Keeping a healthy diet and an active lifestyle are important in maintaining good health. Nutrition and exercise can sometimes be neglected due to our busy schedules which can lead to an increase in body fat.
An increase in two types of body fat can increase the risk of health problems. Subcutaneous fat is right below the skin and we sometimes refer to this kind of fat as ‘love handles’. The other type is intra-abdominal fat. This is the fat that coats our organs and causes the most concern.
Even though we don’t yet fully understand what links intra-abdominal fat with chronic disease, we do know that even a small deposit of this fat increases the risk of serious health problems including:
· Coronary heart disease
· Cerebrovascular disease
· Colorectal cancer
· Type 2 diabetes
· Osteoarthritis
· Osteoporosis
· Sleep apnoea
· Hypertension (high blood pressure)
· Fatty Liver Disease
· High cholesterol
· Infertility
· Impotence
· Stress
Chronic diseases are serious problems that may require ongoing medication for life but most chronic diseases are preventable for most people through healthy lifestyle choices.
Evidence shows that improving diet and being more physically active can help prevent or delay the onset of such chronic diseases.
On average Australians gain 0.8-1.5kg over the Christmas period. One to two kilograms might not sound like much but researchers have identified that weight gained over the holiday period is rarely lost.
There are easy ways to include healthy food and exercise into our daily schedules such as making lunch instead of buying it and walking to work or parking further away at the shops and pushing your trolley further.
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