“Put down the fork and take up your sneakers,” advised Dr. Andrene Chung, Chair of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), in relation to obesity.
With the month of February being celebrated as heart month under the theme “Obesity, A Weighty Matter”, the advice is indeed fitting. During an interview with Buzzz Magazine, Dr. Chung further outlined a number of measures.
She said obesity is no respecter of persons and is caused by certain risk factors and contributing factors. These include genetics, family lifestyle, inactivity, unhealthy diet and medications. Obesity is also caused by age, lack of sleep, quitting smoking, pregnancy and socio-economic factors.
Luckily, obesity does not have to be a death sentence as there are measures one can take to prevent obesity if only they are willing to change knowledge, change habits and change activity.
Change knowledge – Persons who are obese need to “Educate themselves about the nutritional values of different foods,” Dr. Chung advised. “Learn what the recommended daily values of calories and nutrients are for their particular situation and try to stick to them. Visit a medical practitioner and get an accurate assessment of body mass index (BMI) to know where you are starting from.”
Persons also need to know if they have conditions associated with obesity such as hypertension or Type 2 diabetes, if they have a family history of heart disease or diabetes and if they have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high sugar levels. These are key to determining how to proceed from an obese state.
Most importantly, persons must also determine if they have any medical reasons that would make it dangerous to start an exercise program.
Change habits – Popular opinion posits that it takes 20 days to develop a habit and one second to break it. That second is triggered by a deep resolve not to indulge in the self- harming behaviour and to start anew. Persons break habits for many different valid reasons and one of those reasons is life preservation.
Persons who are obese must break certain bad habits such as not reading nutrition labels. Paying no attention to the nutritional value of food is not only irresponsible, but dangerous. Persons must also break the habit of consuming starches, sugar and sodas.
Eating habits must also change; that of eating outside the home, where there is less control over what you eat. Dr. Chung advised to “Eat mostly freshly-prepared foods and avoid highly processed foods.”
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #4, 2016 Issue.
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“Put down the fork and take up your sneakers,” advised Dr. Andrene Chung, Chair of the Heart Foundation of Jamaica (HFJ), in relation to obesity.
With the month of February being celebrated as heart month under the theme “Obesity, A Weighty Matter”, the advice is indeed fitting. During an interview with Buzzz Magazine, Dr. Chung further outlined a number of measures.
She said obesity is no respecter of persons and is caused by certain risk factors and contributing factors. These include genetics, family lifestyle, inactivity, unhealthy diet and medications. Obesity is also caused by age, lack of sleep, quitting smoking, pregnancy and socio-economic factors.
Luckily, obesity does not have to be a death sentence as there are measures one can take to prevent obesity if only they are willing to change knowledge, change habits and change activity.
Change knowledge – Persons who are obese need to “Educate themselves about the nutritional values of different foods,” Dr. Chung advised. “Learn what the recommended daily values of calories and nutrients are for their particular situation and try to stick to them. Visit a medical practitioner and get an accurate assessment of body mass index (BMI) to know where you are starting from.”
Persons also need to know if they have conditions associated with obesity such as hypertension or Type 2 diabetes, if they have a family history of heart disease or diabetes and if they have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high sugar levels. These are key to determining how to proceed from an obese state.
Most importantly, persons must also determine if they have any medical reasons that would make it dangerous to start an exercise program.
Change habits – Popular opinion posits that it takes 20 days to develop a habit and one second to break it. That second is triggered by a deep resolve not to indulge in the self- harming behaviour and to start anew. Persons break habits for many different valid reasons and one of those reasons is life preservation.
Persons who are obese must break certain bad habits such as not reading nutrition labels. Paying no attention to the nutritional value of food is not only irresponsible, but dangerous. Persons must also break the habit of consuming starches, sugar and sodas.
Eating habits must also change; that of eating outside the home, where there is less control over what you eat. Dr. Chung advised to “Eat mostly freshly-prepared foods and avoid highly processed foods.”
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #4, 2016 Issue.
Share this post: