We see these mind-boggling reports often. A current publication from CME Resource indicates that "nearly 65% of adults are overweight or obese and 16% of children." They call this an epidemic in the United States.
It is, without question, mind boggling but the definition of an epidemic according to my dictionary is a disease that spreads from one person to another in a locale where the disease is not prevalent. Does obesity really spread from person to person? You can catch it? Well maybe. I have seen evidence to support that. How many times do we see families that all have pretty much the same body type. Yes, genetics are involved to some degree but it could be that some families are more physically active and eat right and are thin while others lead more sedentary lives, survive on fast food and are obese. By the way, couldn't we just call it fat...maybe it would be more impactful.
It really shouldn't be mind boggling why fat people (or obese if you prefer) should lose weight and get in shape. It is downright dangerous to be fat. Being fat has become the second most common underlying cause of death behind tobacco use. It is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease (that means heart attacks), type 2 Diabetes, hypertension, cancer and stroke.
Now in addition, a recent feature on NBC's Today Show, indicates there is a new "epidemic". Arthritis and joint pain is becoming an increasingly major problem for younger people. They are predominately overweight people. The mind boggling thing is that when they lose weight the pain often goes away. What a surprise.
Now, I have struggled with extra fat from time to time but I feel like I have found the answer for me. It boils down to eating better and regular exercise along with stress reduction. Its mind boggling how easy it can be with a little discipline! More about my struggles and successes with fat in future posts.
Resources: http://www.realage.com/
http://www.obesity.org/
http://www.netce.com/
Thank you for the refreshing viewpoint on this very serious issue. I think people really need to wake up take responsibility for their own health. I am always amazed when people honestly don't know that fast food and junk foods are bad for them.
ReplyDeleteI was completely dumbfounded when I saw this article in the Huffington Post. It's worth a read.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/the-dark-side-of-vitaminw_b_669716.html