Last night, after the girls were in bed, Lawrence and I watched the first part of the documentary Weight of the Nation. Lawrence checked it out from the library, and we felt like watching something educational for some reason last night. And boy was this film eye opening!!!
Did you know that in 2010 63% of people in the United States were overweight or obese?
In 1980, only 7% of children ages 6-11 were overweight or obese.
In 2008, 20% of children ages 6-11 were overweight or obese.
That's almost triple the amount!
Again, in 1980, only 5% of youth ages 12-19 were overweight or obese.
That number MORE than tripled by 2008, when 18% of youth ages 12-19 were overweight or obese.
From 1987 to 2000, the rate of diabetes tripled as well.
Today, 20.9 MILLION Americans have diabetes.
Furthermore, 79 MILLION Americans have pre-diabetes.
Diabetes isn't the only health concern for those who are overweight or obese.
Their risk of kidney disease is 83% higher than those who are a healthy weight.
On the film, we saw actual hearts from healthy individuals and those who had been overweight or obese. The differences were staggering. Thicker walls, layers of fat, and by-pass surgeries were tell-tell signs of those who had been overweight or obese. Their hearts were having to work much harder to pump their blood, and were pumping that blood through much smaller spaces due to the hardened and nearly closed arteries and veins.
We also heard about liver problems and how overweight and obese people have much heavier livers. This can lead to various health issues and could even result in ultimate liver failure.
$73.1 BILLION is spent each year to cover health care costs for those who are overweight and obese. Imagine how much money our nation could save each year if we would individually take the time and effort to invest in our personal health! And that's just it. This is a personal CHOICE. This is something that each and every person must take responsibility for and work to make a difference.
If we don't change how we live, we won't be around to live at all!
That may seem harsh, but it's true.
And I say it with love.
I don't want anyone I love or care about to deal with heart problems, kidney disease,or liver issues.
I don't want anyone I love or care about suffering from unnecessary joint pain
I don't want anyone I love or care about worrying about insulin levels and other diabetes-related concerns.
I want my friends and family to enjoy life to the fullest.
I want to make memories with them and have as much time with them as possible here on this earth.
Granted, just because I strive to eat healthy and exercise and make good choices doesn't guarantee me that I will never have any health concerns. BUT, I am greatly reducing my chances of heart problems, kidney disease, liver issues, diabetes, arthritis, and many other problems that are associated with being overweight or obese.
This is why I wrote a blog post not too long ago about how I am perfectly okay with being "that mom."
The one who limits her children's sugar intake.
The one who doesn't feel bad scraping mounds of icing off a piece of birthday cake at a party.
The one who doesn't bat an eye telling her child she can't have a bag of chips.
The one who packs apples, bananas, baby carrots, and cheese for snacks.
The one who doesn't give her children pop or juice, unless I make it with fresh fruit in our juicer.
The one who uses honey instead of sugar, applesauce instead of oil, and GF flour when we are baking.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
It's not that I don't love my children or don't want them to have any fun.
It's not that I don't want them to "live a little."
It's that I love them dearly and want them to have the fullest, longest life possible.
It's that I want them to live A LOT.
46% of the sugar that Americans take in every day comes from sugary drinks -- pop and juice being popular choices.
40% of every dollar that is spent on food is spent on food prepared outside the home.
Those are two statistics that can easily (yes, with some effort) be changed!!!
We can CHOOSE to drink water or 100% juice or green tea or something of the sort instead of pop and sugary juices or energy drinks.
We can CHOOSE to eat at home, or to prepare snacks or lunches in advance when we will be out and about.
We can CHOOSE to buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the grocery store instead of pre-packaged and boxed food.
We can CHOOSE to eat lean meats and fish instead of fried foods.
We can CHOOSE to eat brown rice and whole wheat flour and pasta instead of white rice and white flour and pasta.
You see, that right there is the kicker. It's a choice!!!!
I'm not saying that making these choices is always going to be easy or popular.
But I am saying that they can be made.
That they MUST be made.
To win this battle against obesity, we have to lose!
We have to lose the weight, to change the way we think about food and exercise.
We have to change the way we think about LIVING.
I'm not promoting fad diets or anything of the sort, but rather I am begging people to think about the way they LIVE day in and day out. I am begging YOU to consider how the way you live today will impact the way you live tomorrow, the way you interact with your kids and grandkids in the years to come.
What changes can YOU make that will help improve your health?
What changes can YOU make that will help improve the way you LIVE?
As you think about this, please know too that I would love to support and encourage you along the way, to cheer you on as you make changes and improve your health.
This is one of the main reasons I became a distributor for It Works.
I want to help people invest in their health.
I want to help people make changes and improve the way they live.
I want to help change lives.
I am passionate about my own health and the health of my husband and children, but I am also passionate about YOUR health (even if I have never met you before).
Tonight, Lawrence and I will probably watch the next portion of the documentary and learn even more.
I hope that as I learn I will be able to pass on what I discover so that others can benefit.
We're all in this together.
And to win, we HAVE to lose....
