Speaking generally on health I think I just broke my toe stubbing it in the bathroom door frame. After the initial swearing like a sailor and scaring the cats half to death with my vulgar hopping tirade, its all good (at least as long as it stays numb.) Anyhow, onward to something slightly more cerebral.
I do not understand why so many people in America so against the thought of exercise. Walking is second nature to me, sometimes I think this is because I grew up in Europe rather then the USA. Everyone seems so focused on diets, diets and more diets. Don’t get me wrong, eating wholesome and balanced food is vital to our health and I think it is half the “healthy living” battle.
At the same time it is only half the battle. Also only 1 in 7 Americans eats properly and exercises regularly so we are pretty much failing as a nation. An estimated 129.6 million Americans (that is about 64 percent!) are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is up too, for which I directly blame lack of parenting. Obesity increases your risk for a host of diseases, the best known probably being type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Today’s generation is the first generation in decades to have a lower life expectancy than that of their parents. That is truly frightening to me, what are we doing to ourselves?
I want to say before I go on, there are positive changes. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is currently on my A list at the moment. They have pledges $500 million dollars over the next 5 years to fighting childhood obesity. This will be the largest private donation ever pledged to this cause. We need more proactive people and organizations in this world.
I have been trying to come to some kind of conclusion about the causes of obesity epidemic in America recently. There are a lot of things that are easy to blame, like TVs and computers which can be found in almost all American homes. As a result, it is much easier to take life easy rather then finding the motivation for physical activity. Physical activity and exercise, which are behavioral processes. We learn them when growing up and they stay with us through life – I have a feeling a lot of Americans were not taught a lot about fitness and health as kids.
In the end though I think truly comes down to is the individual. It is never too late to change how you want to live your life. Some people think it is a little heartless, but I bring up fitness and diet with my overweight friends. It is not a malicious act on my part and I never tell them they are ugly, but I do it is because I care. I do not want them to develop health problems. I want to have my friends around for a long while!
For example, one of my best friends recently started yoga and is really getting into it. I am so proud of her for going out and trying something new and getting some exercise and I want to encourage her as much as I can. She is and will always be a completely gorgeous woman in my eyes but I think in making the steps to improve her health she is acknowledging her own beauty. It makes her glow.
Tracing the causes of obesity is as important as knowing where to go from here. What are we going to do about it? How are we going to encourage the next generation to get into the wellness habits? I think it starts with us, if we are healthy and enjoy healthy activities, our little ones will follow in our footsteps.