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With the world experiencing an of obesity epidemic and a society with our significant portion of overweight people, unfortunately there some apathy regarding the cost to your health.

Australia is officially the most overweight nation in the world, this officially happened a few years ago and it’s one statistic that we don’t want to be proud of.

According to the World Health Organization, globally there are over one billion overweight and more disturbingly 300 million people that are obese.

The universally accepted measurement for determining an overweight person is having our BMI of over 25 and an obese person has a BMI Of over 30. [BMI is calculated by dividing the person's body weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters–KG/in]

The seven major risks of being over weight/fat are;

1. Dying early, men and women respectively have been 81%, hundred 115% risk of early death between the ages of 40 to 70

2.Diabetes, it is universally excepted that having a waist circumference of 100 cm for men and 90 cm for women increases the risk of getting type II diabetes.

3.Heart disease, having a large waist circumference as mentioned above increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

4.Reduced Lifespan, Being 10 Kg Overweight Will Cut Three Years Off Your Life Span and 70s if you are 20 kg overweight.

5.infertility and pregnancy risks; women who have a BMI of over 28 have approximately 2 1/2 times more risk of infertility. They can also be complications during the pregnancy such as premature delivery gestational diabetes and cesarean delivery.

6.Illnesses and disease; fatty liver disease, can lead to diabetes and heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver,
sleep apnea, being overweight or obese can also lead to sleep disturbances whereby personal stop breathing numerous times per minute which can leave to heart attacks
if other illnesses include cataracts, stroke, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, gallbladder disease and osteoarthritis.

Ultimately it comes down to adopting a healthier lifestyle with healthy eating and increasing energy expenditure.

It was awesome to see so many cyclists supporting the annual Ride to Work Day at Edinburgh Gardens in Melbourne.

The event was organised by Bicycle Victoria with the support of the City of Yarra and sponsorship from various local businesses.

The police offered free bicycle engravings that help identify the bike in the event of theft. Lord mayor Jane Garrett and Greens Councilor Kathleen Maltzahn also gave their support to the event.

With increasing road congestion and growing environmental concerns helping fuel peoples’ desire to find alternative forms of transport, cycling offers a viable, cheaper option that also keeps you healthy.

Unfortunately, while cyclists share a narrow shoulder on the side of most roads, it raises the possibility of being hit by cars and trucks..

In many European cities they have three major initiatives to help improve cyclists safety and increase patronage:

1.Copenhagen style bicycle lanes that clearly demarcate cyclists from vehicle traffic using dedicated bicycle lanes. The City of Melbourne has flagged a similar system for Swanston St.

2.Shifting the onus of blame to motorists in the event of a collision with a cyclist, ie in all cases of a vehicle/cyclist collision the motorist is guilty of an offense. Similarly, if a cyclist hits a pedestrian, the cyclist is presumed guilty.

3.Non-compulsory wearing of helmets. This will only be possible with the introduction of vehicle guilt in the event of a collision with a cyclist.

If you are inspired to ride to work, then check out Bikepark a company that has shower facilities and bicycle parking to help commuters get refreshed before heading into the office.

So, even if you missed this year’s event, riding to work is still an easy option every other day!

Today I had an enquiry from a 25 year old who was very concerned after her grandfather broke his pelvis, it gave her the motivation to start a fitness program.
After the usual gym membership with group fitness classes and a decline in motivation, she found that 12 months had elapsed.

However the vulnerability of her grandfather to breaking bones was enough to make a positive step to her health and well being future.

While there is a lot of literature on drinking calcium to avoid osteoporosis, there is nothing quite like regular exercise training to maintain bone density.

While in Italy I saw a group of men in their 80′s going on a morning walk around the lake in the beautiful Dolomites. By exercising regularly they are not only keeping healthy but reducing there risk of osteoporosis.

While we may not have such amazing surroundings within walking distance of our house, just finding 30 minutes a day will keep you healthy and fit into your golden years.

Well the danger is blogging about The Special K 2 week challenge is it promotes awareness of there product, be it good or bad.

So I like the premise of the challenge but behind it lurks a large multi national who has shareholders, mmm, what do share holder like, seeing healthy people around the globe, eating nutritious food and exercising regularly or maybe buying more Special K products.

Well Kellogg’s mission statement says “To drive sustainable growth through the power of our people and brands by better serving the needs of our consumers, customers and communities”.

So are there any elements of being a socially responsible company with the ultimate goal being focused around improving the health of their customers rather than increasing sales sales or giving the market the type of products they want but don’t need or are marketing about why they need Special K products?

Well if the program didn’t involve buying there highly processed products, it would be awesome but guess what, part of their program involves buying their special breakfast bars and eating Special K.

So lets look at there breakfast suggestions, Special K every morning mixed in with fruit & yoghurt, toast and muffins.

Remember that this company has also made some nutritional claims about Coco Pops “now supports your child’s immunity”