Part of the way you look can be controlled by exercise and eating habits. The other part is genetics. People are classified using 3 different body types, called somatotypes. This method of classification was developed by scientist W.H. Sheldon. As you read ahead, know that most likely you will be a combination of somatotypes. Most people have one type that is dominant, while still displaying some characteristics of the other two. The average person may display characteristics of all 3 somewhat evenly.

According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine study funded by the National Institute on Aging, obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person.  

The study found that social ties seem to play a strong role in obesity, even more than genes.  The chances of becoming obese went up 57 percent if a friend is obese, 40 percent if a sibling is obese and 37 percent if a spouse is obese. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled. This may explain why men gain weight when their pregnant wives or girlfriends gain weight. 

Are you at risk for a heart attack?  Check out the interactive tool to measure your chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.

Your chance of a heart attack is determined by information you enter to calculate your risk score. The calculation is based on the Framingham Heart Study which studied the progression of heart disease and its risk factors for the past 50 years.

The information you submit include the most important risk factors for heart disease, which are as follows:

Having a personal trainer to get you back in shape is a great investment.  After all, what is more important than your health?  Many times people join gyms and change their diet with the intention of getting in shape.  They go to the gym several times a week and after a few weeks become discouraged, unmotivated or bored with the whole process.  They may not know how to properly and safely exercise or which exercises to complete to be successful.  They trot from machine to machine haphazardly doing several random exercises.  They have no plan to accomplish their goals.

The reason you probably stumbled upon this site or article is because you are seeking knowledge when it comes to your health. You maybe seeking information to lose weight, learn a different exercise, tone a body part, or you maybe looking for a personal trainer. You are looking for a change.

Health is a combination of physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. Care must be taken to ensure that all these dimensions in your life are taken care of. To improve any of these dimensions in our lives require change. 

Everyone should exercise!  It only makes sense.  Exercise benefits your health. 

However, if you do exercise and experience chest pain, dizziness, extreme shortness of breath, persistent pain in your legs or joints while exercising, or any other physical condition that just doesn’t seem right, this may indicate a problem.  Stop exercising and see your doctor before continuing.

Assuming you are healthy, regular physical activity has many benefits other than making you fit. 

Most people want to be successful in whatever they decide to with their lives.  A measure of success to most people is the ability to attain material objects (house, car, clothes, jewelry, etc).  Whether or not you want to be wealthy, there is usually a desire to have a certain lifestyle which requires material objects.  So we work hard to attain these things. 

Humans value stuff.  But it’s so ironic that most of us do not value the thing we should value the most and that’s ourselves.  

Body mass index (BMI) refers to relative weight for height for both adult men and women and is used as a measuring tool for future disease risk.

A BMI of 30 or higher is linked to increased risks for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and arthritis. A high BMI, however, may not be a risk if it’s due to high muscle mass, which is common in bodybuilders.

A high BMI for women increases the risk for serious pre-cancerous polyps or cancer found during their colonoscopies.  Obese women are at especially high risk.

The combination for getting in better shape is simple:  You need proper diet, cardio, and strength training.  How do I lose 50 pounds? With proper diet, cardio, and strength training.  I just had a baby, how do I bounce back?  With proper diet, cardio, and strength training. How do I build muscle?  With proper diet, cardio, and strength training. 

The answer is always the same; there are just different ways to go about it.