When you are obese, you magnify your risk for heart disease. When there is excess body fat it raises your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It raises your blood pressure and can lead to diabetes. In some cases for people with diabetes, they have doubled their risks for a major heart attack or stroke.

Obesity is caused by having more calories consumed, than are burned with physical activity, whether from daily activity or exercise. When there is a great deal of calories consumed, with too much saturated fat and cholesterol, the levels of cholesterol in the blood rises. This increases the risks for heart disease.

Determine If You Are Obese:

Body fat is measured by waist circumference and by body mass index. The high-risk waistline is more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men.

The body mass index assesses the body weight in comparison to the height. It is a method to measure the body’s composition in correlation to the body fat. It is calculated by taking the body weight in pounds divided by the height in inches squared then multiplying it by 703.

The National Center for Health Statistics has the following levels for mass body index calculations:

18.5 is considered underweight.

18.5 – 24.9 is considered healthy.

25.0 to 29.9 is considered overweight. This is generally 10over the ideal body weight.

30.0 or greater is considered obese.

Extreme obesity is defined as a body mass index of 40 or greater.

Here are some suggestions to reduce or prevent obesity:

1. Add physical activity to your daily routine. Adults need to have at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity three or four times a week. Children need to have at least 60 minutes the same amount of times a week.

2. Reduce time watching television or sedentary activities including time on the computer or playing video games.

3. Create opportunities for physical activity at work as well as home.

4. Promote healthier choices of food serving five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables every day.

5. Reduce the portions of the food consumed. Avoid “supersized” meals and value meals with larger portions.

Taking steps to avoid or reduce the chances of obesity has many benefits for everyone. The fact of living a healthy longer life is incentive to work on the weight issues leading to heart disease and other health related issues. Americans have the highest rate in the world for heart disease based on the amounts of people that are overweight.

1/2 cup frozen blackberries

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 ice cubes

1 scoop vanilla whey

1 tbsp honey

1/4 cup water

Preparation

Combine strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and ice into a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Next, add the remaining ingredients and blend on high until creamy. Serve and enjoy! Ingredients

1/2 cup frozen blackberries

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 ice cubes

1 scoop vanilla whey

1 tbsp honey

1/4 cup water

Preparation

Combine strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and ice into a blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Next, add the remaining ingredients and blend on high until creamy. Serve and enjoy!

When doing the lower back extensions, you will need a hyperextension bench. Lay the upper part of your body face down on the bench while slightly bending at the waist. Now place your ankles right under the footpads. Make sure your feet are flat on the pads. You want to be able to bend freely at the waist while your thighs are resting comfortably on the wide pad. There is a possibility the machine will need to be adjusted so you are positioned correctly on it.

Lift your upper torso up so it is straight and cross your arms across your upper chest. The palms of your hands will be resting on your upper arms. If you would like a little more resistance place a weight plate under your crossed arms and hold it in place. Do not grab the heaviest weight you find. A light weight of 20-25 pounds will do the job just fine. You are now in the starting position for the lower back extensions.

Inhale and start slowly bending at the waist and going forward. The object is to keep your back flat and not letting the back round. If you feel your back rounding then you have gone too far down and you need to lift back up some. Since your feet are locked in place and you are bending forward there will be some tucking on the hamstrings. Hold the position for a few seconds and let the muscles be stretched.

Start inhaling and lifting your body back up into the starting position. Do not lift to far up. You want your back to stay straight and not arched in. If you start swinging your torso around then you are running a high risk of hurting your back.

Once you do not feel like you are getting the resistance you are looking for anymore then you could do the good morning exercise.

This exercise also concentrates on your lower back, but it’s done with a barbell instead of using a hyperextension bench. During the workout you will be standing. You will have a barbell with weights across your back as you bend forward and come back up. This exercise has the same objectives of keeping your back straight at all times. It will also give your glutes and hamstrings an excellent workout. Your will need someone to spot you when you are doing the good morning exercise.

You have got your muscles in your shoulders, traps and back stretched completely out and they are feeling like they are on fire. Remember if your muscles are burning then you are burning the fat. Get ready to push your muscles even farther with the one arm dumbbell rows. This will work another area of your back.

Consider the source of your exercise tips on losing weight. If you are looking at diets, make sure that the source is a reputable one and that the diet that is recommended uses common sense. Any diet that focuses on quick weight loss is not healthy and will only result in your gaining the weight back in the long run. There are a number of diets on the market that focus on eating one type of food, but it is better to eat a well balanced diet that includes a wide variety of food types.

A visit to your local bookstore will provide you with a number of books that have been written about exercise tips for losing weight. You will find cookbooks and exercise books that will show you the safe and effective way to eat a healthy diet and include exercise in your routine to lose weight and feel great at the same time. Don’t sacrifice your health for weight loss.

Videos are another resource that you can use for exercise tips on losing weight. There are a number of programs that are designed for beginners that will start you off slow and build you up at a good pace. Choose the type of program that you would enjoy to make sure that you use your video with consistency.

Joining a gym is a good way to get some exercise tips on losing weight. There are many trainers who work in the gyms that can steer you in the right direction for the exercises that will help you to burn calories and lose weight. Your new routine should help you to maximize your calories burned and help you to achieve the results that you want.

You can also take all of this advice and design your own exercise plan. Choose some aerobic activity that you will enjoy like walking, biking, running or swimming to increase your metabolism and lose weight. There are many activities that you can include in your exercise routine that are not typically thought of as exercise such as dance. Anything that you can maintain for twenty minutes at an accelerated heart rate will help you to increase your metabolism and lose weight.

Make your exercise plan personal by including things that you love to do. Exercise should be enjoyable and there is no reason that it has to be something to dread. It will improve your mood and help you to feel good immediately. Once you begin including exercise in your daily schedule, you will wonder why you hadn’t started sooner. There are some wonderful health benefits that will come with your new healthy exercise routine. All you have to do is get started.

2 tablespoons fat-free cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon brown spicy mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers

2 tablespoon chopped green onions (including tops)

8 – 1 ounce slices of pumpernickel bread

3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked turkey breast

1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts

4 leaves of green leaf lettuce

Directions

Combine first four ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir in red bell peppers and green onions. Spread 1 slide of each bread slice evenly with cream cheese mixture. Top 4 bread slices evenly with turkey, sprouts and lettuce. Top with remaining bread slices. Cut in half and serve with pickle spears.

Well I have a solution for you. There is a natural way to lose belly fat. It’s called a proper diet and exercise.

First of all, you want to have a balanced low calorie diet. One suggestion is to “eat around the outside of the supermarket.” That is, don’t go into the isles where all the processed food is. Instead, eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a moderate amount of lean meat and low fat dairy products. Bulk up with natural foods like whole grains and legumes.

Be aware that there are food choices that you can make to save calories. For instance, swapping 2 cups of air popped popcorn for 1 cup of potato chips saves you 95 calories. And, instead of eating the prepackaged fruit on the bottom strawberry yogurt, eat 1 cup of sliced strawberries with 1 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt and save 105 calories.

Then, start to ramp up a cardio routine. You should be doing heart healthy exercises at least 5 times a week. One study showed that dieters who also walked for 50 minutes 3 times a week lost nearly twice as much belly fat as those who only reduced their calories.

You should aim for 45 minutes of strenuous exercise as a natural way to lose belly fat. This exercise can include moderate to fast walking, jogging, cycling, or using any cardio machine at your gym.

One popular routine that can burn up to 500 calories in a single session has you warming up for 3 minutes, picking up the intensity for 3 minutes, pushing yourself as hard as you can for two minutes, then slowing down for 3 minutes followed by pushing yourself for another 2 minutes. Repeat this for a total of 45 minutes before doing a 2 minute cool down period.

You should be doing strength training on top of your cardio as well. Working your muscles is key to finding the natural way to lose belly fat.

Buy a belly ball and work out with this large 22 inch stability ball. They cost about $30 in sporting goods stores, and if you are serious about finding a natural way to lose belly fat, you’ll get one. Lie on your back and hold the ball in the air between your legs for one minute. It’s easier to get the hang of than a traditional crunch and will strengthen your muscles just as well. The book that comes with the stability ball will explain more exercises.

Diet and proper exercise including both cardio and strength training routines are key to the natural way to lose belly fat.

4 limes

3 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion

4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh jalapeo or serrano (including seeds)

4 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Remove peel, including all white pith, from lime with a sharp paring knife. Cut segments free from membranes and finely chop segments, now combine with remaining salsa ingredients in a bowl. Serve with lime tortilla chips.