What Is Your Healthy Body Weight?

Since the 1980s both adult men and women in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have become heavier. Obesity rates have more than doubled in the last 20 years! Children also are also becoming heavier and obesity is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and even shortening of life expectancy. Some have said this generation is digging our graves with our teeth! How can you tell what is a healthy weight for you? Well, certainly not by the stereotypical 'perfect' female shape we see in the movies and on TV! The truth is these images do not depict the typical female form. Men also struggle to find a realistic picture of the healthy male. The pressure to lose weight to an unrealistic slimness is immense and can lead to more heartache rather than good health. It is time to pay attention to our weight but how can we determine what is a healthy body weight for each individual that is not based on unrealistic expectations? The simplest way to check your weight is to measure your waist circumference, using a tape measure. This gives you an idea of whether you have a lot of fat stored around your middle. Waist circumferences associated with increased health risk are: