Is Stemming The Growth of America’s Waistline a National Health Priority?
A new study of American weight trends shows that the oldest group of Baby Boomers, those currently aged 55 to 64 years, is fatter than people in the populations older than them. This trend has startling implications for the future of our national health care costs. As Baby Boomers continue to age and take the place of the previous generations in our hospitals, nursing homes and veterans care facilities, and on the rolls of the medicare and medicaid systems, the health risks associated with obesity will begin to show their true costs. Many Americans need to get started on their own middle age weight loss plan.
Obesity increases the risks for a broad range of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and many types of cancers. The chronic nature of many of the diseases affected by obesity,like diabetes, means that they will demand costly treatments for many years or even decades into the future. Setting aside any quality of life issues resulting from chronic disease, the economic impact alone is a good reason for a new emphasis to be placed on preventive care, including encouraging overweight people to undertake effective weight loss and fitness programs.
A weight loss plan that involves increases in physical acitivity and overall improvments in fitness levels will be more effective than those programs that concentrate solely on losing weight. Improved cardiovascular fitness as a result of regular aerobic exercise has many health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and increasing mental sharpness. Strength exercises build muscle tissue and help to prevent osteoporosis, Both types of exercise have the happy side effect of burning calories, resulting in fat loss.
Many patients who attempt to lose weight by taking heavily advertised diet pills (which often carry risks of their own), or by following popular dieting fads, find that losing weight permanently is almost impossible. Whatever pounds are lost at the beginning are often put back on, often with a few more, over the next few months or years. The best weight loss programs combine proper nutrition and exercise with effective hunger control strategies to achieve long term weight loss and improved health and fitness.
The ideal plan for weight loss and improved fitness is one that is designed specifically for each person’s unique qualities and lifestyle choices. A person can engage the services of a personal trainer or nutrition consultant in formulating their personal weight loss program, but the cost of such programs is out of reach for most people. A better choice is for each person to gain the knowledge of exercise and nutrition to plan their own weight loss program and become their own weight loss coach. A person who takes charge of his or her own fitness plan becomes personally invested in the outcome and is far more likely to succeed than someone who just hitches onto the latest fad diet for a short ride.
