I am not super big on stats. Don't get me wrong, I love numbers but we could go back on forth on numbers all day. I don't want to do that. Today I want to share what I believe are the root causes of obesity in America.
Can we agree that America is fat?
For the sake of this blog post today we will say, yes, America is fat.
The question up for discussion is this: Why?
Before I give my
OPINION on why American is fat I am going to tell you why this topic is on my brain today. I am going to start by telling you what I really don't "know" the answer.
That is why the word "opinion" is in all capitols about. Nobody REALLY knows why we are fat. If we knew the actual answer don't you think we would fix the problem?
Well, in theory, yes. I think that the reason we can't fix the problem has a lot to do with the fact that we don't know really what caused the problem so how do you fix something that you don't truly understand?
I don't know either.
I saw a Facebook post yesterday from someone that said that sugar and artificial sweeteners were making us fat. Is there some truth to that? It's a stretch but a little. Could it be this simple. No it is not.
Not even close.
I am going to keep things simple today.
I have defined 3 reasons, in order of importance, that we are fat and getting fatter. Yes, these are generalities and no I really don't know the answer to what to do next BUT I will give you 3 things to do to make a difference at the end.
Make sure to read to the end!
Why is America fat?
Reason #1: The ridiculous decline in the quality of our food.
Why is this? I have a theory. (Shocker, I know, right?)
Food is a HUGE money making industry in our country. People earn an income based on producing food. Guess what? Is there someone else out there making the same food? Yes.
Why buy from person A vs. person B? Good question.
Over the years food production has turned into
who can sell the food that tastes the best, lasts the longest and can be produced for the lowest cost.
Who can make a cheaper widget. Right?
Would you pay $5 for a box of Strawberry's that were little and not very bright or would you pay $2 for a box of Strawberry's that were HUGE and bright red? Who cares why they are huge and bright red. Cheaper and better tasting is better!
Through all this competition more and more preservatives have been put into out food and more and more chemicals and more and more bad, bad stuff has been used to make it look and taste better.
This has dragged down the quality of the food so much that we are getting a fraction of the nutrition today from food than we used to even 15-20 years ago.
More preservatives means more sugar which means less absorption, less energy, more fat and more disease.
It doesn't matter how well you eat. You just can't get the nutrition that you used to be able to get and this creates a snowball effect in your body. The less nutrition you get the less energy you have, the less energy you have the less you move, the less you move the more illness you have, the more illness you have the more stress you have...and on and on and on.
The biggest reason that we are fat is that our food supply is crap and getting worse. I know that I am not wrong on this one.
Reason #2: The government isn't interested in doing anything to stop the problem.
I know. A vague "reason" that I can't really justify.I think it is true. Leaders lead by example.
How many of our leaders are advocates for health and fitness? How much does government support physical education, health initiatives in schools, walking trails, nutrition education, preventative medicine, etc.
What if a student needed to play a sport to graduate high school or run a mile or workout everyday?
What if welfare applicants needed to be drug, alcohol and nicotine free? What if, in order to get health insurance you needed to be drug, alcohol and nicotine free AND workout 5 days per week.
I know this is preposterous but hopefully you get the point. Government is concerned only with staying in power and not creating change. Look at the mess with the Affordable Care Act. Who wins in this environment? Nobody!
Local and national governments need to step to the plate and stop this madness. Stop spending so much time and energy to develop another vaccine or blood pressure pill. Invest in health education and building trails.
How about tax breaks for doing burpees?
Who is leading the country? The people or the people with money? I think we all know the answer to that.
Reason #3: The internet.
Yes. I just blamed Al Gore.
Seriously though. This is broad but I truly believe that we have lost our way with what we do with our free time. When I say the internet I also mean: TV, cell phones, computers, video games, Facebook, blogs...
You get my drift.
We have so much to do in front of electronics now that we don't "have time" to workout, cook dinner, walk the dog or explore the trails that government built...or will build.
Guess how we afford to buy the XBox, iPhone, plasma TV and all the accessories and contracts...
We work WAY TO MUCH so that we can veg in front of the computer and TV for hours and hours.
Who remembers growing up in the 70's or 80's?
Oh good. Me too.
I got home from school, thew my books on my bed, rode my bike to my friends, played guns or football, built forts, climbed trees and goofed off till dark. Then it was home to do my homework and maybe watch a little TV.
My mom cooked my dinner every night.
Do kids still do this? Some do but how many kids are in front of a computer, on the phone or watching Netflix?
As adults we have similar changes in the last 30 years. Who has to work more, invests in healthy eating less, plays with electronics more and exercises less?
How about this for a statistic. In 2005 Americans spend 744 million on energy drinks. In 2013 it was 9 billion.
Do you see the problem here?
We have no energy. We have little hope. Americans are fat. This we can't deny.
Why? Well our food supply sucks, the government refuses to do anything but keep power and pretend there is no problem and we are not helping our own cause. We work to much so we can have things that we really don't need so we can work so more.
Does that sum it up? So what do we do?
If I knew that answer to that question I would be part of the problem.
Here are 3 things that I would do if I were you:
1. Do the
Advocare 24 Day Challenge and regularly take supplements to counteract the fact that our food supply sucks. Is this "salesy" on my part? Sure. Guess what? My wife Teresa and I are the most fit people you know. Maybe we have it figured out. Honestly, find another supplement company if you want. You need to supplement your your diet. Period.
2. Advocate for more physical education in school, more trails, more healthier and fitness and get your butt out the door. Go to a different local trail every weekend and post all about it on social media. Invite your friends to go for a bike ride or a hike. Donate to parks or trails or wellness in general. Creating a movement starts with action.
3. Limit your internet and TV time. Hard one I know. Several months ago my wife and I eliminated TV in the kids rooms and in our room. Guess what? We play cards more, we read more and my wife and I give each other massages more! WIN.
I know it's not a lot of stuff but it is a start. You have to start with YOU and with YOUR HOME.
Sorry this was so long today. Lots of information but it's stuff you need to know.
If you want to learn more about how you can get involved with our supplement program you can
join us at our home in Grand Island TONIGHT 7-8pm for our Advocare Nutritional Mixer. Learn about how Advocare can help provide solutions for your health and your finances. Our address is: 2481 Plumadore Dr.
You can also tune into a live webinar on Thursday at 9pm EST. This should last about 20 minutes. Simple and easy. No sign in required. Today anonymous.
To join the webinar:
join.me/advocareteamcopley For sound:
559-0726-1000 code 342621.
Hope you got some value out of today's post. If so please like, comment and share. We always appreciate that!
To your health!
Rick Copley, Your Best Fitness Coach
"Empowering YOU to be a champion"
rick@yourbestfitnesscoach.com
352-989-5795
