Healthy Weight Week

It’s very important to keep a healthy weight for a variety of reasons. It will save you money, help you find clothes that fit easier, sometimes allow you to live a longer life, save you from various health complications, etc. That said, the average size for women in this country is now a 14 and clothing departments have yet to reflect that. As times change, people change and evolve, and it’s important to change our thinking with that.

This doesn’t mean that we should abandon efforts to live a healthy lifestyle; on the contrary, we should all strive for a weight and lifestyle that allows us to be happy, healthy, and to function to the best to our abilities. However, this doesn’t mean that we should kill ourselves doing that—or that the media or other people should have the right to down us because of the way we look, either.

A healthy weight can mean being overweight; if you weight a few extra pounds but you’re also are healthy, your blood pressure is normal, and you can walk up a flight of stairs without losing your breath, you’re probably okay. A healthy weight is also not being underweight—so those people who are dieting, complaining of being “fat” when they are anything but should not be encouraged but rather given assurance—both by friends and professionals—that they are healthy and that a size zero is not necessarily so.

During healthy weight week, use this quick action guide to participate.

Assess your health. Are you basically healthy? Does your doctor think you’re okay? If so, maybe you shouldn’t worry about your weight at all and simply continue to maintain the health you have. Are you a few pounds overweight? If so, perhaps you could lose them—or maybe they’re not even that important. Again, decide with some input from your physician. Are you severely overweight? Is it interfering with your life? Ask your doctor about options.

Make a new healthy habit. Whether it’s kicking soda and drinking water or walking for fifteen minutes a day and gradually increasing the amount, add something healthy to your regular routine. If you’re already working out and eating healthy, maybe you could jazz it up some with a new fitness routine or some weights.

Share your health with others. Make sure friends and family know that you care about their health and that you will support them, no matter their size or abilities. See if they’d like a workout partner or simply a burst of positive energy as they try to tackle their own health.