The health ramifications of obesity cannot be ignored. Obesity is a growing killer that falls just below smoking under causes of death. Other statistics on the danger of obesity includes:

• People who are moderately obese live two to five years less than normal-size people.
• The lifespan of those who are severely obese might be reduced by five to 10 years.
• The biggest threat of obesity is heart disease.

Most people who are obese are not happy about it and would like to return to a healthy weight. They know about the health implications but are frustrated by the excess of conflicting and often wrong information from conventional medical "experts."

My previous articles, How Drug Companies Deceive You and How the Food Industry is Deceiving You are just a couple of examples of how you are kept in the dark about common sense health issues.

The drug industry spends about $15 billion a year manipulating and distorting your perceptions about the proper solutions for your health challenges. And, the food industry spends TWICE that much to brainwash you and your children to choose highly processed convenience foods that will accelerate your path toward disease and death -- and your need to use drugs to control your symptoms. It’s a vicious cycle of deceit and misinformation.

The good news here is that obesity is nearly always preventable and reversible by following some basic health principles. It is never too late to take self-responsibility, educate yourself, and make better, healthier choices.  The story about David Smith and Chris Powell is a wonderful testament demonstrating the incredible results you can get if you commit yourself to doing just that – not to mention a heartwarming story about the power of love and friendship.

Review Your Food Choices

One of your most basic health principles is to eat a diet of whole, nutritious foods rather than the processed ones that line most grocery store shelves. This includes cutting out grains and sugar, which are two of the MAJOR culprits behind weight gain. What your body needs is nutrition, not artificial fillers and flavors.

I highly recommend you review my nutrition plan to help get your diet on the right track. Additionally, I strongly encourage you to consider nutritional typing as well, as this will tell you what specific ratio of protein, fats and carbs are best for your personal metabolism. Nutritional typing is, in essence, a completely customized diet that is 100 percent free of fad diet lore.

Can You Be Optimally Healthy Without Exercise?

In  one word the answer is: No.

A healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to health.

If you are overweight, you will need at least 30 minutes of exercise a day to experience any weight loss benefits. Major studies have shown that 60 minutes a day is best.

Ideally, your exercises should be broken up with short breaks in between for maximum effectiveness. I’ve published many stories about the benefits of interval training, which has led me to incorporate interval training (sprints) with endurance cardio training (running) in my own routine. You certainly don't have to run to achieve these benefits. You can receive similar effects by using properly supervised weight training. Interval training is also a welcome relief for those who dread, or don’t have time for hour-long cardio workouts.

Try viewing exercise as a drug that needs to be precisely prescribed to achieve maximum benefits. The simple act of writing out a prescription for exercise is an excellent approach to taking a proactive approach for your health. It's also far more logical, inexpensive and actually radically reduces your risk of most every chronic disease known to man.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Exercise Regimen

Your key to exercising effectively is to make sure you address certain variables. By doing so, you will get the most out of your routine. To aid you in your exercise efforts, there are three important variables to keep in mind:

Length of time -- I would encourage you to increase the amount of time you exercise gradually until you reach 60 to 90 minutes a day.

Frequency -- Initially the frequency is daily. This should be your “treatment dose” until you’ve normalized your weight or insulin levels. Once normalized, you will only need to exercise three to four times a week.

Intensity -- Exercise hard enough so that it is difficult to talk to someone next to you. (When you exercise that hard, your cardiovascular system is under such significant amount of stress that the mere act of talking makes it difficult to provide your body with enough oxygen.) However, if you cannot carry on a conversation AT ALL, then you have gone too far and need to decrease your intensity.

I've devoted many pages on my web site to all the wonderful health benefits of exercise. If you need some direction to get started, I urge you to review my beginner's exercise page that includes links to other pages, and a free table you can download to keep track of your progress.

Bringing Your Health to the Next Level 

Remember that it’s never too late to make changes for the better when it comes to your health.

Here is my top 10 list to TRULY optimize your health, normalize your weight, and maximize your enjoyment of life:

1.      Address your emotional traumas

2.      Get optimal sunlight exposure to ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D

3.      Drink only pure water

4.      Avoid all toxins

5.      Eat the right fats

6.      Eat right for your Nutritional Type

7.      Eat Raw

8.      Control your insulin and leptin levels

9.      Exercise regularly

10.    Sleep properly

By adhering to these basic tenets of optimal health – the basics of a healthy lifestyle, not just a temporary fix for a particular ailment -- you are building a healthy mind and body, and thereby safeguarding yourself against a multitude of health problems and serious diseases.