Obesity At Large
In sedentary people who are obese or overweight routine cardiovascular exercise and a well-balanced diet can improve overall health status in multiple ways. Using these methods people can achieve a healthy weight, reduce/reverse risk of heart disease, strengthen muscles and joints, as well as improve energy levels. In the United States obesity and sedentary lifestyle rates are dramatically increasing as the years progress. "We now have 73.7% of adults age 20 and over who are overweight and/or obese" ("Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, Obesity and Health: Does Physical Exercise Hold the Key?"). Adult obesity is most often a chronic condition that has stemmed from childhood obesity, very rarely does it hit mid-adulthood. Since the majority of the cases are from one's childhood it would mostly benefit those at a young age to alter their ways of living. When trying to decrease the incidence of obesity, the focus should be put on what children are eating. School cafeteria food has the reputation of tasting bad and having poor nutritional value, it's also one of the main factors contributing to obesity. Children tend to mimic what their parents do so a focus of conscious eating should be brought to the table. Mid-childhood is when we start to become conscious of what we look like, creating both mental and physical problems. The sudden conscious feeling of trying to meet the standard weight and image in adolescents comes from an item that is found in every Americans household; a television.
Society has a huge impact on how you interpret if something is acceptable or not. In the United States being skinny is the optimal goal in which everything is based off of. Every commercial is filled with skinny models, happy people, perfect lives; a vision of a perfect life. Clothing stores support the industry of the ideal body image by stocking a limited number of clothing sizes further discouraging the obese population. With the constant battle of trying to fit into society's norms, this can influence the start of harmful decisions in people trying to reach an acceptable body weight. Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are the top two disorders developed in people who are obsessed with weight control. The problem at it's base is photoshop, a computer program that takes already skinny bodies and pushes the limits to an unachievable image. Although many people try to achieve these goals by severely reducing nutritional intake many never become satisfied by their body image. This dissatisfaction turns into a downward spiral fueled by obsession that can kill if not properly contained.
The increasing amount of excess body fat heightens your risks of developing chronic health issues. Diabetes mellitus, heart disease, and atherosclerosis are examples of slowing developing issues brought on by obesity. If these are not promptly treated they can become detrimental to your health. "Individuals who are obese have a 50 to 100% increased risk of premature death from all causes, compared to individuals with a healthy weight" ("Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences"). Poor diet and lack of activity increases the deposit of fatty substances in your vasculature, dramatically increasing the risk of fatal cardiac, lung and brain complications. When these fatty substances are deposited into your veins and arteries it is referred to atherosclerosis. Gradually depositing more and more fat atherosclerosis can slowly impede blood flow to more peripheral parts of the body. Not all of these substances are securely bound to each other making it possible to break off and become mobile, also known as an emboli. These can then be carried to many parts of the body including the lungs and brain. When an emboli travels to the lungs it can block off one or more of the major arteries which is a life threatening condition known as pulmonary emboli. The brain has smaller veins and capillaries supplying oxygen to areas necessary for life. Due to this trait the fat emboli can easily block off blood flow causing an ischemic attack also know as a stroke.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition with many risk factors that cause a decrease in the amount of insulin available for your body's use. Type I diabetes is considered a non-avoidable, genetically pre-disposed condition which makes up 10% of the diabetic community. With this condition the pancreas, an insulin producing organ, becomes damaged and the production of insulin is halted creating the need to supplement with insulin filled injections. On the other side of the spectrum, type II diabetes mellitus is when the body become desensitized to the insulin produced creating a struggle in the body's ability for its use. Considered reversible, this condition makes up the remaining 90% and can be managed with weight loss and altered nutritional support. Another potentially serious issue is sleep apnea, a condition that causes a cessation of breathing for up to 20 seconds throughout the night. Depending on the severity this condition impacts the ability to enter the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) cycle, which is your deepest level of sleep. The inability to achieve the required amount of REM sleep over an extended time period can leave a person dozing off during their activities of daily living. Some situations with sleep apnea that can put yourself and others in danger include driving and working around heavy machinery. Sleeping on your back with the excess body weight on top of your neck makes obesity a major risk factor in developing sleep apnea. Affecting other important parts of the body, obesity puts an extra strain on muscles, joints and bones. Put into overtime your body is constantly trying to update it's structure and strength to support ambulation. Fractures, arthritis, and muscle strains occur naturally in everyone but excess body weight is like pressing the fast forward button in the development of these issues. As we grow old, we loose bone tissue which puts us at risk for osteoporosis. Weight loss takes the extra strain off of your muscles, bones, and joints while exercise aids in strengthening them further helping to prevent breakdown. From an inverted uterus to an episiotomy women face a difficult task of safely delivering a healthy baby, obesity plays a major role in increasing the complications and danger levels of pregnancy. These increased complications make if difficult to deliver a baby vaginally, which is why a lot of doctors resort to the less desired cesarian section. Due to the size of the incision, having a c-section puts you at risk for many opportunistic infections and pathogenic introductions into the body. A complicated birth is not only dangerous for the mother but baby as well, issues with polycythemia, hyperglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia can persist long after delivery.
"Data from the Center of Disease Control shows that in areas of the United States where rates of obesity are higher than 30%, the prevalence of adults who report no leisure time, physical activity is also higher than 30%." (Barnes MD, MPH). From this statistic it should be no surprise that people who are obese practice a sedentary lifestyle as well. When considering the cause of obesity an inactive lifestyle is commonly thought to be the second highest reason. Although exercise is very important in achieving and maintaining a prolonged and healthy lifestyle, nutrition plays a higher role. When a program is made for someone trying to achieve a weight and healthier lifestyle goal nutrition maintains the 70% importance while exercise carries the remaining 30%. With limited time and ability in the attempt to better oneself, what options do people have? Community centers such as the YMCA provide extensive exercise equipment available for use following a minimal membership expense which can provide an excellent opportunity for growth. These centers also have staff members that are certified in personal training presenting a more convenient and private experience for members to learn proper exercise techniques and nutritional arrangements. On top of the various exercise programs the YMCA also has a nutritional class called "Get Your Plate In Shape." This program focuses on the basics of nutritional needs, shopping techniques, reading food labels, and information on super foods. Not only do community centers provide excellent programs but they are also a great place to meet people in similar situations. For the students who were not able to participate in a collegiate sport, universities have a huge range of clubs accessible to join with no requirement necessary. For example, out of the 30+ clubs offered at Northern Arizona University, at least 50% of them are sport based. From the frisbee team to the running club the list keeps growing.
The most effective way to improve the health status in sedentary obese individuals is focusing on the inactive lifestyle, an exercise program, and dietary plan. An inactive or sedentary lifestyle is known to many as the "sitting disease." Changing a person's habits can be very difficult but with simple lifestyle changes it can slowly become more realistic to the person with time. While at work or at home you're constantly sitting or standing, doing one alone for long time periods can cause it's own batch of problems. Mixing up the ratio of time spent doing each one can be the first step to a healthier life and prevent painful back and foot issues. Some more examples of simple fixes to become additionally active are taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from the store entrance, and walking more.
When starting an exercise program there are a number of things to consider. What fitness level are you currently at? What are your fitness goals? What do you have time to do? These are all questions that can help a trained expert build a better individualized reasonable program. The program should consist of exercises that are built into your daily routine, allow you to go at your own pace, allow appropriate time for recovery, and that are organized properly to hit the correct muscle groups. Many sources have developed a guideline of physical exercise based on length, difficulty, and type of exercise needed for the most beneficial results. "The NHLBI clinical guidelines on obesity and US Surgeon General's Report of Physical Activity and Health recommend that adults accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most preferably all days of the week" (McInnis ScD 93-100). This recommendation gives many examples of exercises that can be performed to meet these guidelines. According to this recommendation moderate physical activities include volleyball, football, jumping rope, and running. In contrast, ten minute intervals of strenuous physical activity followed by moderate activity has also been studied and determined the best for your health. Although these studies show different information on time and effort required to gain improvements, they share the ideation that exercise is beneficial for your health. Despite the fact that these recommendations are ideal, not everyone is fully capable to complete the time allotment and effort for these exercises. When considering obese/overweight individuals it is entirely appropriate to take baby steps to help slowly progress to the recommended time. This slow gradual start is the healthiest option for overweight people because it allows the ill prepared bodily systems to build up the endurance to sustain long term activity.
Beginning a dietary plan can be the most overwhelming task to start because it requires a strong mental motivation in order to be successful. For a plan to be productive it should include foods that you like, under your budget, easy to prepare, and that provide a variety of options. Often taught in high school, the food pyramid has been used as the standard in nutritional guidelines but due to an increase in studies and research things have changed. The most important task for weight loss is good adherence to a dietary plan. A well-balanced dietary plan should include whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, and fruit. A journal of daily caloric intake is a great tool to help people keep track of calories. Fast food and processed foods are starting to take over the food industry by providing a quick meal for cheap. People should be eating foods that are as close to natural as possible also referred as clean eating. Fast food restaurants have some good meal options that are considered clean eating, only requiring increased insight on what they might be. Even though restaurants provide this healthy option there are companies that claim to be better than any diet or exercise program. We provide a quicker, easier, cheaper way to lose weight compared to the natural long-term method, dietary pill companies supplement our brains with these lies. Seeing their methods of achieving weight loss they should be avoided because they can make you look healthy when really harming your body from the inside; on top of diet pill are pre-packaged meals such as Jenny Craig. This dietary fix is based solely on portion control, and although the foods provide an opportunity for variety of flavors, they are not naturally processed and contain a number of pesticides and flavor enhancers. Diets are not universal, they need to be personalized to your own bodily requirements and health status.
Weight loss is the main measurement of effectiveness, and is the quickest improvement to see. An increase in weight loss is followed by an increase in confidence. Even a few pounds of loss can present huge benefits to your health. These gains are measurable by lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels which will continue to improve with an increase in weight loss. Your heart's ability to pump blood becomes more effective, and can do so with less work. The resting of heart tissue can also be seen as a decrease in the diastolic blood pressure, this is crucial for preventing future heart attacks. When exercising your body secretes chemicals called endorphins other wise known as the runners' high. Similar to the feeling of taking a strong opiate for pain, endorphins make you feel strong, capable of achieving difficult tasks, and increasing overall happiness. This release is a gift from your body to congratulate and encourage more of it, endorphins can also relieve stress and anxiety.
Randomized studies have been done to help confirm the effectiveness of these interventions in variety of people. The first study is the effect of physical activity and dietary habits in african american and hispanic women. Four hundred participants were studied, 85% african american and 15% hispanic. The participants were focused on increasing physical activity and fruit/vegetable dietary intake. All the participants got an examination in the beginning of the study and were all determined as overweight or obese. The results came back and provided lots of vital sign changes and differences in emotional feelings, which were all improved in all participants. The second study that I looked at mainly focused on dietary intakes with a familial history of obesity. 197 women and 129 men with a BMI of 30 or less were included in this study. In this study they looked at daily energy, macronutrients, and fiber intake of those with a familial history of obesity compared to those with no family history of obesity. This study was constructed based on the theory that children's eating habits arise from that of their parent's. Although the results are different than expected, this study was conducted in Canada which has a different guideline for dietary needs.
In sedentary people who are obese/overweight routine cardiovascular exercise and a well-balanced diet can improve overall health status in multiple ways. Using these two methods people can achieve a healthy weight, reduce/reverse risk of heart disease, strengthen muscles and joints, as well as improve energy levels. Exercise and diet have positive impacts on your health, they can help prevent and reverse life threatening diseases. Although the majority of the benefits that are achieved with strict diet and exercise can be seen, it has a huge affect on your mental health as well.
