Obesity Epidemic

OMG!  I was watching a new episode of What Not to Wear last night.  Here's a very scary statistic for you.  Apparently 1/3 of the American population between the ages of 20 and 74 are obese.  As I look around, I don't think the Canadian population isn't too far behind.  That's just way too much and something really does need to be done about it.

Unfortunately targeting the individuals doesn't seem to work.  It seems the food industry are the ones who really have to start this.  There are way too many restaurants that serve portions that are so unbelievably distorted for not much money.  And instead of sharing a dinner, or taking some of it home, so many people eat what is on their plate.  After all, for many of us, that's what we were taught.  'cause there are starving children in Africa/China/whereever.  People seem to think that if they aren't getting a lot of food for their money, they're being ripped off.  Quite frankly, I'd rather pay more for less healthy food than a small amount of money for a huge portion of unhealthy, fatty crap.  Don't get me wrong, I love pizza (I prefer thin crust but Barry prefers thick),  burgers, etc.  And once in a while it's okay but so many people eat this stuff EVERY day!  And even if you don't gain weight from it, what's it doing to your heart, to your arteries?

We've become such a sedentary group.  We drive everywhere.  We're time crunched.  Fitness has taken a back seat to work, to family, to running the children to all kinds of activities, to social commitments, to shopping, housework, etc.  As women we tend to put everyone else ahead of ourselves.  We're so busy being the caregiver that we forget to care for ourselves.  Even if it's just taking stairs instead of elevators or escalators, getting out for a walk at lunch for 20 or 30 minutes.  Get off the bus a couple of stops before.  I'm sure you've heard it all before.  And if you're really desperate/crazy/determined, you can always get up an hour or so before you go to work to get a good workout in...even if it's 4:30 a.m.  hee hee

Of course this is all just my opinion.  As someone who has eaten lousy for years and not exercised regularly, I know how bad it can get.  I know how frustrating it is to want to change but just not be able to get your stuff together enough to do.  We all have our reasons for wanting to change or why we're not.  Hell, it took my mother's death before I finally got my act together.  She harassed me about my weight most of my life.  Maybe subconsciously I was rebelling ... stupid really ... I was only hurting myself.

But we have all our own stories.  I'd love to hear your story if you care to share.  And remember ... you are totally worth taking care of yourself ... making the most of your life.  I'm cheering for you!