Women who are overweight face many health risks, such as heart disease and type II diabetes. And Martha recently told us how overweight women tend to be more impulsive. But overweight women face some risks you might not expect:

• Being fired. Could it be because people who are overweight have a higher rate of absenteeism? Or is it because of a prejudice? It's hard to pinpoint the reasons why, but medical research shows that overweight women run a higher risk of losing their jobs.
• Being the victim of a crime. Overweight women run a greater risk of being victims of crimes. They're also more likely to become criminals.
• Financial woes. Overweight women are more likely to find themselves broke.

It's a chicken and the egg situation, really. Is a woman's weight causing these negative life events or are the negative events causing stress that leads to overeating and obesity?

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There's not much sense in working so hard to take care of yourself and live a healthy life if you can't protect yourself from a thug in the street, right? As cities get bigger and the population grows so does the number of criminals, which means that anymore self defense is a real necessity.

Here's a great article on the basics of self-defense, plus some tips on finding a good class in your area. There are different ways the concept can be approached and taught, but many see it as breaking down into four basic areas (CAAP):

• Confidence
• Awareness
• Avoidance
• Preparation

I've never taken a class but am interested in doing it. Do you think it's worth it really? Has anybody out there ever actually had to use their self-defense skills?

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Crime is growing every day it seems, and according to the news there's really nothing but violence happening on the street these days. There are many differing opinions out there on why this is, but one consensus is that it's simply a side-effect of population growth. More people = more lawbreakers.

Regardless of why, it's important to know how to protect yourself so you don't become somebody's next victim. I came across this article that gives tips and advice on what to do in different situations like being on the street at night, going to a bar, going to a show, and when you're in the car alone. You can never be too careful! And although being prepared and alert won't stop all crime, it will help a lot.

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