinking that will make you skinny. Skipping meals will make you unhealthy. The body needs energy to function and if you cut back on meals you will lose your energy edge. Maintaining optimal health requires that you eat nutrient rich meals providing you with enough calories to meet your physiological needs. The average women should consume between 1600-2200 calories per day. If you want to lose weight, subtract 500 calories per day from your total calorie intake. However never eat less than 1200 calories per day unless you are under medical supervision. Weight loss should be gradual.
Move your body. It has been stressed so many times that physical exercise is a major component to weight loss. When managing weight, exercise! Physical activity promotes healthy body weight and prevents weight gain. Eat healthy, exercise and gradually get to your optimum weight.
Adults need to engage in a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity per day. You can get creative and mix up different exercise techniques to keep you exercise time lively. Walk, bike, run go to the gym; just do something. If you achieve you optimum weight you will reduce your risk for chronic diseases, keep your knees in shape and improve your mental health.
Whatever you do don’t beat yourself up if you don’t look like the 90 pound model in the cosmetic ads, or the cute girl walking down the street with toothpick legs. Changing things to improve your health can be challenging but it is rewarding. Take pride in your goals and do continue working toward other goals. Get a perspective on who you are and how you really need to look. Make a commitment to improve your life and choose healthy over skinny. It really is not important if you purchase your jeans from the higher sizes at the back of the rack or the size 0 or 2 in the front. What matters is you are healthy and happy.
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