Women's Weight Woes Outweigh Health & Well-Being - Associated Press & iVillage Poll

Women's Weight Woes Outweigh Health & Well-Being - Associated Press & iVillage Poll
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Amador]Andrea Amador

Are you a woman more concerned with the size of your thighs than the general state of your health? If you are, you're not alone. In a recent Associated Press/iVillage poll in which 1000 women participated, half the women surveyed were distressed by the number on the scale, even 26% of the women whose BMI (body mass index) is in the normal range.

According to registered dietician, Keri Gans, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says that "So many women think more about the number on the scale than whether their blood pressure or cholesterol is normal. They really don't think about disease risk as much as they do about their weight."

As a body image, self esteem expert and curvy gal myself, I think it's a sad state of affairs for us women when we care more about the number on the scale as opposed to the state of our health. It's such a crime that there are so many women with negative body images. It's no wonder that so many of us are body haters. Here in the U.S. 4 out of 5 women say they hate their bodies.

The truth is most women don't have a realistic view of what they actually look like. The average American woman is a size 14 and nowadays a size 10 is actually considered full figured.

The poll suggests women are still using dieting to lower their weight and in their quest to be thinner, they are avoiding fresh fruit and veggies. Many others think they're fat when they're not. Being underactive is a real problem since that can lead to health risks associated with diabetes and heart attack. Overall the poll found that 50% of the women were putting in an average of 80 minutes of exercise a week, and half do even less. For good health, the average adult is supposed to get two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week, that's 30 minutes, 5x week.

Dr. Molly Poag, chief of psychiatry at New York's Lennox Hill Hospital says "priorities are flipped," with physical fitness being undervalued in favor of absolute weight and appearance for women.

What's Causing This Disconnect?

Dietician, Lisa Cohn of the Park Avenue Nutrition and Spa in Manhattan says, "The disconnect in how concerned we are with health versus appearance is due to the many distorted body images women are bombarded with today. We are constantly getting messages about body image, weight loss techniques and celebrity dieting. Our environment has conditioned us to be dependent upon prepared foods, rather than responsible and mindful about what we are eating."

Gans' advice for those who want to stay healthy and fit at the same time: "Focus less on the numbers and more on your health, on what you should be eating versus what you shouldn't be eating," she advises. "Look at food as your friend, not your enemy. If you are eating a healthy diet and watching your portions, nine times out of ten your weight will be what it should be."

Here are 7 quick tips to get you on the road to making peace with food and friends with your body:

1. Toss your scale - Every time you step on the scale, you give it permission to tell you what kind of day you're entitled to have. Don't let anyone or anything have that kind of power over you. Step away from the scale.

2. Stop dieting - Eat when you're hungry and stop before you get too full. The wisdom of our grandmothers would call this eating in moderation. Nothing is off limits and everything is okay.

3. Deal with your stress - You'll never be able to stop your raging hunger if your life is spinning out of control. I love to teach my clients a stress relief method called Emotional Freedom Technique, a simple tapping process based on the science of Acupuncture.

4. Have more fun - Spend more time each day doing things you love. When you have something to look forward to, you feel better about yourself.

5. Wear clothes that fit you now - Scale the internet for sources and styles for plus size women that can make you feel good and look great.

6. Make movement fun - If you're not into treadmills or the gym, there are other ways to make activity fun. Take a yoga class. Walk the dog. Do the Cha cha, electric slide or mambo as you vacuum or mop the floor. Take the stairs. Garden. Research shows that anything you do to increase your heart rate, will give you a healthier heart and stronger blood vessels.

7. Talk to your doctor - Find a doctor whom you can trust, who will answer all your questions, respect your needs and advise you by giving you the information you need to be healthy and strong at any size.

And to learn more about how to how to make peace with food and friends with your body go to http://www.thejuicywoman.com and learn the strategies I use every day to be curvy and confident at any size.

From Andrea Amador - The Juicy Woman

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Womens-Weight-Woes-Outweigh-Health-and-Well-Being---Associated-Press-and-iVillage-Poll&id=2346290] Women's Weight Woes Outweigh Health & Well-Being - Associated Press & iVillage Poll