Healthy weight: A key to good health

Ancient Ayurveda text Charaka Samhita described the four pair of characteristics that are not considered as ideal for good health viz. obese - asthenic, long-short, excessive dark complexion excessive fair complexion, excessive hair growth - no hair growth. Out of these four pairs of odd and non-ideal, the first, i.e. excessive obesity and excessive asthenic, is considered as the worst as it has an adverse effect on an individual’s health than the other three pairs. The later three pairs of odd make the appearance of individual ugly but have a limited adverse effect on individual’s health. Obesity and asthenia both are not good, and individuals are prone to disease. It is known that weight, height, skin colour, iris, etc., were the expression of the genetic make-up of the individual. Bodyweight is affected chiefly by the weight of bones, muscle and fat. Fluid accumulation also increases body weight.

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The health of the individual is dependent on the ideal weight. Immunity, resistance against diseases, ability to perform work & routine were possible by the ideal weight. Bodyweight of the individual depends on the distribution of muscle & fat in the body. Bodyweight ought to be as per the height.

Excessive low body weight and excessive obesity were associated with serious medical problems. Obesity has been considered a genetic, lifestyle-related and metabolic illness and similarly underweight is due to similar factors.

What is the Ideal Weight?

As discussed above, an individual’s weight depends on genetic composition, lifestyle, diet, amount & type of work, and hormonal status. Therefore, it is not difficult to know whether the weight properly or not the best one is the BMI, i.e. body mass index.

It is calculated on the basis of height and weight; the formulae is weight divided by the square of height in meters.

The other measurements like skinfold thickness, arm circumference, thigh circumference, hip circumference, abdominal circumference are also useful for assessing obesity. The BMI between the values of 19 to 25 is considered ideal weight; this implies that the average weight of average Indian male ought to be between 55 - 65 and the weight of average Indian female of 48 - 55 kg.

Factors deciding weight

As discussed above, an individual’s weight is affected by diet, exercise, celibacy, genetics, and hormonal factors.

Diet

Diet is the first and foremost factor that affects an individual’s weight. Food rich in fats, excessive carbohydrates, butter, cheese, milk products, sugar, animal products, flash tends to increase weight. The extra calorie intake is converted into fats, i.e. extra sugar that is not used gets converted into fats that are deposited in the form of fats in different areas. On the other hand, the food unctuous food, rough foods, and excessive fasting reduce weight and asthenic makeup or low body weight. Among these factors, Ayurveda described one eating habit that may also increase body mass, i.e. Adhyashana. Adhyashana means eating the food before digestion of previously taken food, i.e. observing fasting of at least 4 hours then only taking any food.

If the food is taken before the digestion of previously taken food, the food remains undigested and un-metabolised as there are not enough acid and digestive juices. This undigested food can lead to different metabolic ailments. This may also increase body weight as only fats are nourished from the ingested food.

Genetic factors

Genetic factors affect the weight of the individual the most. The number of adipocytes, i.e. fat cells, are predicated. Obesity can be increased fat in these fat cells or an increased number of these cells. Obesity is correctable & reversible in case one, but in case two, the effect of weight reduction remains ineffective. The weight of an individual may increase without external factors even, and with an active lifestyle and strict diet regimen, one may have obesity. The genetic factors may be corrected by proper planning of progeny by the science of Garbha Sanskar.

Physical activity and exercise

Physical activity and exercise burn the calorie, and thus a proper balance between intake and exercise is maintained, then the weight of the individual remains normal. Yoga, Yogic exercise, gym, pull-ups, DandaBethak, Surya Namaskar, swimming, brisk walking, treadmill, sports are the different means of performing the exercise. Brisk walking is an easy exercise that all age groups can perform. Brisk walking burns approximately 450 calories, jogging approx-seven hundred calories, and running 900 calories. Over and above this, one ought not to indulge in overexertion, i.e. the maximum limit of performing an exercise the half of the strength that can be decided by certain signs like perspiration of forehead & underarms, increased respiratory rate & shortness of breath, and feeling of fatigue. If exercise is performed even after this, it may lead to vitiation of Vayu that eventually lead to the morbid condition.