High blood pressure/hypertension: 1/3rd of all cases of high BP are associated with obesity.

Heart disease: heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina and abnormal heart rhythm is increased in women who are overweight or obese.

Osteoarthritis: obesity may be a major factor in the development of osteoarthritis, particularly of the knee.

Problems during pregnancy: the problem gets complicated as the child could fall prey to similar diseases and run the risk of coronary ailment.

Psychological disorders: Depression, eating disorders, distorted body image and low self esteem.

Taking small precautions at home itself can go a long way in keeping off the excess fat. One can start with the following:

Eat small portions

Chew well

Never eat and drink at the same time

Do not lie down and rest after eating

Eat 4-6 small meals per day

Drink sugar free beverages and avoid carbonated drinks. However, if a change in lifestyle does not render much change, one can always consider the option of bariatric surgery (only in case the person is morbidly obese).

The Balancing Act:

Balance is not something we generally think about as being part of overall fitness-but it should be. Balance training facilitates movement skill and raises athletic and functional movement potentials to new heights.

Why Balance?

All our daily activities requires balance this can be achieved by balance training exercises. Even walking which we take for granted is the act of losing balance as one foot lifts up, and regaining it by stepping down. We often take our body’s ability to balance for granted As we age, our natural ability to maintain good balance as well as quick reaction time diminishes. According to American Running board member Ron Laurence M.D., “balance ability diminishes as we age, and can be improved with practice”.
Stand on one leg, roller blade, wind surf, ride a bike, inline skate of ski to maintain and improve your inherent balancing abilities.
Sports Performance:

Balance is an important factor in any type of sport, be it clearing a hurdle or reaching to catch a ball. fit individuals have a better balance, respond to training and learn sports skills more quickly.
Benefits of Balance Training  Exercise

1. Improves posture and body alignment
2. Improves day to day functional stability
3. Strengthens core muscles
4. Improves co-ordination and self-awareness
5. Enhances neuron muscular awareness
6. Increases strength

Two Yoga Asanas to Improve Balance:

The Lord Of Dance:

Stand tall. Lift your right leg off the floor and hold your ankle. Arch your back and move your torso forward while raising the right leg behind you. Create a smooth arch through the right side of your body. balancing on the left leg. Hold for 10 breaths or longer if you can. Repeat with the other leg.
The Tree:

Stand tall with the right leg against the left inner thigh. place your hands in the namaste position and then slowly raise your hands up. Hold for 10 breaths or longer if you can. Repeat with the other leg.

1. Development of muscular strength, speed, and power

2. Visible and significant changes in body composition (the more
toned muscles we have, the more energy and calories we burn)

3. Improvement in posture

4. Increase in lean body tissue

5. Enhanced athletic performance

6. Repair and strengthening of muscles after injury

7. Increased metabolic rate, resulting in decreased body fat

8. Protection and maintenance of bone density to prevent osteoporosis

9. Decrease in pro-inflammatory, toxic abdominal fat

10. Improvement in self-esteem and sense of accomplishment

Another benefit of weight training and increased muscle mass is the decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. Muscle is metabolically active, enabling it to use blood sugar, which decreases the need for insulin, removing the burden on the pancreas.

But remember the other side of the coin: Overexercising is proinflammatory. Overexercising can trigger the release of cortisol, promoting unwanted weight gain (especially in the abdomen), break down muscle tissue, and accelerate the rate at which we age. Before starting a weight-training program (if you are completely new to this
form of exercise), consult your physician and/or professional trainer to make sure you are training at the right level, to avoid injury and to ensure that you are performing the weight training exercises correctly.

Traditionally women tend to gain weight in their hips and men gain weight in their abdomen. However, as they get older, women are particularly subject to weight gain in the abdomen. And it often seems that no matter how carefully they control their diet, it becomes more and more difficult to lose this weight with each passing year. But there is good news on the horizon. According to a recent University of Pennsylvania study, weight training is especially effective in helping to eliminate central obesity, or excess fat in the abdomen.

Funded by the NIH, the study found that just two 1-hour sessions of weight lifting per week can bring down the chances of agerelated fat buildup in the abdomen. As we know, there are two types of fat: subcutaneous (under the skin) and visceral (found in the abdomen and surrounding our vital organs). Central obesity is visceral fat and is considered the most dangerous because it surrounds vital organs and is metabolized by the liver, which turns it into blood cholesterol. Visceral fat also puts pressure on the heart and the arteries, increasing the chances of heart trouble. In fact, physicians refer to this type of fat as “toxic fat” because it produces a veritable factory of inflammatory chemicals, increasing the risk for heart disease, strokes, and diabetes.

While the average woman will not be developing the large bulging muscles of her male counterpart, she will, however, significantly increase her strength and muscle tone. The actual shape of the body may also be significantly enhanced by weight training in women because of the changes that occur in the all-important ratio of fat to muscle.We know that muscle burns more calories than fat does and that increased muscle enables us to burn excess calories even while resting. But building muscle can also tighten and tone our bodies in ways that simple weight loss cannot.

Stretching is one of the key components of a balanced fitness program. it prevents injury, increases the range of movement, improves performance, posture and keeps the body agile. It is a great idea to take short breaks to simply stretch and release stiffness an tension from your muscles while at work.

Posture and Stretching:
Most postural problems area result of poor alignment which are caused by tightness in muscles. Stretching can help realign the body and maintain good posture, Repetitive strain on the back and legs is caused by bad postures and long hours of sitting or standing. An incorrect desk set up, poorly designed keyboards or an incorrect computer placement could strain your muscles and connective tissues.

The Stretches:
You can perform these simple, easy to do stretches everyday at your convenience. you don’t have to wait for a particular time or place to do these streches.
1. Make sure you hold each stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds
2. Breathe normally when you hold the stretch. Do not hold your breath

The Exercises
Neck Stretch:
Drop your head to the right side and then to the left side, bringing your ear close to your shoulder

Shoulder Stretch:
Cross the right arm horizontally over your chest. Next place your left hand just above the elbow joints of your right arm and pull the right arm closer towards your chest. Repeat with the left arm

Chest Stretch
Clasp your hands behind you so that you feel a stretch in your chest muscles.

Upper back Stretch:
Clasp your hands in front of you so that you feel the stretch in your upper back.

Arms Stretch:
Extend both hands straight above your head and bring your palms together in namaste.

Shoulder rolls:
Rotate your shoulders forward a few times and then reverse direction.