the cultural crisis that is, Obesity.

Disclaimer: the post you are about to read may contain some hard-lovin', truth-telling material. 


The Issue: OBESITY
In 1980 about 10% of us were obese, the figure is now at 50% or more in most countries!! The issue of obesity needs to be addressed. How? Let's start one meal at a time.
http://www.fitsugar.com/Fit-Fat-OECD-Report-Obesity-11186405


Defined: Obesity is, a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.


Side-effects of weight gain may include: decreased self-esteem, depression, fitting room frustration, feeling insecure at social gatherings, extreme dieting, binge eating, etc. 
While these things ARE terrible (naturally, every woman should get an adrenaline surge at the mere mention of the shopping mall), these effects are among the inconsequential when looking at the "big picture" - no pun intended.


Here are some scary statistics about obesity:

• An obese person incurs 25% higher health costs than a person of normal weight.
• Obesity is responsible for 5-10% of total health costs in the United States.
• Obesity increases the risk of early death by approximately 30%.
• Children who have at least one obese parent are three to four times more likely to be obese.
• Obese people earn up to 18% less than non-obese people.

Not to mention the increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. It's important to remember that "not fat" doesn't necessarily mean healthy. You can be unhealthy even if you're not tipping the scale. 

Health is a holistic concept: nutrients consumed, calories burned, muscle built, and fat lost. 

I recently heard it said that, "poverty can often disguise itself as obesity" as families try to stretch their dollar. Sadly, getting the most bang for your buck often forces families to resort to fast food. Let's do what we can to add some green to a families dinner table this week - donate canned veggies to a local food drive or offer to make a home-cooked meal for a family in need.

Challenge: make healthy food choices and exercise regularly (repeat, repeat, repeat!!) Fight the trend - make obesity un-cool.