Let's measure

We've talked about the risks of being overweight and obese. Now we want to know where we fall, Underweight, Normal, overweight or obese.

Body mass index (BMI) is the most common way of assessing obesity. It is a measure of weight that adjusts for height and correlates highly with body fatness. 

BMI = weight/height²

Now take a few minutes to calculate your BMI, where do you fall?

Waist circumference (WC) on the other hand is a measure for abdominal fat and is suggested to be a better predictor for certain chronic diseases.

It is particularly useful in those with normal BMI.  A high waist circumference or a greater level of abdominal fat is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.  

Now take a tape measure to measure your waist circumference.

What is it about abdominal fat that makes it strong marker of disease risk? The fat surrounding the liver and other abdominal organs, so-called visceral fat, is very metabolically active. The fat releases fatty acids, inflammatory agents, and hormones that ultimately lead to higher LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and blood pressure.

Another measurement to consider is the waist-hip ratio. It is the waist circumference divided by the hip circumference.

Now you've measured your BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio. If all three fall within the normal limits, congrats. It means you are healthy, and you need to keep eating right to stay that way.

 If not, don’t worry, I’m here to help you achieve the ideal result.

To speak to a life and health coach, call Dr Funmi Alao on 08023180205, 08095480379, bb pin 75DFCE1F to walk you through the process

ADVICE OF THE DAY: Breathe!!!!!!!!

why run? (the concluding part)

1.      1.      Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is when tissue that protects the joints wears away.  Common areas are the knees, hips, and lower back. Extra weight can put more pressure and wear on joints, causing pain.

2.       Sleep Apnea

A person who has sleep apnea may have more fat stored around the neck. This can narrow the airway, making it hard to breathe.

3.       Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some obese people.

OHS can lead to serious health problems and may even cause death.

4.       Reproductive Problems

Obesity can cause menstrual issues and infertility in some women.

5.       Gallstones

Gallstones are hard pieces of stone-like material that form in the gallbladder. They're mostly made of cholesterol. Gallstones can cause stomach or back pain.

6.       Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

The BMI correlates with the degree of liver damage, that is, the greater the BMI the greater the liver damage.

The idea of this post is not to scare people, but to make us realise that we need to take action. It’s not just about fitting into a size 8 or 10 dress, it’s about staying healthy. I hope you’re all ready to take on the challenge

Talk to you soon… Have a great week

ADVICE OF THE DAY:  Avoid/Limit fast food junk

Why run?

Being overweight or obese isn't just a cosmetic problem. These conditions greatly raise the risk for other health problems.

That is why we must run as fast as we can with all the strength we've got from anything that can make us overweight or obese

Some of the health problems are:

1.       Heart Disease

As body mass index rises, so does the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD is a condition in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries. These arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Plaque can narrow or block the coronary arteries and reduce blood flow to the heart muscle. This can cause angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart attack.

Obesity also can lead to heart failure. This is a serious condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs. Leading to the enlargement and weakening of the heart.

2.       High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. The chances of having high blood pressure are greater in overweight or obese individuals.

3.       Stroke

Being overweight or obese can lead to a build-up of plaque in your arteries. Eventually, an area of plaque can rupture, causing a blood clot to form. If the clot is close to the brain, it can block the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and cause a stroke. The risk of having a stroke rises as BMI increases.

4.       Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body's blood glucose, or blood sugar, level is too high. Normally, the body breaks down food into glucose and then carries it to cells throughout the body. The cells use a hormone called insulin to turn the glucose into energy.

In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells don't use insulin properly. At first, the body reacts by making more insulin. Over time, however, the body can't make enough insulin to control its blood sugar level.

Diabetes is a leading cause of early death, CHD, stroke, kidney disease, and blindness. Most people who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.

5.       Abnormal Blood Fats

Overweight or obese individuals are at increased risk of having abnormal levels of blood fats. These include high levels of triglycerides and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and low levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol.

 Abnormal levels of these blood fats are a risk factor for CHD.

6.       Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raises the risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke.

Any one of these risk factors can develop by itself, but they tend to occur together. A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made if at least three of the following risk factors are present:

Ø  A large waistline. This is called abdominal obesity or "having an apple shape." Having extra fat in the waist area is a greater risk factor for CHD than having extra fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.

Ø  A higher than normal triglyceride level (or on medication to treat high triglycerides).

Ø  A lower than normal HDL cholesterol level (or on medication to treat low HDL cholesterol).

Ø  Higher than normal blood pressure (or on medication to treat high blood pressure).

Ø  Higher than normal fasting blood sugar (or on medication to treat diabetes).

7.       Cancer

Being overweight or obese raises the risk for colon, breast, endometrial, and gallbladder cancers.

To be continued.........

Have a lovely weekend.

ADVICE OF THE DAY: Drink more water

The big picture

The global pandemic of obesity has been referred to as a “time bomb”, as its prevalence continues to increase. Obesity has been linked to a multitude of health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, ischaemic stroke and heart disease, different types of cancers, osteoarthritis, and reproductive conditions.

 As a result, obesity is now among the leading factors for global morbidity and mortality and causes more global deaths than underweight

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.

As our drinking and eating habits become fashionable throughout the world, so do our health concerns. Economic growth, urbanization, and subsequent changes in lifestyle are among the factors driving the global obesity epidemic. The increasing number of fast food joints, lack of space for recreational activities and with the arrival modern convenience devices are leading majority of people are leading a much more sedentary lifestyle compared to their parents and grandparents.

For thousands of years, obesity was rarely seen. It was not until the 20th century that it became common, so much so that in 1997 the World Health Organization (WHO) formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic. In 2014, a Lancet study estimated that the number of overweight adults in the world was 2.1 billion in 2013, compared with 857 million in 1980. Obesity and overweight was once thought to be diseases of high income countries, but even low income countries are witnessing a rise in its prevalence.

A systematic review of papers published on the prevalence of obesity among adults in Nigeria was carried out and the prevalence of overweight individuals ranged from 20.3%–35.1%, while the prevalence of obesity ranged from 8.1%–22.2%. We don’t even need to look at studies, just look around you and see how people are piling on fat.

As obesity prevalence is rising, so is that of other chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancers etc. People are becoming sicker and the cost of health care increasing. An exorbitant amount of money is spent on medications and operations while very little is spent on prevention, education and holistic health

According to the World Health Organization, about 100 million people a year are pushed into poverty by their medical bills.

Before, when you hear things like cancer, stroke, heart disease or diabetes, it usually sounds far of. But these days almost every family has at least one person, an aunt or an uncle or a cousin, with one or two of these chronic illnesses.

So to you my friends, let precaution and prevention be our watch word from today. And like my people would say, prevention is better than cure

In modern Western cultures, the obese shape is widely regarded as unattractive, but not all contemporary cultures disapprove of obesity. There are many African, Arabic, Indian, and Pacific Island cultures which are traditionally more approving of obesity as it is associated with physical attractiveness, strength, fertility, and prestige. I hope all of you reading this don’t view obesity this way.

In my subsequent posts, you’ll understand better why you should try your utmost best not to be overweight or obese.

Till then….  Good afternoon

ADVICE OF THE DAY: Move your body, don’t just sit at your desk all day.

Nutrition 101

Finally!!!! I've wanted to create this blog for so long now. Many of my friends and family have asked me countless times when i'll start sharing the secrets to my weight loss and new body.

Well, the day is finally here! 19th August 2014. I should probably engrave today's date on a wall in my house. Anyway, let's get started

Our body is a holy sanctuary as some would say. Even if you don't believe in that kind of talk, you'll agree with me it's very important to our survival. We all want it at it's best. Free of diseases, beautiful, not filled with fat, nor too skinny.

One basic fact that remains valid across board is that "your body today is what you put in it yesterday, either through your mouth, skin or nostrils".  Hence the saying "we are what we eat".

Animals have a sense of what to eat or avoid in nature. They instinctively know how to eat when sick, when breeding or in different seasons of the year. Our ancestors also had this inner knowing, they ate local roots and greens and benefited from successful hunts and seasonal harvests.

Fast forward the 20th century, our lives have become more complex, our ability to process and transport food has expanded, we fill supermarkets the size of football fields with more than a hundred thousand items. Many of which are processed, packaged items wrapped in bright shinny packages and filled with sugar, fat and additives. With this abundance, we've lost our inner knowing abilities. And all these foods are designed to tempt our taste buds but to neglect our health.

Most of us don't know what to eat and how to chose our foods. This is largely due to a lot of misinformation by big food industries who are only concerned about their pockets. How could any thing filled with loads of sugar, salt, hydrogenated oils etc be healthy for anyone just because you've added Vitamin C or D to it. But you'll even see children and adults holding it and dancing on TV telling you it has one vitamin or mineral in it so you should take it. For very 'essential nutrient' in those kind of food, there's a harmful one. I'm here to tell you as it is. There are some foods that when you see them, you should literally run in the other direction.


Aside exchanging views on our body and how we treat it, we'll also be talking about lifestyle modifications, exercise, environmental pollutants, stuff we put on our skin that is destroying our health and the likes. But most of my posts would be on nutrition. Whether you want to lose weight, stay in shape or be healthy, i'll try my best the latest information on the subject mater. Nutrition is however a funny science. It's the only field where people can scientifically prove opposing theories and still be right. All the same i'll try to keep it as simple as possible with the basic facts. So i guess we can call it Nutrition 101. The business of eating and living right is serious business.

 So get ready and watch this space. Talk to you soon. Have a lovely evening!