Links that Fight Fat
November 7, 2008 by Diane Penna
Filed under Women's Health
Each Friday I hope to share great fat-fighting sites, blogs, and tools that I use with my own weight loss journey. Today I have some of the most basic tools you will need if you are going to be successful with your own weight loss, so I please take a moment to check them out.
Most of these tools came from the American Cancer Society’s website on Prevention and Early Detection, and I highly recommend taking a look at what they have to say about the link between obesity and cancer.
Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator
One of the most important steps you could take right now is figuring out your BMI. Why is this crucial? Well for one, many overweight people don’t realize just how overweight they are. If you have never before calculated your BMI, this may open your eyes a bit to how much you are (or are not) putting your health at risk by being overweight.
This isn’t one of those “how many calories is in an apple?” type of calculators, but rather one that will help you determine the appropriate number of calories you should be consuming each day. While I’ve touched upon the fact that weight loss isn’t just a matter of watching calories, it’s still important to know how much your body should be consuming to keep your metabolism running smoothly.
Take this fun little quiz to see how you rate when it comes to your lifestyle, eating properly, and exercising regularly. Your answers will help you figure out what little changes you can make in your life to be healthier.
Use this handy tool to figure out just how many calories your workout burned. Even if you’re not actively engaging in regular exercise, you may be surprised how much you can burn by carrying boxes, mowing the lawn, watching television, or even sleeping. You just may be inspired to get moving!
When you do decide to get physical, you will want to monitor your heart rate. If your workout is too vigorous, you could put your heart at risk. If your heart rate is too low, you may not be working your heart enough to make a difference in your body’s overall health. There are some expensive heart rate monitors you can buy (and work really well) but if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, this calculator will help.
Next Friday I’ll talk a bit about weight loss surgery and gastric bypass, and whether it may be right for you, so please join me!
