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.