Obesity in America

Obesity and being overweight, while not the only important focuses in wellness, are major contributors to the wellness crisis in America. Here's why:

• 6 out of 10 people in the U.S. are overweight
  
• 60 diseases are directly related to obesity
  
• Obesity contributes to over 300,000 deaths per year in the U.S.
  
• Obese people are discriminated against more frequently in employment.
  
• Obese people are more limited in their options for social activities, which contributes to lower self-esteem, depression, and other psychological abnormalities.
  

What Causes Obesity

Factors which contribute to causing obesity include hereditary history, psychological disposition, treatment for other conditions that can sometimes cause weight gain, and several others. While many factors contribute to the increasingly negative effect that obesity is having on society, there are two that we believe play the largest role in bringing about the epidemic we face. We live in a world of fast food restaurants are bombarding us with ads and marketing campaigns, encouraging us to "Supersizing" everything we order. These restaurants use chemical flavorings that actually encourage you to consume more and
more of their products, even when your body would normally be sending you signals that it is satisfied. When you add to that the fact that these larger quantities of food being consumed contain large amounts of toxins, chemical preservatives, and lack the nutritional value that the body needs to function properly, it's easy to understand how obesity is getting out of control.

That's not the only contributing factor though. We also have to consider the role that decreased activity plays today. Computers, technology, and the Internet have all caused us to be more sendentary in our daily routines. Things we used to go out to do, like entertainment, shopping, even communicating with others are all capable of being done over the Internet, and that has decreased the amount of physical activity that we naturally get without thinking
about it. Couple thatwith poor diets, stress from ever pressurized work environments, and you have a perfect environment for obesity to flourish.

Psychological factors may also influence eating habits. Many people eat in response to negative emotions such as boredom, sadness, or anger. Some illnesses can lead to obesity or a tendency to gain weight. These include hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, depression, and certain neurological problems that can lead to overeating. Also, drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may cause weight gain. A doctor can tell whether there are
underlying medical conditions that are causing weight gain or making weight loss difficult.

What are the effects of obesity?

Obesity is more than a cosmetic problem; it is a health hazard. Approximately 300,000 adult deaths in the United States each year are related to obesity.

Several serious medical conditions have been linked to obesity, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Obesity is also linked to higher rates of certain types of cancer. Obese men are more likely than non-obese men to die from cancer of the colon, rectum, or prostate. Obese women are more likely than non-obese women to die from cancer of the gallbladder, breast, uterus, cervix, or ovaries.

Other diseases and health problems linked to obesity include:

• Diabetes
  
• allbladder disease and gallstones
  
• Liver disease
  
• Osteoarthritis, a disease in which the joints deteriorate. This is possibly the result of excess weight on the joints
  
• Gout, another disease affecting the joints
  
• Pulmonary (breathing) problems, including sleep apnea in which a person can stop breathing for a short time during sleep
  
• Reproductive problems in women, including menstrual irregularities and infertility
  
• Health care providers generally agree that the more obese a person is, the more likely he or she is to develop health problems
  

Psychological and social effects

Emotional suffering may be one of the most painful parts of obesity. American society emphasizes physical appearance and often equates attractiveness with slimness, especially for women. Such messages make overweight people feel unattractive.

Many people think that obese individuals are gluttonous, lazy, or both, even though this is not true. As a result, obese people often face prejudice or discrimination in the job market, at school, and in social situations. Feelings of rejection, shame, or depression are common.

The Solution

Obesity is a tough problem to lick mostly because of human nature. Most people have difficulty because human nature causes us to take the path of least resistance, which is to do nothing about it, and just allow our conditions to become worse. People tend to take action only when the pain associated with the thing is greater than the effort needed to correct it. But waiting until diabetes, or some other disease consumes your health is not the time to address
obesity. We need to take action to change the habits that lead to obesity, and that starts with recognizing the causes and being willing to modify the way we do things.

The first step to reversing the affects of obesity is to evaluate your eating habits, and be prepared to make dietary lifestyle changes, as opposed to "going on a diet". The results you get from most diets are short lived, but making positive lifestyle changes that become lifestyle habits, are the key to success in battling obesity. Start by evaluating what you eat. Are you eating alot of fast food? Do you consume at least 64 ounces of water per day? Are you
eating larger meals? Do you properly supplement your meals with nutritional supplements that make sense. This is probably the most important area to focus on, because your body needs a proper nutritional base to provide the energy and growth that will be necessary for you to implement other components of a plan.

Unfortunately, even the healthy foods we eat don't contain sufficient quantities of the nutrients our bodies need to function properly. One excellent way to get your dietary lifestyle changes off to a good start is to utilize a cleansing or detoxification system to help rid your body of toxins, and put your metabolism into proper condition to begin burning more fat. There are many systems out here that will help you to do that, but stay away from fasting
systems, since these are notorious for having the weight return the minute you stop. Instead, seek out a system that provides proper nutritional supplementation as part of your regular meals.

If you are a sendentary person by nature, you must find opportunities to inject physical activity into your daily routine. That doesn't always mean joining a health club. Walks after meals, or between activities can be very effective in helping you to burn off calories. If you take public transportation to work, try walking part of the way. Or, use part of your lunch hour to go for a walk. Walking can be a good activity to do with someone else, especially since it permits you to socialize and exercise at the same time. Naturally, formal exercise programs are great too, but don't overlook the substantial effect that just adding a regular walking routine can have.

Strength training is one of the most effective ways to increase physical activity for two reasons, and here's why. Strength training helps you burn calories both by the physical exertion necessary to the activity, and because of the fact that added lean muscle mass burns more calories, even when you are at rest.

So, people with more muscle burn off more energy even when they are sleeping. We recommend that you take a look at Static Contraction Training because of its effectivness, and the minimal time it takes to complete the routine. Getting stronger quickly will allow you to concentrate more time on your dietary lifestyle changes.

Conclusion

Any action you take is better than taking no action at all, so don't allow apathy to be your undoing. If you have to start gradually, but get started. If

you are grossly overweight be sure to check with your physician before beginning any lifestyle changes, workout routine, or dietary modification.