In my Wellness classes I have stated over and over that "You're always healthy - until you're not. And that could be within the next five minutes." Of course I am referring to our perception of how we're doing health wise. An example is that for more than 50 percent of people who die of heart attacks, their first sign of a heart problem was sudden death. Strokes and mini-strokes also have a way of striking without warning and can be devastating.

However, there are definite risk factors like obesity with its related health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. Add to these pregnancy (due to all the hormone and blood changes that occur) and a trend noted by researchers that women are having children at later ages, and the risk of a stroke rises with age.

A recent report from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) reported that hospitalizations for pregnancy-related strokes jumped 54 percent from 1994-95 to 2006-07 researchers said, extrapolating from figures in a large federal database. Researchers also looked at the prevalence of high blood pressure and heart disease, health problems closely related to obesity, and concluded that this accounted for nearly all the rise in stroke related hospitalizations.

An over abundance of insulin from a dysfunctional pancreas caused by our typical North American diet of excess carbs is believed to be at the root of obesity and the other symptoms of the Metabolic Syndrome aka Syndrome "x" (i.e. high blood pressure, type II diabetes and high cholesterol). I know of no other weight loss program that addresses this issue better than the Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment. It is safe, proven (more than 25 years and more than 6,000,000 people) and efficient (women lose an average of 3-5 pounds/week and men lose an average of 5-7 pounds/week).

It is all too easy to continue carrying around that extra fat that has crept up on us but realize the risks to our health that it is causing regardless of what you are feeling. Remember, our perception of how healthy we are often does not match reality. Women - if your abdominal measurement is greater than 35 inches and men - if your abdominal circumference is greater than 40 inches, you are at risk. Do you not owe it to yourself to be healthy and feel as good as you can about yourself? Find out how easy it is to lose those unwanted pounds. Simply call us at (208) 772-6015 for your free consultation on the Ideal Protein Diet/Treatment, "your last diet." Come on Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint, let's lose weight and get healthy together.