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Youth Fitness

 

With figures of obesity rising encouraging young people to take up a sport or continue with the sport they enjoy is essential for Youth Fitness.

Being overweight with a large degree of body fat is unhealthy and by using the Body Mass Index BMI you can check your weight and whether it is a healthy or not.

The NHS website has a BMI calculator which takes your weight in kilograms and divides it by your height in metres squared.  BMI results indicate the following

Result of BMI between 25 to 29 is considered overweight

Result of BMI between 30 and 40 is considered obese

Result of BMI over 40 is considered very obese or morbidly obese

Waist measurements

Another way of checking to see if you are overweight is to measure your waist if you are a man with a waist measurement of 94 cms or more or a woman with a waist of 80 cms or more you will be more susceptible to developing obesity related health issues.

Obesity health risks

Development of a serious and potentially life-threatening disease can be the result of being obese such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer such as breast cancer and colon cancer or a stroke.

Obesity can cause your quality of life to deteriorate and frequently depression can be triggered by being obese.

Children and obesity

It is believed that one in seven children are obese in the UK which is a figure that is growing rather than reverting.  Supporting local sporting activities and encouraging young people to take up active sports is a way parents can help to ensure that young people are active and burning calories rather than being sedentary spending hours on computer console games for example.

How obesity can be treated

To treat obesity there are four main aims which are

1.  prevention of gaining further weight

2.  via a combination of a calorie controlled diet and exercise gradual loss of weight.

3. avoidance of gaining the weight that has been lost

4. improvement of general health together with reducing the risk of obesity related complications.

One to one or group help

Whether you prefer one to one help from a dietitian or personal trainer or wish to enrol with a weight loss group losing weight can be achieved.  Losing weight is possible by changing unhealthy habits and taking on a new way of thinking and lifestyle.

For extreme cases weight loss surgery may be appropriate but this is considered a last resort for those with life threatening obesity.

What causes obesity?

If you eat more calories than you burn off and the unused calories turn to fat this leads to obesity if this pattern is a regular one i.e. the levels of fat increase and increase. Lifestyle does not help as being active in the workplace is not as common place as in the past, leisure activities being centred around the television or computer, not walking but driving or using public transport and eating high energy food which is heavily marketed all contribute to the outcome of becoming obese.  

Polycysitic ovary syndrome is one of the conditions that can cause weight gain.

Adult obesity

In a recent survey over a quarter of adults in England are obese.

The future and obesity

Without recognition and determination to change obesity will remain.  Losing weight is a challenge for many but with commitment and encouragement losing even a modest amount will help reduce the likelihood of developing a condition such as type 2 diabetes or heart disease.

Skateparks like all sports areas are essential for young people to not only enjoy themselves but have a healthy lifestyle burning off calories and being above all active.