Tag: Abdomen

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Weight Loss Exercise

How to measure your body shape

There are many ways to calculate your size and weight. Weight is easy with a scale but the way to measure your size is usually done using the Body Mass Index, a measurement I have never been a big fan of. Here is that and more. This info is from Health Canada but even if you are not a Canadian I think it is still relelvent.

Body Mass Index
The body mass index (BMI) assesses body weight relative to height. You can calculate your BMI by taking your weight in kilograms and dividing

it by your height in metres squared (BMI = kg/m2) or your weight in pounds divided by the square of your height in inches and multiplying that number by 704.5 (BMI = Ib/in2 x 704.5). But you don’t need to do the math yourself. You can check your BMI on a standard BMI table found in many pharmacies and medical offices. If you have access to the Internet, there are many interactive BMI calculators that will do the math for you after you enter your height and weight.

How to measure your body shape

Once you know your BMI, you can use it to help determine how healthy your weight is in relation to your height.

  • BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight.
  • BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered the normal, healthy range.
  • BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered over­weight.
  • BMI over 30 is considered obese.

The BMI is only one indicator of a healthy weight. It has limitations and does not apply to children, pregnant women, or people with very muscular bodies. If your BMI falls outside what is generally considered healthy, ask your doctor what would be a healthy range for you.

Hip-to-Waist Ratio

Fat stored around the abdomen (the “apple­shaped” body) raises the risk of cardiovascular disease more than fat stored in the hip area (the”pear-shaped” body), so the hip-to-waist ratio (HWR) can be a useful tool in determining your risk of weight-related health problems.

To calculate your HWR, measure your waist at the smallest part-generally a few centimetres above your navel-then measure your hips at the widest point, including your buttocks. Now divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement to determine your hip-to-waist ratio.

Women with an HWR greater than 0.8 and men with an HWR greater than 1 .0 have a higher risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes and should try to reduce their abdominal body fat.

Waist Circumference

Another easy tool for determining if your weight is in the healthy range is the waist circumference (WC). A WC of 88 cm (35 in.) or more in women or 102 cm (40 in.) or more in men carries a higher risk for health problems.

Achieving a Healthy Weight

To encourage healthy eating, Health Canada has developed Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, which outlines the four main food groups and explains which foods fall into which group and how many servings we should choose from each group every day. A copy of this guide is available at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide­alimenVindex_e.html. Recently, the Food Guide was expanded to include a variety of multicultural variations. They are available in a number of languages at www.nutritionrc.ca/guide.html.

One of the keys to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is portion control. A number of studies have shown that many people under­estimate the number of calories they consume daily, primarily because they don’t understand how much is in “a portion.” Here is a practical way of estimating the size of a portion of some common foods.

  • Vegetables fruit: about the size of your fist
  • Pasta or rice: about the size of one scoop of ice cream
  • Meat, fish, or poultry: about the size of a deck of cards or the size of your palm (without the fingers)
  • Cheese: about the size of a pair of dice or the size of your thumb from the tip to the base

Physical Activity

Although dieting alone can help you lose weight, adding exercise into your daily schedule can speed up the process. The goal of exercise in a weight loss program is to help burn more calories. Exercise itself, apart from its role in weight loss, has many health benefits-even for people whose weight is in the healthy range. But before you start any exercise program, check with your doctor to make sure that the activity you are planning is appropriate in terms of your age, overall health, and state of physical fitness.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Why Your Waist Size Is So Important for Your Health


While a lot of people place emphasis on losing weight, you don’t see much as much press about waist size. However, the fact of the matter is that having a suitable waist size is even more important than being the right weight. This is because a big waist circumference is linked to a variety of health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, and other obesity-linked disease. What’s more, a study found that people with bigger waist sizes had twice the risk of dying compared to people with smaller waistlines. This shows how dangerous it can be to have a big waist.

To clear things up, the waist is the area between the bottom of your ribs to the top of your hips. You may call this your abdomen or belly area. Most of the time, people with large waists tend to have an apple-shaped body, as opposed to a pear-shaped body when more of the body fat is stored in the hips. If you have an apple-shaped body, you should certainly measure your waist size and ensure that it is not too big.

You must be wondering what a ‘large waistlineâ? means. In general, if you are a man and your waist circumference is more than 37 inches, and if you are a woman and your waist circumference is more than 32 inches, you already have a higher risk of contracting diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The risk is heightened even more if your waistline is above 40 inches (for men) and 35 inches (for women). So, try your best to reduce your waist size to below the mentioned levels.

A bigger waist means more of your fat is stored in your abdomen, on and around your organs. This can impair the ability of your organs to function properly, which is why many health problems afflict people with bigger waistlines.

It’s important to know that you cannot target weight loss to happen around your waist only. The only way to drop the fat is to eat a lower-calorie diet and do regular exercise to burn overall fat. Generally, fat burns off last from the abdomen, so you will have to work on it if you are going to reduce your waist size.

It won’t be easy, but for your health’s sake, strive to achieve a healthy weight as well as a healthy waist size.


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Weight Loss Exercise

Home Fitness Exercise Equipment




It is the season for home fitness exercise equipment. Having a simple gym at home is a great way to keep in shape. There are many types of home fitness exercise equipment that you can purchase. It just depends on what type of exercise you want to be able to do. Here are a few home fitness exercise equipment to consider:

Home Fitness Exercise Equipment

Home Fitness Exercise Equipment

Home Fitness Exercise Equipment

Dumbbells. Dumbbells are considered a basic need when it comes to workout and fitness. You don’t need to get all the different weights of dumbbells-the key is to get various weights that would suffice for beginner, middle, and intermediate weight lifters.

Exercise ball. Exercise balls are among the cheapest home fitness exercise equipment and they are also one of the most versatile. It is great for toning and stretching. It is especially useful for working your abdominals. These exercise balls are available in a number of sizes so be sure to find the right size for you.

Treadmill. Treadmills are also considered a gym staple. Treadmills are the answer for your cardio needs and for fat burning. The best part of having a treadmill at home is you can run or jog for as long as you want and on the pace that you want, while watching television show to keep you entertained. You can also walk if you do not feel like running or jogging. Choose a treadmill that will give you all the features you want.

Exercise bikes. Exercise bikes can be an alternative to using the treadmill. Exercise bikes can be used for cardio training, fat burning, and for toning the legs and even the abdomen area.

Home Gym. Home gyms are machines that workout your whole body with weights. You can workout your upper and lower body at the same time.

Bench press. For a more effective strength training, especially for the upper part of the body, having a bench press would be very helpful. Bench presses usually come with a variety of weights that can be easily attached and detached for use.

Exercise mats. Aside from the above mentioned home fitness exercise equipment, having exercise mats can also be helpful for proper body conditioning such as push-ups, sit-ups, or even yoga and Pilates.

Working out at home is very convenient as long as you have the type of workout equipment that you will enjoy exercising on. Knowing what type of exercise you want to do at home will help you find the perfect equipment for you. As always, to avoid injury it is important to make sure that proper care and safety be practiced when using home fitness exercise equipment.