Nutrition and Exercise go hand-in-hand to keep Obesity Rates in check!
I hope you are enjoying our “Let’s Make America Healthy Again” series. We are exploring the most glaring health statistics facing each of us as American’s, and the positive healing that can be realized by implementing some (often times) simple solutions. If you missed our kick-off newsletter read it HERE. So far we have discussed:
Food Addiction to Processed Foods (read it HERE)
FACT: 75% of America’s diseases are preventable with Exercise (read it HERE)
It’s not surprising how NUTRITION and EXERCISE have the potential to work hand-in-hand to solve so many of our concerning American health issues.
Poor nutrition and inadequate physical activity are significant risk factors for obesity and other chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and depression.
Fewer than 1 in 10 children and adults eat the recommended daily amount of vegetables and fruit.
Only half of adults get the physical activity they need to help reduce and prevent chronic diseases, and more than 93 million have obesity.
So, today we are going to delve into how Nutrition and Exercise combined, affect health and OBESITY. Also, how America’s obesity compares to other countries, how to test to see your BMI, Skinny Fat, plus the common (and not so common solutions) that America can implement with the correct Mindset and grit!
Being obese can hinder someone’s quality of life and have serious health consequences like developing heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint problems, and sleep apnea.
If we can’t get our youth’s eating habits and lack of exercise (causing obesity) under control, the current statistics will continue to escalate out of control and bankrupt America!
Today, there are more than 2.8 million hospital stays every year in the U.S., where obesity is a cause or contributing factor.
Approximately 300,000 people die from obesity in America every year.
The medical care costs of obesity are almost $150 billion per year in the U.S.
Obese individuals spend about $1,500 more on medical care for themselves than people of healthy weight.
Obesity-related medical costs could rise by $48 to $66 billion per year by 2030.
Got your attention yet? Thought so! Watch a short video HERE, for a quick synopsis of what we are going to look at in more detail today.
With 75% of chronic illnesses preventable with EXERCISE and better NUTRITION, this is a shining star we can reach for, to actually allow America to concentrate on the remaining 25% of illnesses that need our attention! There are solutions, but we’ve got to buckle down and take our nation’s obesity problem seriously!
What is Obesity?
To understand the true size of the American obesity epidemic, we first need to understand what it really means to be overweight and obese. Generally, doctors and nutritionists classify people as either underweight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. These different classifications are determined by body mass index (BMI), or a measure of body fat based on your height and weight.
Obesity is the medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to an extent that it has negative effects on health.
The fat in a person's body is stored in fat cells distributed throughout the body. A normal person has between 25 and 35 billion fat cells, but this number can increase in times of excessive weight gain, to as manyas 100 to 150 billion cells.
What causes Obesity?
Our American obesity problem is multi-factorial. Although there are genetic, behavioral, metabolic and hormonal influences on body weight; the main reason obesity occurs is when you eat more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these excess calories as fat.
Most Americans' diets are too high in calories — often from fast food and high-calorie beverages. People with obesity might eat more calories before feeling full, feel hungry sooner, or eat more due to stress or anxiety.
Obesity usually results from a combination of causes and contributing factors:
Family Inheritance and Influences:
The genes you inherit from your parents may affect the amount of body fat you store, and where that fat is distributed. Genetics may also play a role in how efficiently your body converts food into energy, how your body regulates your appetite and how your body burns calories during exercise.
Obesity tends to run in families. That's not just because of the genes they share. Family members also tend to share similar nutrition and exercise habits.
Lifestyle Choices:
Unhealthy diet. A diet that's high in calories, lacking in fruits and vegetables, full of fast food, and laden with high-calorie beverages and oversized portions contributes to weight gain.
Liquid calories. People can drink many calories without feeling full, especially calories from alcohol. Other high-calorie beverages, such as sugared soft drinks, can contribute to significant weight gain.
Inactivity. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you can easily take in more calories every day than you burn through exercise and routine daily activities. Looking at computer, tablet and phone screens is a sedentary activity. The number of hours you spend in front of a screen is highly associated with weight gain.
Certain Diseases and Medications:
In some people, obesity can be traced to a medical cause, such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing syndrome and other conditions. Medical problems, such as arthritis, also can lead to decreased activity, which oftentimes results in weight gain.
Some medications can lead to weight gain if you don't compensate through diet or activity. These medications include some antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, diabetes medications, antipsychotic medications, steroids and beta blockers.
Social and Economic Issues:
Social and economic factors are linked to obesity. Avoiding obesity is difficult if you don't have safe areas to walk or exercise. Similarly, you may not have been taught healthy ways of cooking, or you may not have access to healthier foods. In addition, the people you spend time with may influence your weight — you're more likely to develop obesity if you have friends or relatives with obesity.
Age:
Obesity can occur at any age, even in young children. But as you age, hormonal changes and a less active lifestyle increase your risk of obesity. In addition, the amount of muscle in your body tends to decrease with age. Generally, lower muscle mass leads to a decrease in metabolism. These changes also reduce calorie needs, and can make it harder to keep off excess weight. If you don't consciously control what you eat and become more physically active as you age, you'll likely gain weight.
Other Factors:
Pregnancy. Weight gain is common during pregnancy. Some women find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born. This weight gain may contribute to the development of obesity in women. Breast-feeding may be the best option to lose the weight gained during pregnancy.
Quitting smoking. Quitting smoking is often associated with weight gain. And for some, it can lead to enough weight gain to qualify as obesity. Often, this happens as people use food to cope with smoking withdrawal. In the long run, however, quitting smoking is still a greater benefit to your health than is continuing to smoke.
Lack of sleep. Not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep can cause changes in hormones that increase your appetite. You may also crave foods high in calories and carbohydrates, which can contribute to weight gain.
Stress. Many external factors that affect your mood and well-being may contribute to obesity. People often seek more high-calorie food when experiencing stressful situations.
Microbiome. Your gut bacteria are affected by what you eat and may contribute to weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Previous attempts to lose weight. Previous attempts of weight loss followed by rapid weight regain may contribute to further weight gain. This phenomenon, sometimes called yo-yo dieting, can slow your metabolism.
So as you can see, even if you have one or more of these risk factors, it doesn't mean that you're destined to develop obesity. You can counteract most risk factors through diet, physical activity and exercise, and behavior changes.
How can our Nations’ MINDSET affect our Obesity trends?
In my humble opinion, we as a nation need to correct our own personal bad behavior and stand up to be the responsible adults that our children need and deserve. The majority of us know that to combat obesity, we need to eat smarter and exercise more. When there is a WILL there’s a WAY! If we aren’t going to model healthy habits for our children, at least give them a fighting chance to live a healthy life by teaching them.
The wellness industry may be booming in popularity, and large numbers of Americans may say they are eating healthier, but facts don’t lie. CDC data shows that 90% of adults are not consuming the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, despite their claims of opting for healthier food. We don’t need a report to tell us that. We only need to go to any public place and look around.
The fact that we glamorize mis-shaped bodies on reality TV, and now promote super-sized mannequins in department stores, is sad. We want to be “kind” to those who aren’t as healthy and fit as they can be; but are we just enabling the problem by praising such behavior?
The trend toward fat acceptance couldn’t be more detrimental to our society. Think about it: the implication of obesity acceptance is that we are okay risking our lives, and the lives of our children, with weight-related illnesses. This is not the MINDSET that will improve our obesity situation.
Causes of Childhood Obesity
Looking at the risk factors for obesity, including poor eating habits and inactivity, provides lots of ideas about the causes of childhood obesity.
Kids are less active; they watch too much TV and play a lot of video games. So maybe we should blame the people who make televisions and video games and the TV networks.
Fast food is still a good target, with high calorie and high-fat super-sized meals.
Drinking a lot of soft drinks and sugary "fruit" drinks are also linked to obesity, so maybe we can blame Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Super-sizing portions didn't start at McDonald's. Didn't that all start with the mega drinks or Big Gulps at 7-Eleven?
Schools, which allow students to buy snacks and soft drinks from vending machines and don't always require physical education classes, might also be partly to blame.
Doctors, who don't do enough to encourage breastfeeding, which can decrease a child's risk of becoming overweight later in life, and who don't encourage and educate parents and children about healthy lifestyles might also be partly to blame.
And the list goes on and on….. So who's to blame?
Who’s responsible for our Youth’s HEALTH?
Good nutrition (including the consumption of key micronutrients) and increased physical activity are vital for healthy growth and development. In contrast, poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity contribute to childhood obesity. Multiple settings influence a child’s diet and physical activity, including at home, at school, within our communities, and healthcare clinics.
The number of overweight children in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years. Approximately 10 percent of 4 and 5 year old children are overweight, double that of 20 years ago. Overweight is more prevalent in girls than boys and in older preschoolers (ages 4-5) than younger (ages 2-3).
Obesity increases even more as children get older. For ages 6 to 11, at least one child in five is overweight. Over the last two decades, this number has increased by more than 50 percent and the number of obese children has nearly doubled.
For most children, overweight is the result of unhealthy eating patterns (too many calories) and too little physical activity. Since these habits are established in early childhood, efforts to prevent obesity need to begin early.
Because children have little political power and little control over their own choices, they are largely dependent on others, especially their parents. In regard to obesity, this focus on children has resulted in greater public support for interventions targeted at schools, such as improving the school lunch program, increasing physical activities in schools, and placing greater emphasis on nutrition education and other changes to the school food environment.
Parents play the primary role in influencing and guiding their children and, indeed, have a vested legal responsibility to do so. Changing diet and decreasing physical activity are believed to be the two most important causes for the recent increase in the incidence of child obesity. Antibiotics in the first 6 months of life have also been associated with excess weight at age seven to twelve years of age.
Determining if a Child is Overweight
Parents should not make changes to a child's diet based solely on perceptions of overweight. All preschoolers exhibit their own individual body structure and growth pattern. Assessing obesity in children is difficult because children grow in unpredictable spurts. It should only be done by a health care professional, using the child's height and weight relative to his previous growth history.
Helping Overweight Children
Weight loss is not a good approach for most young children, since their bodies are growing and developing. Overweight children should not be put on a diet unless a physician supervises one for medical reasons. A restrictive diet may not supply the energy and nutrients needed for normal growth and development.
For most very young children, the focus should be to maintain current weight, while the child grows normally in height.
The most important strategies for preventing obesity are healthyeating behaviors, regular physical activity, and reduced sedentary activity (such as watching television, computer work, and playing video games). These preventative strategies are part of a healthy lifestyle that should be developed during early childhood.
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle for Children
Parents and caregivers can help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education. Healthy meals and snacks provide nutrition for growing bodies while modeling healthy eating behavior and attitudes. Increased physical activity reduces health risks and helps weight management. Nutrition education helps young children develop an awareness of good nutrition and healthy eating habits for a lifetime.
Children can be encouraged to adopt healthy eating behaviors and be physically active when parents:
Focus on good health, not a certain weight goal. Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and physical activity without emphasizing body weight.
Focus on the family. Do not set overweight children apart. Involve the whole family and work to gradually change the family's physical activity and eating habits.
Establish daily meal and snack times, and eating together as frequently as possible. Make a wide variety of healthful foods available. Determine what food is offered and when, and let the child decide whether and how much to eat.
Plan sensible portions.
How about you? Take the test…
BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 years.
BMI can be used to indicate if you are overweight, obese, underweight or normal. A healthy BMI score is between 20 and 25. A score below 20 indicates that you may be underweight; a value above 25 indicates that you may be overweight.
You can calculate your BMI by using a simplified BMI Calculator (HERE)
Please remember, that this is only one of MANY possible ways to assess your weight. Please discuss your weight and health with your doctor, who is in a position, unlike this BMI calculator, to address your specific individual situation.
BMI Classification
18.5 or less = Underweight
18.5 to 24.99 = Normal Weight
25 to 29.99 = Overweight
30 to 34.99 = Obesity (Class 1)
35 to 39.99 = Obesity (Class 2)
40 or greater = Morbid Obesity
What is Skinny FAT?
“Skinny fat” is a term that refers to having a relatively high percentage of body fat and a low amount of muscle mass, despite having a “normal” BMI. People of this body composition may be at a heightened risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.
It’s a common misconception that small or thin bodies are an indicator of good health. However, those with higher body fat and lower muscle mass — even if they have a BMI that falls within a “normal” range — may be at risk of developing Insulin Resistance, High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure.
Everyone’s body is different. Some people are more genetically predisposed to have a higher body fat percentage and less muscle than others.
Other factors like EXERCISE and NUTRITION habits, age, and hormone levels can also contribute to body size.
Who’s at risk of being “skinny fat”?
A person who doesn’t exercise frequently or maintains an unbalanced diet may be at an elevated risk of conditions such as Diabetes, Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease.
The medical term for someone who’s lean but has a metabolic profile that puts them at risk of developing metabolic disease is a “metabolically obese, normal weight” individual.
The five major risk factors for this condition are:
high blood pressure
high blood sugar levels
excess fat around the waist
high triglyceride levels
low levels of good HDL cholesterol
Metabolically obese, normal weight individuals over age 65 are at an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (death from any cause) and death from cardiovascular disease.
Research has also found that having a high mass of fat and a combination of low muscle mass and strength may be associated with cognitive decline.
If it’s not already part of your routine, exercising regularly and eating a balanced and nutrient-dense diet can help improve or maintain your body composition.
How does obesity in the US compare to other countries?
39% of adults in the world are overweight. One-in-five children and adolescents, globally, are overweight.
The US ranks 14th highest out of the top 200 populated countries worldwide in adult obesity. Check out the rankings (HERE).
Are there Solutions to Obesity in the US?
There’s not only one solution to our American obesity problem; it is multi-factorial: NUTRITION, EXERCISE and MINDSET. Researchers noticed this problem years ago, and are implementing many strategies.
Below is a list that researchers have developed to strategically target obesity statistics, the action steps and the level of responsibility for them to be implemented.
National Responsibility:
Prioritize the problem with focus on health inequalities and the socially disadvantaged; Health/Environment impact assessments; Legislation “sin” taxes, ban sugary drinks in schools and junk food advertising
Food System Responsibility:
Equitable, sustainable food security; Food industry to reformulate products with healthier ingredients; Marketing transparency; More detailed Food labeling
Education System:
Nutrition, cooking, activity, and lifestyle education throughout school years; Infrastructure for regular exercise; Monitoring weight and eating disorders; School lunches, Eating manners
Medical System:
Motivational, non-judgmental, shared-decision approach to obesity counseling; Insurance coverage; Personal example
Public Health:
Health literacy for breast feeding, nutrition, and lifestyle choices according to social context; Positive deviance examples
Local Authority, Municipality:
Promoting safe environments for all ages, especially in deprived residential areas; Farmers markets; Healthy Cities initiatives; Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Society, Community:
Family and communal meals; Cultural attitudes (norms, values, social support); Peer groups; Binge eating; Social media and influencers; Role models; Civil society; Media
Parental:
Intra-uterine effects; Breast feeding; Parenting skills; Nutrition and lifestyle education; Regulation of screen time; Personal example
Individual:
Lifestyle choices; Self-management, Self-efficacy skills; Stress management; Coping strategies; Learned behaviors; Personality; Sense of humor
Biology: Genetics; Epigenetics; Metabolic efficiency; Endocrine status; Energy homeostasis; Brain reward neurocircuitry
In closing….
To be honest, there is NO WAY to Make America Healthy Again without curbing our insatiable appetites and increasing our exercise routines to offset America’s obesity trends!
Of the (15) staggering statistics I outlined in our kick-off newsletter (read HERE if you missed it) over half are directly related to NUTRITION and EXERCISE.
From “Preventable chronic diseases accounting for 75% of our nation’s health care spending” to “Obesity rates in children tripling over the last three decades”, it will be impossible to turn these trends around without getting Americans to pay attention to their Nutrition and Exercise!
Remember,
We can’t give away our health to any one. Our health is our responsibility, to preserve and protect.
Wellness promotes active awareness and participation in measures that preserve health, both as an individual and in our communities. Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily personal commitment.
If you, or your family, are having a hard time getting started with shifting your EATING HABITS away from processed foods, and getting the EXERCISE you need, don’t beat yourself up! Make sure to let us know by calling or telling us when you visit the office, and we will get you help.
Our families need to BE healthy, to STAY healthy, if we want to LIVE as long, or longer, than our parents did.
We need to improve the Health of Americans, NOW!
Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily commitment by each of us, every parent, and every caregiver in our nation.
The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle rather than waiting until sickness or to address health problems.
I hope that this newsletter today has helped you understand the truth about Obesity in America, and what you can do to help yourself, family and friends. Believe it or not, you don’t have to be a doctor to make a difference. Many times it’s just spreading the word, or setting an example, or even making a phone call to someone that will help make a change in their world.
As you dedicate yourself to educating this generation, you can affect positive health impacts, by helping to prevent a multitude of chronic illness, including PREVENTABLE diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Thank you for joining me in making a huge difference in our children’s future and Making America HEALTHY again!
Please remember the (5) Essentials we talk about at Ferguson Life Health Centers…
Mindset
Nerve Supply
NUTRITION
EXERCISE
Minimizing Toxins
and follow along with me over the next few weeks, to discover what we can do for our children, families and communities to Make America Healthy Again!