"Fat Americans"!?

For many years now we have been hearing that obesity in the U.S. is a growing concern. In a recent article on MSN, it was reported by the majority of states that there has been significant increases in obesity for adults and for children. Schools teach about living healthy, newspapers write about it, and people talk about it. So why is obesity continuing to be a growing problem? Why are too many people still overweight?
One hundred years ago obesity was scarce. What has changed in our society that may be contributing to the problem and what can we do to fix it? I think that there are a variety of factors that can cause people to be overweight, and not all overweight people can solve the problem on their own. But I do think that “more activity, less calories” is probably the solution for many people.
Look at how life has changed. People used to walk; now we drive. Jobs were often more physically strenuous, now we have technology. Even farmers have tractors and machines to do the work. With all of the technology that our generation has available to us, we don’t even have to get out of bed. We can shop online, do school online, and socialize online. We have TV’s and game systems. I think that all of this boils down to a big, fat problem…obesity.
What makes obesity such a big concern is that it has been linked to several seriousness illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Diseases that used to only be found in the adult population, such as high blood pressure, are now showing up among children because of obesity.
If our nation is going to make any strides towards changing this trend, the government, communities, and individuals all have to acknowledge obesity as a problem worth fixing. Healthier lifestyles will have to be adopted, including making better choices in food consumption, and spending more time exercising. It is a shame that our “smart society” hasn’t figured out how to manage this problem.