Rest is a Vital Part of Getting Stronger

Believe it or not, the hours between your workout is when your body is doing most of the hardest work. Your exercise routine asked for an increase in oxygen and blood flow, so your body gave you what you needed to finish the workout. When you stop, your body remembers that you needed that increased oxygen and blood flow so it begins to work so that it will be easier to provide when you exercise again. This shift in your body’s ready energy stores is what builds up your endurance so that you can work longer and harder eventually. If you cut that preparation time short, your body will be constantly trying to catch up and it will actually take longer for you to reach a higher level of fitness.

Exercise Breaks Muscles Down

The reason you feel sore after a good workout is that your muscles have been broken down by the extra effort you put them through. It takes time for the muscles to knit themselves back together so that they are ready to be used again. If you exercise them again too quickly, the damage becomes more severe and it will take even longer for the muscles to gain real strength. Most fitness specialists recommend waiting at least 48 hours between hard workouts so that your muscles can repair themselves fully before you ask them to work hard again. The good news is that your muscles will repair themselves so that they are stronger, which will allow you to increase your workouts over time.

The Body Gains Strength Slowly

The human body makes very few changes quickly. If you are just starting to work out, you might be frustrated at the slow pace you need to maintain at first. You might even feel like you are not working enough to make a difference during the first few weeks of training. Remember that those first few workouts are building a foundation so that you will be able to benefit more from the harder workouts later. Your body needs time to build itself up so that it can deliver the oxygen and blood flow that you need for a harder workout. Give your cells and muscles time to change so that they can help you instead of wearing you down.

Common Signs of Overtraining

The most obvious sign of overtraining is constant fatigue. When done properly, a good workout regimen should leave you feeling more energetic the rest of the day. If you find yourself dragging along hours after the workout has ended, you are probably working too hard or too often. Excessive soreness is another sign that you’re overdoing it. If your muscles are still screaming a full day after you worked out, you could probably cut back on the intensity of your exercise. Overtraining means that you are working so hard that you’re tearing down your body instead of building it up.

It Could All Be in Your Head

A research study in Zurich has pinpointed the role of the brain in the fatigue that some people feel after long workouts. Researchers found that a person’s attitude plays a big part in how tired they feel when they are doing exercise that involves endurance. The bottom line is that your muscles will give out on you before you reach the level of exercise that you believe is your maximum level, even if you have the physiological strength to continue. The difference between thinking yourself into fatigue and overtraining is that the fatigue from overtraining is longer lasting.

Push Yourself, but Not Too Hard

You can work out daily without overtraining. Most fitness experts recommend that you alternate the type of exercise you do every day so that you are working different muscles in different ways. For example, you could do strength training on one day and aerobic training the next day. This allows you to create a good exercise routine that gives your muscles a chance to get the rest they need between workouts. Remember that even when you are sleeping your body is still working as hard as it can to become stronger.

What Kind of Exercise Should I Do

If you want to improve your brain function, do the same kind of exercise you would do to keep your body in shape. Any kind of aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping, makes you work harder to breathe while exercising and leaves your muscles slightly tired and sore will also help your brain. Be careful not to fool yourself, though; exercise that does little for your body won’t do much for your mind either. Walking too slowly or riding a stationary bike at low speed and intensity are a waste of time introit regard. Animal studies bear this out; mice that were forced to run hard had more molecular changes in their brains than mice that ran at a less intense pace.

Also, for best effect you should exercise regularly. Think about it: if you only exercised hard once a week or once a month, would you expect it to help you lose weight or tone your muscles? Of course not. It works the same way if you’re doing physical exercise to improve brain function. Work out at least three times a week to improve your cognitive abilities.

How Does Exercise Help My Brain?

Exercising vigorously helps your brain grow new cells. In addition, regular hard exercise helps current cells develop more fully.

Several animal studies show how this works. In one study, mice were required to run on a treadmill for an hour a day over the course of two months. The more the mice exercised, the more mitochondrial development they exhibited in their brains, suggesting that they grew new brain cells because of the exercise. A follow-up study showed mice that ran had more brain development than mice who were allowed to run at a slower pace.

You might wonder how this translates for human brains. Humans have the advantage of being able to take intelligence tests as well as brain structure tests. A University of Illinois study showed that people who walked briskly were able to do better on standardized tests than people who don’t exercise. In addition, brain-imaging tests showed that people who exercise have more neural activity in the cerebral cortex of their brains.

Exercise and Brain Health

These findings are exciting both for people who are currently healthy and for people who suffer from diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. My grandfather, who was sedentary and overweight for most of his life, died of Alzheimer’s, and it was truly a tragic disease, as he died mentally long before he died physically. However, current knowledge of exercise might have saved him – and people today who are struggling with the first onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms – from losing his ability to think and function. Since vigorous exercise helps recreate brain cells and strengthen existing cells, helping these patients exercise might help rebuild those cells lost to the disease. Exercise may also help people who have Parkinson’s syndrome and other degenerative nerve and brain diseases.

Our growing understanding of how exercise affects brain function also helps you if your brain’s still healthy. Scientists have known for years that keeping mentally fit by doing crossword puzzles and other mentally challenging tasks can help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Regardless of whether this disease runs in your family’s history, start exercising now to protect your brain as well as your body from degeneration.

Exercise + Diet = Awesome

Wait! What? You “stand a greater chance?” I know what you’re thinking: “I thought if I worked out six days a week, I’d lose weight! Now you’re saying, I have a “greater chance” of losing weight? Why work out then?” I’ll tell you why. Because unless you work out, you turn to flab. If you don’t exercise and don’t cut your calories, your muscles will become blubber. If you simply cut calories without working out, your skin will hang off your bones like a limp sail.

All I’m saying is, in order to lose weight, you have to combine exercise with the “D” word. I call it the “D” word because “diet” has a bad connotation. It implies that you change what you’re eating until you lose the weight, then you can go back to your chip-scarfing ways. Sorry. That’s not how it works. Even if you add 60 minutes a day of the ab-sculpting, pec-building P90X workout, if you continue to eat like a hippo, you won’t lose weight. You’d also be hiding those gorgeous buff muscles under layers of unhealthy fat.

The Burning Equation

If you want to lose weight, by all means, pound the heck out of the pavement by running a couple of miles a day. Or sweat your guts out with Horton and his strength-building, cardio-pumping exercises that combine intensity with the core-building moves of yoga and Pilates. But you’ve got to burn more calories than you put in if you want to drop the pounds.

You must burn 3,500 extra calories to drop a pound of fat. Depending on how much you weigh, your base metabolism burns between about 800 and 2,000 calories, give or take a few. If you normally eat about 2,000 calories a day, you need to burn 500 extra calories a day to drop a pound in a week. Or, you need to reduce the amount you’re eating to about 1,500 calories per day. But if you just drop calories, beware the bat wings—those ugly flaps of skin that hang off your arms because there’s less fat but no muscle to give you shape.

That’s why exercise is so important to weight loss. So, if your base metabolism usually burns around 1,000 calories a day, additional muscle ups that number to about 1,100 or 1,200. It’s like the law of compound interest in reverse. Use our Calorie Calculator to figure out your base daily burn.

Which One is For Me?

Both methods have their pros and cons. The P90X costs money; jogging is free. Jogging works mostly your lower-body muscles; the P90X works all your major muscle groups. You need a DVD player to follow along with the P90X; you just need road to jog. Jogging in snow sucks; working out in your living room can ruin the carpet. Both have benefits and drawbacks. The point is: your body is an amazing, efficient machine. If it gets used to a workout, it gets lazy and stops working as hard. Your best option is to keep it guessing. Do an interval workout on Monday, jog on Tuesday, sleep in on Wednesday, bring it on Thursday and Friday and jog to the farmers’ market on Saturday. Of course, Sunday is the day of rest, but after a week like that, you deserve it!

Just because you are not a contestant on a game show, does not mean that you cannot achieve your weight loss goals and make a big difference in your life. You may not have a personal trainer planning your workouts, or a nutritionist planning your daily meals for you, but you can get the same results right in your home. You do not need special equipment or high dollar employees to lose weight and become healthier. You just need motivation, a plan, and a good support system.

How Can I Get Good Results Without a Personal Trainer?

Well, the basic answer to this is that you will need a personal trainer. Since you are not going to hire somebody to come to your home and yell at you all day, YOU are going to need to be your own trainer. Weight loss and fitness are about two very simple ideas. You have to exercise more and eat less. All the tips in the world come down to this simple formula. The great news is that every little baby step you take towards these two goals will pay off!

You are going to need a good support system as well, and that needs to come from family and friends. It may also be helpful to look for an online club or message board where you can post goals, achievements, and even setbacks. These types of platforms are great because you can really get sincere support from people going through the same thing as you.

How Do I Eat Less and Exercise More?

Here are some great strategies to help you get started.

•       Set written goals. Your goal needs to be specific, measurable, and achievable. Post your goal on your refrigerator, your mirror, and your online support system. Keep track of progress and regularly set new goals.

•       Avoid temptation. You have a goal. You are serious about meeting it. So go prove it and throw all the junk food out of your house. You do not need that. Your kids do not need that

•       Do stock up on healthy, easy snacks. If you are starving, and there is a bowl of fruit handy, chances are you will grab it and not walk down the street for that candy bar

•       Have workout clothes that you like to wear. This is a big deal. Wearing old, ratty clothing to work out in will not inspire you to get going and do it.

•       Set yourself up to succeed. Make it convenient to do the right thing. Pack your gym clothes the night before. Make your afternoon snacks up in the morning. Do not visit the grocery when you are starving.

•       Choose a regular aerobic workout that you enjoy. I do not know how many people I know that go running even though they hate running. The idea seems to be that if you hate it, it is doing you better. There are dozens of potential ways to raise your heartbeat and metabolism. Choose one that you like, so you will actually do it.

In Order to Succeed, You Have to Start Now

I have a friend who buys workout and weight loss books and videos by the dozen. She always seems to discover that their “system” is not right for her in some way. She has not changed one dress size in five years.

You do not need lots of money, or just the right type of diet to get Biggest Loser like results. What you need to get Biggest Loser like results is to get started. If you cannot afford a gym membership, you can afford to walk around the block. You have time to work out during your favorite TV show. You deserve to have the life and health that you want.

If you want to do this, you can do this. Make a plan today, get started on it right now, and tell your support system all about it so that they can cheer you on, as you become a celebrity “Biggest Loser” in your own home!

However, you do not have to pack up your exercise clothes and put them away until spring arrives; there are ways you can continue your normal regimen even in the cold. If you have certain medical conditions such as asthma, exercising outside over the winter may be detrimental to your health but the most important thing to remember is to stay warm.

Protect and Warm Your Body

Your body focuses on keeping your torso, or your core, warm when it is cold outside, leaving your hands, feet and face vulnerable. Remember to wear a warm hat, a thin pair of gloves underneath heavier ones and consider purchasing sneakers slightly larger to accommodate an extra pair of socks. If you are running for extended periods, you may become warm quickly so avoid dressing in heavy clothes. Layers work well and you can remove them as soon as you begin to heat up. Start with material like polypropylene that helps to absorb the sweat your body produces. Add fleece for insulation on top of your first layer and finally, wear a breathable piece of clothing on top.

Be Aware of Weather Conditions

Before venturing out in the cold, pay attention to the current weather and wind chill. If it is extremely cold, skip your routine and try again the next day. Rain or wet ice can cause you to become very sick, especially if your clothes are soaked, because your body cannot keep its temperature up. Wind chills can be detrimental to your health, no matter how warmly you are dressed. Cold temperatures cause frostbite and the wind can blow through any pieces of clothing, even insulated articles.

Wear the Right Clothes

If you regularly engage in exercise routines at night, make sure that you wear reflective clothing, especially if it is snowing or raining. Fog, heavy rains and large snowflakes can make it hard for others around you to see you, so if you do not have reflective clothing, wear white or bright colors instead. Extreme sports such as snowmobiling, skiing and snowboarding all require helmets and make sure your sneakers or footwear have enough traction to avoid slips and falls in ice and snow.

Don’t Forget about Sunscreen

While sunscreen is a given during spring and summer months, many people often neglect to wear it in the winter because they feel that since the sun is not always out, there is no risk of burning. However, there is a high risk of sunburn, especially if you live at high altitudes or are engaging in your physical activity in the snow. Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and make sure it blocks UVA and UVB rays, not one or the other. Protect your lips from sunburn and from being chapped by wearing a lip balm that also contains sunscreen, and shield your eyes from glare with goggles or dark sunglasses.

Aim for the Wind

If possible, plan your workout ahead of time or as you begin so that during the second half, the wind is behind you. While some avid exercises claim that there is a greater benefit by heading into the wind because your body has to work harder, you also run the risk of getting cold faster. With the wind behind you, you can use it to give you that extra push to finish your workout.

Stay Hydrated

You wouldn’t head out to exercise in scorching heat without bringing water or fluids with you, so do the same when you are working out in the cold. Remember to consume beverages throughout all periods of your workout, even if you do not feel thirsty. Your body will still sweat and your fluid level needs to be replenished. It may be harder for you to notice when it is cold outside, but your body becomes dehydrated when you breathe more heavily as well.

Understand Frostbite and Hypothermia

While frostbite commonly occurs on your face in areas like your ears, cheeks and nose, it can also begin on your extremities, even if they are covered. Know the early warning signs including tingling sensations, loss of any or all feeling and numbness. Even if you are not sure if you have frostbite, play it safe instead of sorry and get inside right away. Do not rub the area because it can severely damage your skin; instead, use a heating pad or compress to warm the area up gradually. Hypothermia is common when you exercise in cold rain. Signs of hypothermia include fatigue, slurred speech, intense shivering and loss of coordination.

Why Protein Sports Drinks?

In 2008, a study was published in the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition that concluded that consuming sports drinks that consisted of both protein and carbohydrates were better for athletes than drinking carbohydrate-only beverages. When these supplements were consumed over the six-hour period after exercise, the participants experienced a better recovery period. In other words, athletes who drank a beverage that was mix of protein and carbohydrates were more apt to ease back into exercise quicker than those who did not.

Participants cycled on exercise bikes for a morning session, after which they rested and drank either a protein-carbohydrate beverage or a carbohydrate-only beverage. After the rest period was over, the participants got back on the exercises bikes for another session. While both groups did not show a performance level as high as they did in the morning session, those who consumed the protein-carbohydrate beverages did significantly better than participants who drank the carbohydrate-only beverages.

Why is Cereal Just as Good?

New research shows that consuming a bowl of whole-grain cereal provides the same benefits as a sports drink that contains carbohydrates. The difference between this study and the study that was previously conducted was that the participants, eight men and four women, were to endure a workout more similar to a traditional exercise session. While all of the participants were trained cyclists and fully capable of undergoing a difficult exercise session, researchers wanted to make the study as close to a typical workout as possible. There was a warm-up period followed by a two hours cycling session at a rate that was comfortable for the participants. After the session was over, the participants were allowed to rest. Previous studies focused mainly on exerting participants to the point of exhaustion.

The main goal of the study was to discover whether or not whole-grain cereals were better or worse than carbohydrate-based sports drinks. Researchers found that whole-grain cereals replenished muscle fuel at either the same rate or better than the sports beverages.

In another study, researchers found that the muscles in the body can be stimulated or manipulated in different ways through changes in the athlete’s diet. They found that the most beneficial time for an individual to consume high-quality protein, including milk, was immediately after the exercise session. Muscles have to be encouraged to get stronger through exercise and nourished through food consumption since they cannot build themselves back up on their own.

The benefit to this conclusion is that whole-grain cereals and nonfat or low-fat milk cost much less than sports drinks. Not only does the body receive the necessary nutrients from fiber in the whole-grain cereals, but the milk provides proteins that are easy to digest. The proteins can also help to increase the athlete’s rate of adapting to training sessions, as well as promote protein synthesis within the body.

Which Is Better?

Athletes who thrive on intensive workouts and push themselves to the limit may not feel the benefit of a bowl of whole-grain cereal and milk and may need an extra boost to recover fully from their workouts. However, other individuals who are not as active such as amateur athletes and those who participate in moderate activities to stay in shape may find that they get the extra boost they need by eating cereal instead.

1. Use the Treadmill

Treadmills are a terrific way to get your heart pumping and increase your blood circulation. Begin by walking briskly while holding a three- to five- pound dumbbell. Do various arm exercises like bicep curls, laterals and triceps extensions as you walk on the treadmill. Not only does this method workout your upper body, but the added challenge of walking will help your cardiovascular system.

2. Use a Jump Rope

Another great cardio workout is to try jumping rope while doing a double-turn maneuver. You will burn at least 26 calories every minute while you’re doing this intense workout. Do a basic jump with the rope for five minutes, then jump even higher and try to swing the jump rope full circle, under your feet twice before you land.

3. Give Yourself Breaks

A great health way to maximize your workouts is to know when you need a break. The 80/20 plan is great for following this way of thinking. For 80 percent of the year, you will exercise vigorously and maintain a healthy diet. The other 20 percent you will allow yourself to slip, as most people do during holidays and while trying to reach work deadlines. You’re more likely to stick with your healthy lifestyle if you accept the fact that people make mistakes and fitness doesn’t necessarily mean all-or-nothing.

4. Jump More

Plyometric box jumps are excellent ways to maximize your workout by improving the heart’s stamina as well as your leg strength. Your hamstrings, glutes and quads will be sore and sculpted after using a sturdy box. Simply stand in front of the box, use your legs to quickly jump onto the box and then jump backwards back down.

5. Eat Carbohydrates

Your body needs energy to perform these workouts, so don’t skimp on the snacks. High-fiber crackers and fruit are great sources of fuel, so consume them at least an hour before you plan to work out. If you plan to work out for more than an hour and a half, add some protein with your snack to give the carbohydrates a chance to break down slowly and give you energy that lasts longer. Trail-mix, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and low-fat cheese and crackers are highly recommended.

6. Drink Water

While you should keep yourself hydrated throughout the day, it’s important to consume water before you plan to exercise. However, it takes the body an hour or two to completely absorb the water, so drink in advance.

7. Enjoy Your Exercise

You are more likely to stick with workout plans that you enjoy doing. It’s no fun participating in an activity that you hate, so there’s a high chance that you will quit the second you can. While the definition of a “fun” workout varies, some suggestions include running, hiking, biking or swimming.

8. Create a Variety

You can also mix up your exercises to give you variation from one day to the next. Not only will you get bored doing the same workout repeatedly, but your body will begin to adjust to the exercise and it won’t be effective anymore. If you are strength training, make sure you switch your routine every couple of weeks. For cardio workouts, try cross training instead of running every day.

150 years later, the founders of Wham-O saw an Australian bamboo “exercise” hoop and decided to produce a plastic version. They trademarked the Hula Hoop name, and through some creative promotions caused a fad during the latter half of 1958.

So, what’s this have to do with exercise? Like skateboards, the hula hoop had a core fan base that continued to develop techniques and equipment long after the fad had passed. As Wham-O owned the Hula Hoop name, enthusiasts called their new sport “hooping.” The hoops got bigger and heavier, allowing slower rotation and better control. Hoop based dances have become a popular performance art, featured prominently in Cirque du Soleil. With aerobics shifting more toward dance-based activities, it was only a matter of time for hooping to catch on as an exercise routine.

What is a Hooping Workout?

The hoop used is larger in diameter than a child’s hula hoop and weighs more — anywhere from one to four pounds. While most experts would recommend a hoop tall enough that it reaches between your waist and chest, there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for size and weight: Larger and heavier hoops are harder to move around, but are also much easier to keep spinning. Most new hoopers have to play around with different designs to find one that matches their strength and skills.

All routines begin with five to ten minutes of what most people think of as hula hooping: rolling the hoop on the hips. From there, hoopers move the hoop around their body, going between their neck, wrists, and ankles. Beginner workouts concentrate on basic exercises, but most routines are set to music, forcing the hooper to move the hoop along with the beat. While most routines emphasize core strength, hooping can be a full-body workout.

Does it Work?

The American Council on Exercise wanted to find out, so they sponsored a study by the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.[1] They had sixteen female intermediate to experienced hoopers between the ages of 16 and 59 perform “Hooked on Hooping,” a popular and typical exercise routine. This routine has a five-minute warm up followed by seven song routines for a total of thirty-five minutes of exercise.

Once the participants had become comfortable with the workout routine, they performed it while wearing a heart rate monitor and oxygen analyzer. During the exercise, the volunteers were asked to periodically report how they felt using the Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion, a rating from 0-10 of how hard they felt they were exercising.

The Result:

• An average 151bpm heart rate, which is about 84% Heart rate max across the study group
• An average Borg Scale rating of “somewhat hard” (5-6)
• A VO2 average of 20.6 ml/kg per minute

What does this mean? Hooping has one of the highest exertion levels of free-range exercises. The participants burned an average of seven calories per minute, and their exertion level was about the same as boot camp routines. Long-term studies are needed, but this preliminary result is very promising, putting the activity firmly within the ACE’s guidelines for weight management exercise.

[1] http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/1094/

Arguments against the Talk Test

Those who do not believe in the talk test say it fails to account for variations between people as well the different types of exercise they are doing to try to achieve their target heart rate (THR). Everyone is a little different and has different levels of cardio ability.

If you were to look at the control panel of the treadmill, for example you will see the option to attain your current heart rate. Once the result is displayed you will then you have an idea how you can adjust your workout, according to the chart to attain the best level of intensity. Doctors and trainers all have theories on how intensely you should choose to work out.

Arguments for the Talk Test

According to researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine, if you can speak in a comfortable manner during exercise, then you are probably working out at the proper intensity level. In order to determine whether you are exercising at the intensity level appropriate for you, a self-administered test is required. You may discover that you are exercising at the level best for you or that you may need to slow it down a bit.

Measuring Your Target Rate against the Talk Test

Those of us who have been to a gym in last 10 years may have elected to use the heart rate monitor device on the treadmill. This simple task allows you to grip the silver handles while exercising and have your current heart rate displayed. While you await the results, you think to yourself, “I can hardly breathe, I must be doing great.”  In fact, if you are struggling to breathe or speak then you are working at a vigorous versus moderate level and should slow down.

True, your target heart rate (THR), when cross referenced with the standard cardio/fat burning chart may look like you are achieving your best workout level for your cardio or fat burning goals, but the key is to remain able to breathe properly. The target heart rate (THR) method is based on estimated range and the formula may not fit everyone. Being able to judge for yourself by using the talk test method can assure you a safe and comfortable workout.

Time Tested

Since 1939, the talk test has been unofficially recognized. Professor John Grayson, at Oxford University, advised English mountaineers to “climb no faster than you can talk.” This was the first and most basic of attempts to measure the talk test. The idea was kicked around for many years and remained on the fringe of exercise philosophy. In an era of rapid expansion with technology, the talk test never really gained any notoriety or respect.

In 1991, the talk test was included in the fourth edition of the “guidelines for exercise and training,” at ACSM (American College of Sports medicine.) In 1997, the talk test was once again recognized and published by the American Council on Exercise. However, the talk test still didn’t receive the recognition or respectability in new and upcoming exercise methods.

The talk test is confirmed and widely accepted as an accurate test, taken at any time during your workout, to ensure you are at your best and healthiest heart rate. If you are able to walk, jog or use weights, and continue to speak comfortably then you are on the road to a successful and healthy workout.

Source:

http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/888/ace-sponsored-research-validating-the-talk-test-as/

Recent surveys are divided on the health merits of high self-esteem. Some have concluded that self-esteem training, which focuses on improving women’s body image, results in dramatically increased weight loss. Other sets of data seem to show that a woman’s high self-esteem may in fact prevent her from realizing she is overweight and taking steps to improve her health.

Researching Low and High Self-Esteem

Researchers at Bangor University and the Technical University of Lisbon recently published a study that highlights some of the possible benefits of self-esteem training. In this case, the self-esteem training involved thirty group sessions held once a week, during which the women participating would discuss issues such as recognizing and improving their body image and overcoming personal stumbling blocks on the road to weight loss. The control group did not receive self-esteem training, but was given information on nutrition, stress management, and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Self-Esteem Training Promotes Weight Loss

The researchers discovered that the group that did receive self-esteem training lost an average of seven percent of their body weight over the period of a year, while the control group lost two percent. The researchers posited that lower self-esteem leads overweight and obese women to overeat, while improvements in self-esteem levels led directly to healthier eating habits.

But, as the story so often goes, it’s not that simple. A study from Temple University in 2009, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, reached surprisingly different conclusions. Here, eighty-one women, ranging from underweight to obese, were shown silhouettes of women of varying body-mass indices and asked to choose the one they felt best represented their current and ideal BMI (Body mass index.)

Dangers of Excessive Self Esteem

Twenty percent of the obese women chose an overweight or obese silhouette as their ideal, a far higher percentage than the other groups, while sixty-eight percent of the overweight women and eighty-four percent of the obese women significantly underestimated their own BMI. The researchers concluded that inflated self-esteem was inadvertently leading overweight and obese women towards the serious but avoidable health risks caused by obesity.

Race versus Self-Esteem

Many studies have demonstrated a dramatic racial disparity in body image issues. The Temple University study found that the African-American and Hispanic women surveyed tended to underestimate their body size, while the Caucasian women tended to overestimate. A 2011 Allure magazine survey found that African-American and Hispanic women were more likely than Caucasian women to feel more attractive than their partner or to have no desire to alter their body in any way. The African-American women were less likely than Hispanic or Caucasian women to watch their weight or follow a diet.

Why All this Matters

There’s nothing inherently unhealthy about these attitudes, but read the statistics on obesity amongst various racial groups and you’ll understand why researchers are concerned. An alarming seventy-three percent of Hispanic women and seventy-eight percent of African-American women over twenty years of age are overweight or obese, as opposed to fifty-nine percent of Caucasian women.

More shocking still, nineteen percent of Hispanic girls and twenty-four percent of African-American girls aged six to eleven are overweight or obese, compared with just over fourteen percent of Caucasian girls. Combine these statistics with the realization that more Hispanic and African-American women tend to think of their body size as healthy and it becomes apparent that their high self -esteem just might lead to serious, although preventable, health issues.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110717204913.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507145747.htm

http://clutchmagonline.com/2011/02/allure%E2%80%99s-beauty-survey-reveals-what-black-women-think-about-their-bodies/

http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?lvl=3&lvlID=537&ID=6459

http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6456