That means over half of Australian's are considered overweight or obese!
According to the Heart Foundation this is the break down via location:
- South Australia 65.8%
- Western Australia 60.3%
- Queensland 63.6%
- Tasmania 67.5%
- ACT 63.5%
- Northern Territory 64.3%
- NSW 63.2%
- Victoria 63.3%
Looking at the stats it has everyone asking why the warmer states and territories have a slightly smaller waist line than the colder states.
It turns out that the sweaty work that comes with simply living in the tropics can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Even though the temperature might average around 20 degrees Celsius, due to the high humidity it can feel like it’s 4 times hotter!
During wet season humidity is around 80% causing the people of northern Australia to sweat...and sweat a lot!
Darwin Dieticians director Richard Sagar told the ABC that simply walking through a hot and steamy climate like the NT you are more likely to lose weight because it is harder work.
So the people in the tropical parts of Australia might not necessarily be exercising more but the humidity helps them drop those kilos quicker by simply walking down the street.
However, there is no direct link to weather and weight loss and Richard says a balanced diet is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and encourages everyone to eat well and get moving!
