What ever happened to American pride in being fit and looking good? |
Am I the only one who gets depressed when I go out into the world these days? Everywhere I look all I ever seem to see is overweight people. If you're one of the many who are, use this article to gain/take control of your eating habits, elevate your self-esteem, and get healthy so you can live a happier, longer, and fit life. In my opinion it doesn't seem to matter what their age is: young, middle-age, even the elderly. It seems most everyone or at least 2 out of 3 has surrendered to being fat, 1/3 are obese. Please someone tell me, what is going on in America? Reality TV has presented shows, "Looking Good Naked", a program showing considerably overweight women exposing their nakedness with the detrimental message "love your body" and Love who you are! Seriously, are you kidding me? What a horrible message.That's like surrendering to unhealthyness knowing someday down the line you'll have to pay the proverbial piper. No one should be happy or satisfied with being overweight, simply put, everyone knows its eventually going down a dead end road that is almost always too difficult to recover from. The other is if you suffer from some medical malady, that you cannot control. Science has proven that being overweight and excessively fat contributes to health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, strokes, hypertension, and depression. Also take into consideration the ongoing exhaustion and stress of living in an overweight body, the associated joint problems and also personal hygiene discomfort are all tied to obesity. Don't be charmed, misled or fooled into poor dietary choices by the thousands of seductive advertising campaigns by fast food giants who subject us to a blitzkreig of adds on a daily basis. The real truth; You are what you eat! Being overweight certainly does not make someone a bad person nor does it make them substandard as human beings. What it really signals is a poor diet, a lack of proper exercise, and a nonexistent will power to make oneself healthy. This couch potato lifestyle is literally robbing individuals of a precious quality of life. I've read where this latest generation of Americans will be the first in history "not" to outlive the past generation. Poor diet and lack of exercise are the main culprits. Cartoon sensation Shrek and his friends have started a campaign pleading with children to get out and exercise for one hour a day. This is reflective of how bad things have become. Sorry but one hour of exercise in a day is not even close to the minimum physical stimulation kids need in order to maintain a healthy body and mind. When I was a child I played outside from the time I got home from school until supper, which was usually 2 or 3 hours later. I remember not wanting to quit playing even when called to the dinner table by my mother. In those days 1 out of 4 had a weight problem, today 3 out of 4 have a weight issue. Getting involved in organized sports and athletic activities at the local YMCA http://www.ymca.net/ YWCA http://www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=284783 Boys and Girls Club http://www.bgca.org/ just to mention a few, will definitely help regulate a person's weight. Those who make claims there is no safe haven for children these days are simply overly paranoid. Watching TV and playing video games at home are certainly not exercise but only the latest forms of addiction from which youngsters suffer. It's not rocket science people. Stop looking for shortcuts or some "easier way". If you take in more calories than you burn, YOU WILL BECOME OVERWEIGHT, it's a plain and very simple equation. You cannot live a healthy life existing on "fast food", period. All these catchy jingles, "Have it your way", or " I'm loving it", "Think outside the bun" are constantly brainwashing customers down a path of self destruction, all in the name of corporate profits.This kind of fast food diet will literally kill you! Are you aware that many fast food companies are owned or are subsidiaries of powerful American tobacco companies, the experts in dealing out death and self destruction? Unfortunately for those who strive for proper nutrition, eating right may still leave us short, here's why. Our bodies are made to use FOOD nutrients to build, repair and protect our cells . So when we supplement our diets .....it needs to be with 100% FOOD supplements. Sounds simple... but how many people even know there is a difference. The United States is the most overfed and undernourished nation on earth There are many third world countries that have a healthier population than ours according to The World Health Organization which rated the USA at # 37. Pesticides, growth hormones, and fertilizers contaminate most foods these days. Documented by Agricultural Statistics it is a known fact we have lost 30% to 70% of our nutrient levels in the past 20 years. Fruits and vegetables in supermarkets are lacking vital nutrients since they are picked unripened in order to get them into the marketplace in time for human consumption. If picked ripe they would begin rotting in just a few days. Have you ever noticed how tomatoes and other fruits and veggies look great in color, but are hard as a rock to the touch. Have you ever wondered why? They are picked "green" and later ripened after exposure to ethylene gas, a ripening agent. When left to mother nature's true process, fruits and vegetables gather most vital nutrients in the last 24 to 48 hours of ripening, just before falling to the ground. The plant realizes the vegetable and fruit which is meant for reproduction, will need a strong seed to germinate and perpetuate it's existence. At that critical time, it extracts an abundance of vital minerals and nutrients from the soil through it's roots. This gives the seeds exactly what it needs to survive, germinate, and grow healthy. It's that simple. Food picked a month prior to being naturally ripened doesn't have the same minerals, vitamins, or taste vine ripened has. Believe it, just taste. As time will tell, a tsunami of medical ailments and weight related afflictions is heading our way, which in the long run will drive up insurance rates and the cost of medical care. Take note, most overweight people are "uninsurable". A polite term used by the insurance industry to say, "We don't want your premiums. We don't want your claims." For certain we are bombarded daily with toxic substances either ingested or absorbed through our skin. These toxins also happen to be stored in our fat cells. The more fat we carry, the more toxins we may have stored in our bodies. This is one main reason why obesity is such a danger to one's health. Americans and anyone else who may be overweight, wake up and come to the realization that you need to take heed of this alert! Begin by eating right. Exercise yourself back to good health. Take your supplements and vitamins. They are now included as necessary in the government's daily food pyramid. There are tons of resources to help you get back to a state of wellness and being fit. Please use them for your own sake and your loved one's. This has to be the new way of life, start today. Its never too late! (For more extremely helpful information on nutrition and getting healthy again go to: http://www.mannapages.com/afortin or email afortin51@yahoo.com for further assistance) |