Healthier Habits or a Tummy Tuck?
Find a Conversation
| Tue, 05-12-2009 - 10:19pm |
By: Cynthia Ramnarace
The average woman may be teetering on the brink of obesity, but she’s more willing to have a tummy tuck than to eat healthier, according to a new Associated Press-iVillage poll released Monday, May 11, 2009.
The survey of 1,000 adult women found that the average female’s BMI (body mass index) is 29, which is officially overweight and just a few pounds shy of obese. The higher a woman’s BMI, the greater her risk of conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
It’s not that women aren’t aware of the scale; 81 percent of respondents reported that they had weighed themselves within the last 30 days. So either people don’t know what constitutes an unhealthy weight, or they’re unable—or unwilling—to make the necessary lifestyle changes that can shrink their waistlines, says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, M.D.
“People hear all the time that they have to go on a diet, lose weight, eat vegetables,†says Dr. Goldberg, author of Dr. Nieca Goldberg’s Complete Guide to Women’s Health. “But nobody tells people how they can implement that into their daily lives. Stomach surgery is not the panacea for losing weight; women need to know that maybe if they ate more fruits and vegetables, they could fix that problem.â€
Yet only 8 percent of women actually eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, according to the poll. The good news: Participants reported getting an average of 139 minutes of exercise per week, which is close to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans’ suggestion of 150 minutes—though it remains clear that exercise alone is not enough to control weight.
Regardless of what the scale says, about half of the women surveyed feel positive about their physical condition and 40 percent said they are happy with their figures. However, one in four would consider plastic surgery to improve their appearance—but it’s not the face they want to perfect. Of those inclined to go under the knife, a whopping 73 percent of women favored the stomach as the spot to transform with surgery. Coming in second were the breasts, while the once-popular nose job took a dive to the bottom of the list.
“For women, it's not about the face. It's about their stomachs,†Dr. Goldberg says. “But that shows there is a big disconnect—women are recognizing their weight problems, but haven't made the next step to do something about it. And that disconnect is consistent with the research we have, because blood pressure is not being adequately controlled and waist sizes are going up.â€
The economy is also having a negative impact on personal health, according to the survey. Twenty-one percent of the women reported spending less this year on physical fitness activities and equipment, while 15 percent are cutting back on beauty treatments.
One thing this AP-iVillage poll makes clear: Women care about their weight and their looks, but they’re missing the steps to make the essential connection: A healthy woman is a beautiful woman.







Pages
I was terribly thin until I was about 18 myself...then it went WAAAY the other way and I've struggled since...ugh...
Nadine - deenie1979
Nadine - deenie1979
LOL - I don't think you're shameless at all - everyone is different.
Nadine - deenie1979
Pages