The State of Overweight America

The State of Overweight America:

I originally had a different topic for this article, but I felt like I had some things I wanted to discuss about the overall state of America in a health point of view. Over the past few weeks, I've been out and about a bit, and I've just seen a numerous amount of overweight people at all ages. Is this a surprise to me? No, but it sure as hell bothers me. As a health enthusiast this bothers me, because I live and breathe this stuff. Now, I'm not judging these people at all, because I don't know them or their situation at all, it was just something I observed. I would love nothing more than to try to sit down with these individuals and attempt to inspire them, but I can't, so this is my attempt to reach them or anyone that wants a change. If you want to be overweight for the rest of your life then GO AHEAD! I want to reach the people that want CHANGE and want to live a HEALTHY life. It's not the easiest thing to do, especially on your own, this is why I'm here. I just want to speak on this topic and throw some facts out there to see if I can make people realize the State of Overweight America.

OLDER AMERICA:

As a country, obesity is on the rise unfortunately. According to the CDC website, more than a third of older adults (65+) were considered obese from information taken from 2007-2010. This more than one third is around 35% of older America, which is around 13 MILLION OBESE OLDER AMERICANS. We know America is overweight, but when you look at these numbers, it's really shocking at how bad the problem is. Thirteen million older Americans are obese, just OLDER AMERICANS, we haven't even scratched the surface yet. Wait until we discuss the youth and adults in this country. I'm not blaming the older generation at all, I just want them to know, IT'S POSSIBLE! Healthy is possible, even if you don't think it is, nothing is impossible really. This goes for all ages, not just older Americans. I'm not asking you to run 5 miles a day, but just be active! You will be amazed at how great you feel.

YOUNG AMERICA:

Healthy People 2020 identified obesity as a leading health indicator for this decade, with a call for reduction in children and adolescent obesity. Unfortunately, the United States has made little progress towards this goal. Since statistics taken during the years 1976-1980 there has been a significant increase in obesity among young children to statistics taken from 2009-2010. The percentage of obese children ages 2-5 increased from 5.0% to 12.1%, children ages 6-11 increased from 6.5% to 18.0%, and children ages 12-19 increased from 5.5% to 18.4%. It's amazing that in the past 30 years, obesity has more than doubled percentage wise with our young children. There has obviously been a culture change the past 30 years. Even though health is more prevalent now than it ever was, fast food markets have undeniably became more popular than 30 years ago. I believe this fact, along with the parents intentions of giving the kids what they want to make them be quiet, doesn't help at all. I know for damn sure, my child will not be entering this realm of statistics, and you should do the same. I was an obese child, although I was able to recover, not all will be as lucky as I was to make a change. We have to look at the parents here for the cause of this and that's probably the most disappointing thing about it.

ADULT AMERICA:

Statistics show that 33% of U.S. Adults 20+ are overweight, 35.7% are obese, and 6.3% are extremely obese. ARE YOU SERIOUS? While this is a wide range of ages, the statistics are still surprising to me, just because young adult America is apart of this. Why are these numbers so high? I believe health is more wide known now than it has ever been, importance wise, but how much change have we really made? While there is a bigger emphasis on health, the fast food and sedentary lifestyles sure seem to crush the huge health emphasis of this generation. Over a quarter of adults are overweight or obese, why just why? I think adult America really struggles with the motivation part of actually getting up to go workout, or just be healthy in general. I would advise just trying to exercise for an hour a few times a week, you don't have to start out in full Rambo mode. Grab a jump rope, shoot some hoops, go for a jog, JUST DO SOMETHING ACTIVE! I promise you'll feel 100x better when you are done. Asking for an hour a few times a week really isn't a huge commitment.

HOW DANGEROUS IS OBESITY?:

One of the worst things about obesity is the fact that it can lead to death. The WORST thing, is that people are losing their lives from something that is preventable. According to this study, approximately 280,000 US adults die from attributions from obesity per year. As a country, we're losing almost a quarter of a million people a year to obesity, isn't that sad? It's the second leading preventable death in the country next to smoking. IF DEATH CAN BE PREVENTABLE, THEN WHY DON'T WE PREVENT IT?

WHAT CAN WE DO?:

As a community of people who care about their health, all we can do is try and help people who WANT a CHANGE. There are some people in this world who don't want to change and we shouldn't waste time and energy on them. We need to focus on the people who want help, who want change, people that want to extend their life. I would never look down on an overweight/obese person, because I was once in there shoes and totally understand. When I was obese, I wasn't educated about health, I educated myself and changed my life. If these people want help, lets educate them and make them realize that becoming healthy is possible, no matter how far away you are. We can do this, we will do this. The obesity rates will drop and we will become a healthier America, one person at a time.

WHAT CAN YOU DO AS AN OVERWEIGHT INDIVIDUAL?:

My best advice is to make a plan. First, step back and look at what you are doing, realize where the bad is and where the good is. Get active if you aren't, eat healthier, all that fun stuff. Have a plan, so you know where you are going, set a goal and nail it. The best thing to do is become more educated about health, so you understand what you are doing. If anyone reading this wants help, PLEASE e-mail me. I will be more than happy to help you change your life. We all have struggles in life, but your health is something you can control for the most part.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I focused this article on reputable FACTS. Everyone knows that obesity and being overweight is bad, but I don't believe many people are aware of how many people this country loses a year due to it. Look at these numbers, this country needs help. We can't sit around and expect the government to help us by getting rid of fast food or things like that, so we need to help this country ourselves. If anyone needs help, lets help them! If you want help, REACH OUT, and you will get help! Cut out the fast food, add some vegetables, fruits, greens, lean meats, nuts, etc. Get active 3-4 times a week for an hour of the day, take a jog, lift some weights, shoot hops, do something you enjoy doing. All I'm asking for is an HOUR OF YOUR DAY, to CHANGE your LIFE, and add YEARS onto your life

Everyone have a safe and blessed end of the week.

dcorrigan50@gmail.com