Take a moment to travel back in time with me, to a time when fad diets, weight-loss drugs and gastric bypass surgery were the headlines. When you hear these things, do you think of Dr. Atkins, Anna Nicole and Al Roker, or obesity, diabetes and heart disease?
While most would say the quality of news reporting has thankfully and appropriately improved since the party conventions and presidential debates have garnered our full attention, and we no longer have to hear about the lawsuit troubles of McDonald's, we have to understand that the underlying issues surrounding these stories are indeed worthy of our short attention spans.
According to WebMD.com, "one out of every five children is overweight," "18.2 million Americans" have type II diabetes and "cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S."
What's sad about diabetes and heart disease is that they are brought on by our own lifestyle -- not by those "creatures" we studied about in high-school science class. But people aren't associating these diseases with an unhealthy lifestyle. We don't feel sorry for our pancreas when we ingest masses of sugar. We don't realize the strain on our hearts when the salt in our diet raises our blood pressure. We don't feel guilty when we skip a daily run because it's raining. And, on the other hand, we think that if we can fit into size-4 jeans, or refuse to eat anything but lettuce until we can, we're healthy.
Instead of lifestyle changes, portion-control, and regular exercise, it's gastric bypass, stomach-stapling, and liposuction. The superficiality is there, but not the health concerns. It's "I can look better if I do this," instead of "I can be better." People have to get past the South Beach diet, past TrimSpa and its evil relatives, and past obsession with celebrities.
Doctors will always say that the key to weight loss is to spend more calories than you put in (that's right -- think bank account). And, to accomplish this, one has to control his or her portions and increase activity. Weight-loss drugs can be unsafe; and, fad diets only work as long as you keep up with them. I don't know about you -- but I'm not going to deny myself all those yummy carbohydrates for the rest of my life. Notice that I didn't say I wouldn't limit my intake.
As a society, we have taken some steps in the right direction. School cafeterias and franchises are redesigning their menus to include more vegetables and less fried foods. Curves and Contours, the all-women fitness clubs, are placing emphasis on exercise, rather than on food. However, responsibility for health still lies with the individual.
I will admit that I, myself, am about 10 pounds overweight, that I pick up Goldfish and Snapple from Topside (when I could be eating the fruit my parents mailed me), that I realize I can't keep using the excuse "I live in the River Cluster" to replace regular exercise. And, in general, college students remember to take good care of themselves. I'm sure I'm not the only one who does not always make healthy eating choices and raising awareness is an important goal.
Like all else in life, we need balance when it comes to eating and exercise; we don't need to succumb to what's popular and what's making the news. It's our daily habits that need analyzing -- an extra piece of cake on Aunt Mary's birthday is OK!
As long as we are conscious of our eating and exercising choices, and can confirm that they are healthy, we're on the right track.
