25 Jul Weight Training for Waist Management

Originally posted July 14, 2013 by Chris Kilbourne on https://safetydailyadvisor.blr.com

Carrying excess weight is hazardous to your employees’ health—and to your organization’s bottom line. Weight training for waist management therefore is a worthwhile endeavor. In today’s Advisor, we give you valuable weight management information.

The information in this issue is adapted from BLR®’s 10-Minute HR Trainer session on “Weight Management.”

Before we get to content, let’s first talk about process. Here are some training tips to consider for your session:

• Have a healthcare professional address the group concerning weight management and answer their questions.
• Ask participants to discuss how they manage their weight and how successful they are.
• Identify resources to help with weight management, such as wellness programs.

Now, as far as content goes, the formula for maintaining a healthy weight is simple: Healthy Weight = Good Nutrition + Calorie Control + Exercise. Here are more particulars:

• Good nutrition means eating a balanced diet that includes all food groups.
• Calorie control means eating between 1,500 and 2,000 calories a day, depending on age, sex, and level of physical activity.
• 30 to 45 minutes of exercise 3 to 5 times a week is also required.

Not only will you be healthier if you manage your weight but you’ll also look and feel better, and you’ll have more energy as well.

To lose weight, follow a sensible and safe weight-reduction program. If you are overweight, a loss of just 5 percent to 15 percent of your current weight can improve your health and prevent disease.

Health experts recommend slow and steady weight loss over crash diets. A 5 percent to 10 percent reduction in body weight over 6 months is a sensible weight loss goal. One-half to 2 pounds per week is a safe rate of weight loss.

If you follow a sensible weight loss plan, you are more likely to keep the weight off permanently. To lose weight:

• Cut calorie intake (for example, cutting 500 calories a day will result in a weight loss of about 1 pound per week).
• Reduce fat and sugar consumption.
• Increase physical activity.

Good nutrition is an essential part of maintaining a healthy weight. Nutritionists say that to maintain a healthy weight:

• About 45 percent to 65 percent of your calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. Vegetables, fruits, and grains are high in nutrition and low in calories that make you fat.
• About 10 percent to 35 percent of daily calories should come from protein,such as lean meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products (beans and tofu are also good sources of protein).
• No more than 10 percent of your daily calories should be from fat, and most of the fat you consume should be unsaturated rather than saturated fat.
• Avoid food and beverages with added sugar, since these are empty calories that just add weight and provide no nutrition.

Physical activity is another basic weight management tool. Finding ways to work physical activity into your schedule is not difficult. For example:

• Build some exercise into daily chores and family activities.
• Walk instead of driving, when possible, and use the stairs instead of an elevator.
• If you’re too tired to exercise after a hard day at work, do it before work, or break your workout into 10-minute segments during break times at work.
• Work out with a partner, set a goal, or train for a charity event like a walk-a-thon.
• Pick an activity you enjoy; even dancing and gardening are good sources of exercise. To make exercise more enjoyable, take a camera on walks or listen to music.
• Start slow and easy; build up gradually. See your doctor before you start new exercise programs.

Why It Matters

• According to the National Institutes of Health, being overweight can have serious health consequences. A couple of extra pounds isn’t a matter for concern, but gaining a couple of pounds a year is.
• Once you’re 15 or 20 pounds overweight, the effects of carrying those extra pounds kick in.
• If you’re more than 30 pounds overweight, you could be looking at serious, long-term health effects.
• Health experts say that excess body fat leads to a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke, high cholesterol, respiratory dysfunction, certain cancers, and other health problems.