Just saw a news update stating that obesity is now a raging health epidemic. As I sit and ponder how gleeful the nearly trillion dollar diet industry must be over this news (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain), I find this announcement all too convenient right in the midst of an overwhelming movement to teach people about body image, bullying and fat shaming. Am I considered overweight? Yes! However, it is not because I overeat or eat things that are bad for me. Why cant I shed the pounds? Because I have chronic pancreatitis, so, on a good day, I ingest maybe 800 calories, and thats IF I can keep everything down. My point is no one but a person and his/her doctor knows the reason behind weight, be it over, under, or seemingly perfect, yet all the news wants to show is pictures of people who arent size 4. We should instead be talking about the true health crises facing so many: Hunger; Stress; Sleep Deprivation, to name the top 3. Are we truly aware of how many children cannot reach their potential physically, mentally, emotionally, because they are constantly hungry? Or, if they do get food from the food bank, it is processed crap that does nothing but give them empty calories? How many overworked parents make a McDonalds run instead of being able to take the time to sit down and cook a well-balanced meal? What about the fact that to be considered successful in todays society, you must do it all? If you arent giving up sleep for something, you arent sacrificing enough! Losers sleep more than 4-5 hours a night--youve got to be HUNGRY and running farther and faster than anyone else. Take a moment and scroll down to check out some of the top effects of Sleep Deprivation on your body. Heart Disease, Weight Gain and Accidental Death anyone? healthline/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body Then, theres the silent killer that everyone feels, but no one is talking about: Stress. This one single thing can be the cause of nearly every single health problem you have. Think about that for a moment. And what do we do when we have too much stress to handle? Run to the doctor for some Xanax, because thats easier than changing our lifestyle and addressing the stressors. (Disclaimer: I am not against taking Xanax if you truly need it, as I have to take it occasionally for my OCD.) In fact, we are an over-prescribed people who would rather pop a pill than get to the root cause and change. As a confessed workaholic, I dont feel Ive done my job if I havent put in at least 50-60 hours for the week (including working from home). Honestly, thats far better than I used to be. At one point, in my previous job, it was a badge of honor to see who had put in the most hours. 80-90 hours month after month won me awards. No one ever sat me down and chided me for work/life balance or thought that I was pushing myself too hard. It took 3 rounds of pneumonia in 2 years and a sinus infection that lead to surgery to remove the infected tissue to get me to recognize I needed to put my health higher on my priority list. At one point, I swore I would never let my Fibromyalgia live me, so I refused to change my diet. Now, I am an avid label reader who avoids processed sugars and gluten (since I tested intolerant, not because its a fad). My point is I realized that I could do so much more to improve my health by changing things that were within my control. Instead of letting the media tell us what the latest health epidemic is, its time that we get educated about our own bodies and seek to do what is best per each individual. Stop letting society, the media, corporations, relatives, your own priorities etc. bully you into not sleeping enough, taking on too much stress or not taking a moment to make sure the children in your community have enough to eat. Because I believe each persons worth is NEVER determined by his/her BMI.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 23:52:31 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015