Looking a certain way is the bane of so many women's lives for all the wrong reasons. Aiming to fit into a certain media dictated criteria is what many women strive for and is completely the wrong reason to lose weight. The problem is that most of us feel we have to look a certain way to be accepted and worthwhile but this is a problem with society. It has to be said that there is an optimum weight and fitness level for us all and the only reason to stick to this is to be fit and healthy for a longer life, not to fit into a society with a distorted view of what we should look like.



Health insurance companies are well placed to understand the complications of being overweight and this is reflected in the health insurance premiums. The same applies to being underweight. Being outside of the correct weight range for your build will put untold strain on your body if this state is maintained over a period of time.

We are susceptible to problems such as diabetes and hypertension if we don't keep our diet and lifestyle habits in check and, for the over-weight, cancers will go undetected for much longer than if they were the correct weight.

But how do we combat this problem? It is easy to see when we take out health insurance that it is going to cost us more if we are outside of our healthy weight range. It is also easy to see the effects on our health by all the media reports of the rising cases of obesity and the problems it brings. There is also a constant government process to educate us about the effects of obesity. However, unless we have a personal trainer constantly living with us to arrange our meals and force you into exercise, it is only us that can solve our issues.

Despite the constant media attention however, is seems obesity in the UK is still on the rise. Researchers have looked into every diet on the market as well as the best fitness regime. There have been several studies to suggest that diets alone do not work. Any diet that sees a drastic reduction in intake is unlikely to work as the body is forced into starvation mode and will do its utmost to hang onto anything that you put into it.

To complicate matters, it seems by the time we are in our early teenage years, the number of fat cells in our bodies are set for life. It is possible to shrink or expand these cells depending on our choices, but we cannot lose them or make more. This is what makes it so vital that parents take proper notice of their children's diets.

To eat a sensible, low fat diet that omits nothing but is simply balanced will provide our bodies with all they need to keep it working to the best of its ability. Exercise is also essential. There are some gym enthusiasts who like nothing more than to slog it out for hours at a time to build the perfect physique but this is not necessary.

Research has discovered that staying active for at least 55 minutes per day will enhance your diet and weight loss programme so much that you are more likely to sustain the weight loss long term. This does not mean kitting yourself out for the gym and paying a fortune for membership fees. It can be as easy as brisk walking or gardening, anything that makes you slightly breathless will make the heart work hard enough and increase the metabolism to a level that burns off fat, even when the activity is stopped.

Looking back in time, there wasn't the same issue with obesity that there is now and there also wasn't the huge diet and fitness industry that we see today. Despite this industry, it seems we are still not looking after our health so maybe it is time to step back and take up the simple values of yesteryear with a balanced diet and more demanding physical work.