Please-Read: Health equipment you should have at home

 

Our body weight is important. When it is right we feel well and we function well. You should be familiar with your body weight and know how it fluctuates. Many people keep a

scale in their bathrooms or bedroom. It is handy for monitoring weight on a regular basis.

You can also calculate your body mass index (BMI) which is an indication of healthy weight. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat using a person’s height and weight. Once you know your height and weight, you can calculate your BMI from the table below. It is recommended that normal BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. If your BMI is less than 18.5, you are underweight; if your BMI is 25 to 29.9 you are overweight. If your BMI is 30 or greater, this is an indication of obesity.

If you care to know your health risks with overweight, then you should also measure your waist. Too much fat around the waist and a waist measurement that is more than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men are associated with heart disease and type 2diabetes. A tape rule is therefore another health instrument to have at home. The waist measurement is taken just above the hipbones and just after a person breathes out.

Doctors usually recommend that you lose weight if you are overweight or obese and also have two or more risk factors such as: hypertension, high “bad” cholesterol, low “good” cholesterol, high blood sugar, cigarette smoking, or a family history of heart disease. Weight loss of about 5-10% of your current weight may be very effective in lowering the risk of associated diseases. If you are overweight but have no risk factor, you need to keep your weight under control so that you do not gain more weight.

Weight gain can be rapid during festive seasons but if we have a regular habit of checking our weight, it should not result in any health problem. Rapid means of shedding weight include: regulated fasting (the body draws from its own reserves during fast); abstinence from sweets and fatty foods; sports and exercise that burn calories and body fat; doing more work and working hard at what you normally do in order to burn more energy.

 -Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

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