Look Ripped

How skinny is to skinny?

We are continually being told that our collective waist lines are getting bigger, in fact, 66% of the adult population in the US are now either overweight or obese, defined by a Body Max Index (BMI) of 25 or greater. But what about the consequences of being underweight? Although only 5% of the population is considered underweight, defined by a BMI of less than 18.5, being underweight could in the event of serious illness, increase you chance of dying.

Hollow bones

Most think that obese people are at greater risk of lifestyle disease and illness but the underweight suffer from a plethora of conditions that place them at similar risk.

Because of inadequate calcium intake, one condition that the underweight are at risk of suffering from is Osteoporosis.

Most adolescents achieve peak bone mass by the twenties, dense bones reduce the effects of age related bone loss a serious condition and indirect cause of hospitalisation and mortality. Inadequate calcium intake during the growing years results in less than optimal bone density.

Without calcium you would be a jelly fish

Calcium plays an important role in a number of bodily activities and 99% of all calcium is stored in bones and teeth. Calcium is used for muscle contraction and relaxation, nerve function, blood clotting, nerve impulse and blood pressure. So, that next glass of milk is doing a lot more than just quenching your thirst, it may be saving your skeleton.

Stocking up on bone mass

Load bearing exercise and adequate intake of calcium is the best assurance that You won’t shatter when you reach your forties or fifties.

Men suffer from osteoporosis as well, although its much more prevalent amongst women due to the effects of menopause and hormone down regulation. Weight bearing exercise preferably weight training has been found to increase bone density by up to 1%, weight training also reduces the incidents of falls (a major cause of hip fractures and deaths) 

Eating for a healthy skeleton

Adults calcium: 1000 mg /per day (19 to 50 yr)
Adults calcium: 1200 mg/per day (> 51 yr)
Phosphorus: 700 mg per day
Magnesium: Men 400 mg women 310 mg
Significant sources of calcium Milk and dairy products, small fish with bones (salmon), bok choy, broccoli, chard, kale and legumes.

Start boning up

One of the best things we can do for our bones is to eat plenty calcium rich foods, exercise regularly and if you are one of the 5% that is underweight, eat more! Because the human skeletal system is more than something to hang your clothes on.

When health and good looks collide

Why are people so intent on being something other than what nature had intended? It would seem as a society we are not happy with the way we look as  thousands of us are going under the knife regularly. Medical procedures that promise not only to change our appearance but also enhance our prospects in life. Unfortunately, for some, the risks associated with elective surgery are being outweighed by the reality of death.

Kanye West’s mum a cosmetic statistic

The latest celebrity to go under the knife was the mother of Kanye West, Dr Donda West and has died of complications due to a cosmetic procedure. Very few of us would admit to being happy about the effects that ageing has on our bodies and for many, surgery provides the tools to fight back.

Nip and bag tuck

Scrotum reduction is a procedure that involves the removal of some skin from the scrotum to enhance their appearance; this type of procedure seems to being taking narcissism to new heights, with bag surgery going beyond the eyes.

Cosmetic surgery for privates

Women are victims as well, believing that their private parts may not be up to scrutiny and some have become proactive having a procedure done that reduces the size the of the labia manora (inner lips of the vagina), a 2 hour procedure that promises to “reshape the external appearance of the vagina improving self confidence and enhancing sexual enjoyment”.  One wonders how active you would have to be to warrant either surgical procedure, I mean it’s not as if it’s the face you take into the world every morning now is it!

Facing up to it

The risks associated with cosmetic surgery are always going to be underlying for most but for a few unfortunate people the underlying risk becomes a reality with the possibility of death. It makes you wonder if going out into the world each morning with the face and genitals handed down to us by nature really is such a bad thing?

Want to live longer?

Who doesn’t want to live a longer more productive life, with the advent of antibiotics, access to clean water and medical intervention we are living longer and hopefully more fruitful lives than our predecessors. It’s estimated that the potential for a human being is 130 years; the present life expectancy for men is 68 years and for women 80 years. When you consider at the turn of the century only 1 in every 25 people were 65 or older, in 2000 it was 1 in 8 and in 2030 it’s projected to be 1 in 5.  So if we have the potential to live to the ripe old age of 130 years why are so many of us dropping off the twig well before?

What’s killing us?

The National Center for Health (2006) has identified ten leading causes of death, of which four are avoidable and the top three diets related.

• Heart disease
• Cancers
• Stroke
• Chronic lung disease
• Accidents
• Diabetes
• Alzheimer’s
• Pneumonia and influenza
• Kidney disease
• Blood infections

It all sounds pretty bloody boring until you realize that the doors and foyers of our hospitals are being choked with the fat arses of the overweight, unfit and sedentary individuals that seek medical intervention whenever a donut gets caught in their throats.

The cure all

The more studies that are done are reaffirming that physical activity and good nutrition are the quintessential ingredients for better health, lower incidents of disease, such as coronary heart disease, arthrosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, diabetes, some forms of cancer and longer lives.

Realizing our full potential

Ageing may be a natural preprogrammed process that is stamped on our genes at conception, but if our potential is 130 years, and the majority of us are falling well short of that, it’s about time we reassessed our deleterious lifestyle got up off our collective arses and started to exercise eat right and get ready to enjoy another 60 years of life.