The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity

Overweight and obesity are similar and can be defined as excessive fat that has accumulated in the body abnormally for a long time. And to tell you the truth it is very dangerous to the health. To measure obesity, you have to divide the person's body mass index (BMI), by the square of his or her height (in meters). If your BMI is 30 or more, you then considered being obese. While a person that have a BMI that is more than 25 is considered to be overweight.

It seems some persons like to be obese or Overweight because they are not ready to do anything about it. The truth is obesity is a major risk factor for a number diseases like stroke, hypertension and even some form of cancer. In this blog post, I will be writing on some of this diseases,.

diseases that are related to obesity

Type 2 Diabetes

Apart from family history and other causes, obesity is another major cause of diabetes. It is a disease in which blood sugar levels are higher above normal. This disease is related to heart disease, like hypertension, kidney disease, stroke and even blindness. Diabetes is a major or leading cause of death in the world. Other causes of type 2 diabetes are lack of activities, poor feeding and excess body weight around the waist.

High Blood Pressure

High Blood pressure is the force at which blood pushes against the walls of the arteries while the heart pumps blood. And obesity and overweight play, a major role in the fats build up. If The measurement reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, depending on the body weight of the person you would say 120/80 mmHg. And this is normal but if it is higher than this it is called hypertension or high blood pressure. If this pressure rises and it is not controlled and it stays high for a period of time, it can cause ill health and even damage some vital organs in the body.

Stroke

The risk of you having a stroke is very high if your BMI also increases. As fat build up in your body, it also builds up in your arteries and this is called plaque. These plaques can rupture anytime and this can curse a blood clot to form. And if this clot forms close to your brain, blocking the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain then you will have a stroke  Being overweight or obese can lead to a buildup of plaque in your arteries. 

Abnormal Blood Fats

Obesity and overweight are the major causes of blood fats. You are at risk of having abnormally high levels of blood fats if you do not watch and control your weight. These fats include high levels of bad cholesterol also called triglycerides and low levels of HDL also called good cholesterol.

Abnormal levels of these blood fats especially the bad cholesterol are a risk factor for heart diseases. 

Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which you have pauses in breathing it can also be called shallow breaths while you sleep.

It happens when you have more fat stored around the neck region. Obesity and overweight can also cause this disease. The store fats around your neck can narrow the airway, making it difficult for you to breathe while you sleep.

The solution is a change of lifestyle. Watch what you eat and get more active to burn those unwanted calories.

Exercise: 5 benefits of regular physical activity

1. Improves Cardiovascular Health

Regular exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient at pumping blood. This helps lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, reducing strain on your heart. It also improves the health of your blood vessels, preventing the buildup of plaque that can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Activities like walking, running, swimming, or cycling boost HDL (“good” cholesterol) and lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol), improving overall heart function.

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2. Boosts Mental Health

When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins and neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These naturally lift your mood and help reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercise also improves sleep quality, which is critical for mental well-being. Over time, regular physical activity can increase brain plasticity — the brain’s ability to adapt and grow — which helps with learning and memory.

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3. Enhances Muscle Strength and Flexibility

Working out regularly helps build and maintain muscle mass, which naturally declines with age. Strength training exercises increase muscle fiber size and strength, making everyday tasks easier and reducing the risk of injury. Exercise also improves joint flexibility and range of motion, which can prevent stiffness and conditions like arthritis. Stretching and activities like yoga improve balance and coordination, lowering fall risk especially in older adults.

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4. Aids in Weight Management

Exercise burns calories and increases your basal metabolic rate (the number of calories your body uses at rest). This helps create a calorie deficit necessary for weight loss. It also helps maintain lean muscle mass, which is important because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. Beyond weight loss, regular exercise can help keep the weight off long-term and improve body composition by reducing fat percentage.

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5. Strengthens the Immune System

Moderate exercise has been shown to boost the immune system by promoting good circulation. This allows immune cells and substances to move through the body more efficiently, helping detect and fight off pathogens early. Regular physical activity can reduce inflammation and improve the body’s defense mechanisms. However, it’s important to balance exercise intensity, as very intense or prolonged exercise without rest might temporarily suppress immu

home remedies for a stomach ulcer

A stomach ulcer can also be called a gastric ulcer, this is a sore that occurs in the lining of the stomach. It can also develop in any other or upper part of the intestine. Stomach ulcers are cursed by harmful effects of acids in the stomach and this too much acid in the stomach is a curse by a bacteria called H. pylori.
It is known that about four hundred million people alive have stomach ulcers and two in every 20 people suffers from stomach ulcer during their lifetime. Sometimes ulcers can recur and more than once in a lifetime, you need and sometimes it can come along with serious complications like bleeding, But before it gets to that stage that you now have to call your healthcare provider, there are trusted and tested home remedies that can help you treat that stomach ulcer 

Some home remedies 

1.

Cabbage

I never believe this until I tried it myself it works like magic Cabbage is a powerful remedy for stomach ulcer. it contains a lot of lactic acids and some amount of vitamin c, cabbage produces amino acids that help blood flow to the stomach lining. When there is much blood flow to the stomach, the lining of the stomach is strengthened and the ulcer is healed.

2.

Bananas

To treat stomach ulcer, bananas are very effective. You can use ripe or unripe bananas to treat an ulcer. Bananas are very common and some of us never knew it can be used to treat an ulcer. Bananas contain antibacterial compounds can limit the growth of H. pylori the bacterial that curses stomach ulcer.

Bananas also help in wiping out acid from the stomach lining thus living the lining strengthens. And it also contains some compounds that help reduce inflammation in the stomach lining. Eating up to four ripe bananas a day will help to treat it. I like it dry just dry up the bananas and eat like that or mix it with honey and take the mixture always.

3 wonderful kola
This wonderful herbal fruit is found in Nigeria. it can be used in the treatment of many other health issues. it will benefit you if you are managing ulcer and you eat it always. wonderful kola help increase the platelet count and nitric oxide levels in the body. which is very beneficial to the healing process of stomach ulcer. Because of its anti-bacteria functions it help the body fight against the bacteria that causes ulcer.

Natural Ways to Lower Stress

It is true that ninety-five percent of diseases are cursed by Stress and stress is an everyday routine expectation for any man or woman if you do not take charge of your lifestyle. Meaning, you are exposed to stress every day and this can affect your health. However, there are natural ways to lower stress and these natural ways work better than other stress management strategies.

Here are natural ways to lower stress.

1 Meditate

Meditation is called mindfulness and it is one effective way to lower stress. Even when you have a hectic day, meditation done for at list 20-30 minutes a day can help lower your stress.

Meditation is very easy to do and it can be done anywhere; simply clear your mind, create some silent time for yourself and allow those your thoughts to run freely. The main aim here is to refocus attention while clearing your mind of any unwanted thoughts that have filled your mind.

Mediation sessions require you to work on your breathing because deep breathing that can calm your mind, lower blood pressure and regulate the heart rate.

2. Exercise

Exercise like yoga, tai chi or even aerobics can help lower stress naturally. The gentler forms of exercise, help in clearing out the mind, and while you go through the whole day without stress. The more vigorous forms of exercise will help you remove your mind from the issues of the day while you focus on your body movement and how you are going to achieve your aim for the game. I am talking about exercises like football, basketball, swimming or even a tennis game. Exercise helps lower stress by increasing your endorphins level, and also your mood.

3. Baths

Soaking yourself in warm water after a stressful day helps the body for proper blood circulation and release of muscle pains and tension. For the body to achieve this is very easy, you know when you bath with warm or hot water your body temperature and heart rate will increase and for it to come back to normal, the body perspires and this helps the body remove toxins. And the blood vessels will open up and this will improve blood circulation, and in the process remove stress causing acid from muscle.

5. Massage

Massage help blood to circulate properly in the body especially the head. Massage is a very powerful way to lower stress what it does to the body is that it helps to open up blocked channels, remove muscular tension and also calm your mind.
I will recommend reflexology or foot massaging and Swedish massage where long, gentle strokes are used to massage the body.