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The New Year is here and with it all of our admirable resolutions to lose weight and finally get in shape. Most of us have a vague idea that losing weight and getting in shape is a good thing, but most of us do it just because we want to look better. Perhaps some concrete information about the other valuable benefits of being fit will be the strong impetus for not only getting on a program, but staying on it. They really narrow down to some of the basic challenges in life: Love, Success, Money and Health.
Love
It is clear that our first, somewhat shallow reason for losing weight and getting in shape is to attract the opposite sex. Despite all of the anti-negativity campaigns about accepting others for their “inner beauty”, we humans are still attracted to other humans who look good to us. In this realm of animal behavior, we are not very different from our animal counterparts. Just as birds are attracted to the other bird with the brightest plumes, we are attracted to certain physical features. A trim, strong body, in our simian mind, signals the health and strength to procreate and raise offspring and therefore carry on our DNA. It is hardwired into our being.
Success
As much as we can discuss inner beauty in the area of love and attraction, the argument does not hold much weight when it comes to career advancement. Employers are not interested in our poetic souls; they are interested in our performance. Of course, education and prior business experience are key factors in hiring, but above those basic levels, appearance does count. Right or wrong (and it is often wrong), fat, out of shape individuals are viewed as lazy and uncommitted. Do a quick survey of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, and you would be very hard pressed to find a few who are overweight. Sure, they are driven and hardworking, and they look it! If an employer has a choice between two equally qualified applicants, he will hire or promote the one in better shape, following a probably unconscious belief that he will be more industrious.
Money
Not too many people think about how being overweight affects their wallet. But, it does, in a big way. First of all, clothing in XX sizes are often more expensive than normal sizes, especially if you have to buy them in a specialized store. In addition, the sale racks only contain the smaller sizes that haven’t sold out yet. If you want great bargains, ladies, wear a size 6! Second, the more you eat, the more you spend on food. Simple but true. Thirdly, the cost of the illnesses related to obesity can be staggering. Money spent on diets, medication for obesity related conditions, and even missed days at work because of the higher rate of illness among the obese add up quickly and can be devastating.
Health
This is one area where most people are fully aware of the dangers of being overweight, but perhaps without realizing the incredible impact obesity has on health. These statistics alone should scare everyone into losing those extra pounds.
-Forty two percent of those diagnosed with breast cancer are overweight.
-Twenty six percent of people who are obese have high blood pressure.
But here is where the stats really hit home:
Seventy percent of all Cardiovascular disease is related to obesity and
Eighty percent of type II diabetes is directly related to being overweight!
If love, success and money don’t induce you to lose weight now, maybe saving your life will.
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