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Living > Public Health, Safety

Healthy Weights

If you are concerned about your weight, you are not alone. In Niagara, more than half (53.6%) of adults 18 years of age and older are overweight or obese using the Body Mass Index.

A "healthy weight" is:

A healthy weight comes from taking care of your body and mind, not from achieving a particular number on a scale. Healthy bodies come in many shapes and sizes. Following the latest fad diet, fasting, taking diet pills, or going from "couch potato" to "marathon runner" in one week are not healthy behaviours. Eating well with Canada's Food Guide and getting active your way with Canada's Physical Activity Guide can help you to achieve a healthy weight.

Health risks of being overweight

Health Canada indicates being overweight can lead to health issues including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, arthritis, sleep apnea, some cancers, low self esteem and depression.

Ways to prevent or reduce becoming overweight

Our physical and social environments can help us to make healthy choices. They can also make it more difficult. There have been many changes in the past few decades that have lead to unhealthy lifestyles including:

  • Building neighbourhoods without sidewalks, trails, parks or playgrounds
  • Less children walking or biking to school
  • More time spent in front of TVs, video games and computers
  • Less time spent preparing meals at home
  • More meals eaten away from home
  • More unhealthy processed foods
  • Food portions that have doubled or tripled in size

It is important that our neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools and communities become places where it is easier to be active every day and eat healthy. This can be done by:

  • Increasing the number of opportunities for children to be active before, during and after school
  • Adding bike lanes and sidewalks to encourage biking and walking to do errands or go to work - Active transportation
  • Providing more healthy choices in workplace and school cafeterias

These are just a few examples of how our environments can support healthy choices.

Working towards a healthy weight

"Healthy Measures" is not a new diet plan or quick fix plan. It encourages you to "Be active, Eat well and Be yourself". By doing this, you will be working towards a healthy weight in a gradual, safe and positive way. Get started at www.healthymeasures.ca.

For more information on healthy eating and healthy weights, visit Eat Right Ontario or Dietitians of Canada.

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