MCRD Parris Island, S.C. -- The National Health Information Center recognizes Jan. 19-25 as Healthy Weight Week. In conjunction with this celebration, the Marine Corps adopted January as Healthy Weight Control Month in 1998.
During this time, Marines and the Marine community are encouraged to focus on returning their bodies to a safe and fit size. After indulging in Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's treats, people carry an average of five extra pounds this month.
"This is a great time to do this," said Crystal Dilliard, Semper Fit Health Promotions Director, RN and certified clinical exercise specialist. "Everybody starts off the new year wanting to fulfill some resolution. This is when we need to go back to sensible eating and increase our physical activity."
Traditionally, people begin a diet the first week in January, break that diet the second week, and by the third week are striving to find a lifestyle that allows them to be healthier and feel good about themselves. Hence, celebrating Healthy Weight Week and healthy lifestyles for everyone.
Healthy Weight Week and Healthy Weight Control Month help people move ahead to health-promoting habits they can live with the rest of their lives - sound habits that prevent eating and weight problems instead of intensifying them.
Maintaining a healthy weight has several advantages to an individual's overall health, not to mention overall self-esteem.
"Obtaining a healthy weight is very important in the prevention of heart disease," said Dilliard. "Being overweight, in itself, is an independent risk factor of heart disease, which is the number one killer of American men and women. Today, fitness professionals are focusing more on being at a healthy weight, than being thin."
Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are some other health risks associated with being overweight.
A good tool for calculating healthy weight is to find out your Body Mass Index. This is one of the most accurate ways to determine when extra pounds translate into health risks.
Body Mass Index is a measure that takes into account a person's weight and height to gauge total body fat in adults. A BMI of 20-25 is considered healthy. Someone with a BMI of 26 to 27 is about 20 percent overweight, which is generally believed to carry moderate health risks.
A BMI of 30 and higher is considered obese. The higher the BMI is, the greater the risk of developing additional health problems.
"A scale is not always a good indicator," said Dilliard. "By knowing your BMI and body fat, you'll know if you are in a healthy range or not. People have different body types and muscle weighs more than fat. Muscle is also proportional to metabolism. Some people's metabolism is higher than other."
Obviously, the best way to get rid of holiday pounds is to prevent them in the first place.
However, since most are not good at that, people rely on strategies to shed them later.
The key to successful weight loss is gradual changes in eating habits, lifestyle, and exercise rather than fad diets and temporary exercise plans.
"To start out, I recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, foods high in fiber," said Dilliard. "Increasing physical activity is crucial. Cardiovascular is the way to go if you want to burn fat, but strength training raises metabolism."
Semper Fit offers regular monthly fitness classes and nutrition classes to combat these unwanted pounds.
They recently invited patrons to take part in the Take Five Challenge, which encouraged participants to lose five pounds or begin exercising five times a week.
The weigh-in deadline for the challenge was Dec. 18. Those participating will do a final weigh-in to determine who accomplished their goals in February.
For more information on physical fitness, healthy weight and nutrition, contact Semper Fit Health Promotions at 228-7010.