Stop the cycle of childhood obesity
Here’s a link to a powerful video created by Strong4Life, a Georgia-based group that’s working to reverse the obesity epidemic.
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKzY0vXlhnQ
The video starts in a hospital emergency room, with the nurse telling the doctor the stats: “Just came in. Heart attack. 5’9”, 300 pounds, 32-years-old.”
Doctor says: “How the hell does that happen?
The video proceeds, in a sort of rewind, through the man’s life, showing the fast food, French friends, deep-dish pizza and other unhealthy lifestyle choices. Doctors are telling him to “make a change” and notifying him of signals that something is wrong. The video continues going backward, showing him as a child, eating fast food and Fries, and ends with him in a high-chair, his mother feeding him French Fries as he’s crying, saying to her friend, “It’s the only thing that will make him stop.”
This is the sad, but often true, reality of American society. Strong4Life is a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Movement that’s encouraging change in Georgia, where 40 percent of children are obese. That’s the second highest rate in the country. Still, obesity is a problem everywhere.
Nationwide, 17 percent of children age 2 to 19 are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control. That’s 12.5 million kids. Obesity rates among children and adolescents have almost tripled since 1980.
More than one-third of adults in the U.S. are obese.
South Dakota ranks No. 27 among in the 50 states in health living, according to a recent report that ranks the health of states. It’s the first time the state has ranked below 20. South Dakota ranks No. 35 for sedentary living in the same report.
“The report says 27 percent of the population, 168,000 adults, get no physical activity such as gardening, walking, running or golf other than going to work," according to the article in the Argus Leader.
Read the full Argus Leader article here: http://www.argusleader.com/article/20130108/NEWS/301080023/.
The same report says Vermont is the healthiest state. Louisiana and Mississippi tied for least healthy. Here's the link to the full report, with information on all 50 states: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20653976_25,00.html.
These are scary statistics. Obesity leads to a host of other health problems, including diabetes and hypertension and heart disease and stroke. So let’s make a change. It needs to happen nationwide, but it can start with you!
Here's a couple things you can do, to start:
Take the stairs, rather than the elevator. Park your car at the back of the parking lot. Take a walk on your lunch break. Join a gym. Make healthier eating choices. Skip the fries, ditch the soda. Drink water and cook at home.
It’s little changes that are going to add up to help you live a longer, healthier life.
Cheers to your health!