According to Stats Canada 48 per cent of Canadian adults are overweight and 14.9 per cent obese; so chances are 63% that you are overweight but conversely you have a 37% chance of being normal or underweight…so before you start trying to lose weight, check to see where you really place in the weight ranges.

BMI is the Body Mass Index which gives you a healthy range of weights for your height. Like all guides you must take into consideration your own circumstances. Muscle mass is heavier than fat so if you are very active, chances are that even though your BMI may indicate you are above normal, you still may be at a healthy weight.

Waist circumference is another tool commonly used; are you apple or pear shaped? If you hold your weight in your abdomen area, it is generally considered unhealthier than if you carry it elsewhere, most commonly and the hip and thigh areas. Even though women may not consider this to be an attractive shape it is a healthy shape.

Where you live seem to have been a factor on whether not you are overweight , or active ; though overweight can be a consequence of being in active, the statistics do not show any correlation.

Vancouverites were the fittest at 6.1% obese and 30.1%, overweight.

However the most active residents were in Toronto but it still had 11.4%, obese and 40.9% overweight. Saskatoon has the dubious distinction of the country's highest percentage of obese residents at 18.2%, with 50.3% overweight. No. 2 was Halifax, at 17.9% and 51.6%.

Generally, residents of British Columbia and the North were the most active. The Maritimes had the least active residents.

While physical activity appears to be generally on the rise, rates of obesity have not come down. Full report: www.acs-aec.ca

So regardless of where you live , and where your BMI falls, try to be your healthiest with realistic goals; it is not how thin you are or well your clothes fit-its how you feel within your body that is most important.

Please also see this month's "She learned looks can kill"

Judy Chong

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