The obesity epidemic is getting higher and higher every year. With the economy the way it is, it’s getting harder and harder for people to eat healthy or even find time to exercise every day.
Statistics now show that by the year 2030, at least half of Americans are going to be obese, with most people carrying about one hundred extra pounds of weight on their bodies.
How is Obesity Classified?
A healthy body weight is measured by something called a BMI. This stands for Body Mass Index, which uses a person’s weight and divides it by their height to come up with a number. The scale measures anything between 18.5 and 24.9 as healthy, while anyone 30 and above is considered to be obese.
Understandably, this is just a rough estimate, as people carry weight differently on their bodies, but more and more people are heading towards the 30 range in this day and age.
The Risks of Obesity
The most common health risks for obesity are heart disease, developing type-2 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer. Other conditions include liver disease, respiratory problems, and osteoarthritis, which only get worse with age if the unnecessary weight isn’t removed.
However, it’s become difficult to actually treat obesity, since there’s a large problem involved with the epidemic. It mostly has to do with changing people’s mindsets as well as making healthy food and choices more accessible.
Obesity in Children
The most troubling statistic is the number of children that are becoming obese early on in life. Because of the extra weight, they’re carrying around at such young ages, their life span is actually shortened because of the stress that is being placed on all of their organs.
Thirteen percent of children in the United States are obese since 2013, and this is also climbing every single year.
Making The Right Decisions
One thing that people can start doing is looking at the ingredients they’re ingesting on a daily basis. Food may taste good, but if they’re making your health worse, it’s best to avoid them. Avoid foods that have refined sugars and fats, as your body tends to store them for much longer when they’re not used as energy. Include more vegetables in your diet to help you feel full longer, get the essential vitamins and nutrients you need, and help your body to stay more regular.
Another good decision is to engage in some kind of exercise for at least 20 minutes every day when you can. It gets your blood moving, will help you fall asleep better at night, and helps your body to burn off all those unnecessary calories.
Being obese takes a toll on a person’s health and self-esteem, and getting back to a healthy BMI can be a struggle. But with the obesity epidemic claiming so many lives, it’s best to take a stance now and change the way you view your eating habits so that you can extend your lifespan for the better.
