A call to arms
July 18, 2008 – 11:56 amI read yesterday in The Wall Street Journal that the obesity rate in America is up again. A heartbreaking 25.6% of our friends, family, loved ones and most tragic of all our children, are taking a hit to their health and quality of life in record numbers. WSJ Health Blog - more than 1 in 4 in USA obese I read that sobering statistic several times. As someone that has been to the land of the super morbid obese and lived to tell about it - my heart goes out to people of all ages but especially the young people in our country that are going down a path that can lead to health problems, sadness and a lost quality of life that they cannot even imagine.
As Americans, we spend billions each year on diets and diet products. According to Marketdata Enterprises, the annual revenue for the diet industry was over $30 billion dollars in 1990. That is a staggering amount of money for a problem that is getting worse each year. I first heard the term toxic food environment in a class at the Methodist Weight Management Program. It was first used by Kelly D. Brownell in his book Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry. I believe that each of us are responsible for our choices and for doing what we can for our good health. The really good news is that we can turn this trend around! While I do believe that as stated in Mr. Brownell’s book, our society is one that fosters and promotes obesity and unprecedented food consumption, I also believe that right here and right now we have the opportunity to start today to improve our health and fitness.
At this moment in time, there are good and effective programs that can help people on their journey to fitness. There is a virtual cornucopia of great tasting foods that are good for you that you can make or buy. Exercise and physical activities await that are fun and great for you. With the price of gasoline at record highs - now is a great time to dust off the old bicycle and hit the road with friends and family. What I found in my own journey to lose over 350 pounds was that small changes over time that you make part of your lifestyle pay HUGE benefits. We all can do this - I know we can. It is too important the payoff too great for us not to do this.
Watch this blog as I will be posting specific and actionable things that I have learned on my journey that I know will help you down the path to a better you. We can all strive for progress and never expect perfection. That is a key to long term success. If you are reading this now - know this: You are worth the effort. It is possible to do. You can have the fitness and quality of life that you want.
What are your thoughts and questions? Please leave me a comment. I look forward to talking with you.
I wish you all the very best!
Charles
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