Health Concerns for Women: Weight Loss More Important than Cancer?

Recently on the Today show, there was a segment that featured a study saying that women are more concerned about their weight than cancer.

One thing you should know about every study is that you can always manipulate the data so that it says what you want. But when common sense tends to confirm the study, I find the information insightful.

One thought about why women are more concerned about weight compared with cancer is that weight is something that is in your face all the time.

Everytime you look in the mirror, take a bath, or hear someone say a rude comment you maybe reminded that you are not happy with the way you look.

Whereas, cancer is usually out of site out of mind.

Another thing that may influence the results could be that women look at weight as something that they have more control over compared with cancer.

One of my rules of thumb for stress relief is to not stress about the things you can't control. If it's a rainy day, don't stress about it-- you can't control it.

With that said there are connections with various types of cancers and obesity, so indirectly controlling your weight and staying healthy may actually help to prevent cancer.

One last thought on why weight is such a concern for the women surveyed in this report... Hollywood!

I know that many women see the models and actresses on television and immediately have a lower self-esteem. Not just women, but people of all ages, races, genders, and abilities are constantly being bombarded with negative self-esteem messages.

My thought... focus on being as healthy as you can and think of healthy living as a lifestyle. Focus on pleasing yourself and your loved ones, and do your best to live optimistically.

We need to take a more wholistic approach to health and wellness if we truly want to be happy and healthy.

Do your best everyday!

Yours in Health,
Charles

P.S. Here's the video clip below.

Diet Tip: Lose Weight By Drinking Fewer Calories

As a Personal Trainer, there are many nutrition tips and healthy eating habits that I share with my clients.

But one of my top tips is "Don't Drink Calories!"

If you want to lose weight, controlling your caloric intake is important and many beverages could sabotage your weight loss progress.

Sugary Colas are one of the main culprits in our battle against the bulge. A 12 ounce can of cola usually contains between 30 and 40 grams of sugar. Move up to a 32 ounce drink and you're looking at more than 100 grams of sugar.

When doctors want to maximally stress out your digestive system to test for diabetes (a test called the glucose tolerance test) they give you a drink with 75 grams of sugar.

Ask yourself this... If 75 grams of sugar is enough to maximally stress out your digestive system, how would more than 100 grams of sugar a day affect your body.

No wonder Type II diabetes is so rampant in our society.

Of course sugary colas are not the only culprit. Coffee drinks and dessert drinks can pack even more sugar than colas, and so called healthy drinks marketed towards sports and athletic populations are little more than water with added sugar, artificial flavors, and chemicals.

And alcoholic beverages... well let's not go there.

I know some people say they get board drinking water, but it truly is the perfect drink and the one you should aim for most of the time.

Check out this blog post on America's unhealthiest drinks, it may make you re-think how many calories you are drinking.

If you're trying to lose weight, try to avoid drinking calories.

Go for filtered or bottles water or herbal teas. Your waistline and your body will thank you.

Yours in Health,
Charles PT/PT