Healthy Weight Within Reach
By Jacqueline Sam
Men, women and children around the world of all ages are either dreaming of losing weight, trying to lose weight, or have lost weight and are in the process of gaining it back. Countless weight-loss methods are touted as being sure things, but many of them are ineffective, unhealthy, and even dangerous. People risk their health when they turn to diet pills and weight-loss drinks or fad diets.
Troubling Statistics
According to the World Health Organization, obesity has almost tripled since 1975. In 2016, 39 percent of adults — 1.9 billion people — were overweight; 13 percent — 650 million — were obese. Over 340 million children and adolescents between ages five and 19 were overweight or obese, as were 41 million children under age five. And the statistics are worsening year on year.
Worldwide, there are more people who are obese than underweight. Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater; overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or more. Both conditions pose significant health dangers and have become modern crises, impacting people from nearly every background and walk of life.
Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or greater; overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 or more. Both conditions pose health dangers and have become modern crises.
Burden of Extra Weight
The consequences of overweight and obesity are far-ranging. Most people know that carrying extra pounds is detrimental to health. Being overweight is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death. Diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (particularly osteoarthritis), and multiple forms of cancer become more likely in the presence of excess weight.
There are also profound psychological effects of overweight. Low self-esteem and depression are common among overweight adults and children alike. Carrying extra pounds can inhibit confidence. And many people who have tried various methods of weight loss without success suffer from an overwhelming sense of failure.
But in the battle with the scale, there is hope. Simple changes can improve health and promote the achievement of a healthy weight, thereby restoring confidence in one’s appearance. The changes that occur in the mind and spirit through meditation manifest as changes in the outer world. Meditating heightens self-awareness and can help free one from depression, leading to a new positive way of viewing one’s body and physical habits.
Instead of turning to diet pills and other harmful weight-loss methods, journey into Universal consciousness to find the liberation that is good health. Change begins within.
