The Obesity Time Bomb

The Obesity Time Bomb

Stop the press! We have an obesity crisis!

The BBC ran a story recently pointing out to us that we have an obesity time bomb – that we are getting fatter and this trend will continue. The full article is here…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25576400

Tell us something we don’t know.

The Western world is fat. Really fat. As an adult male with a healthy level of body fat, I am now in the minority. Chances are if you are a reader of my blog, you are too. Even if you aren’t there yet, you are probably here to find out how you can lead a healthier life.

Good on you. You are welcome to stick around.

But back to the issue. An obesity time bomb? Forget the obesity time bomb – it’s exploded! Apparently obesity, diabetes and other co-morbidities have been increasing year on year for at least 30 years. You don’t even need statistics to back this up – walk down the beach frequented by westerners and you will see the current state of the world’s health. It’s not good.

Wander down a high street and make a note of the shape of people. When I first started taking an interest in health, obese was a word used sparingly. Now it’s an every day thing. In fact, we have had to re-classify obesity – we have morbid obesity now. The original term wasn’t strong enough.

When I started in the industry, a 20 stone (280lbs) person was rare. Now they are common.

Childhood incidences of type 2 diabetes and liver disease are rising. Some estimates say this generation will have a shorter lifespan that their parents, despite improvements in health and nutrition knowledge, not to mention medical science. We know more about health than we EVER have, yet are the least healthy we have ever been, metabolically and adiposity speaking.

Lets change the way we look at health. Just because you aren’t suffering with pain, a virus or infection, it does’t mean you are healthy. If you are overweight, you are UNHEALTHY. There is no getting away from this. Healthy people aren’t fat.

In the UK we are blessed with a national health service. It’s changing.

Believe me when I tell you, sooner than we think we will be paying for our healthcare, and the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the people who didn’t care enough about themselves and their health to make better choices, to learn about health, learn about nutrition and learn about fitness. They didn’t care enough about themselves – rather than get up, get out and get active they have opted for the sedentary life.

The strain on the NHS has reached breaking point and it won’t last much longer as we know it.

It’s a shame. It was an example to the world, but it has been taken for granted with a ‘fix me’ attitude to health. Too many people have neglected to take responsibility for their health and expected a free service to patch them up. It did for a while, but it won’t for much longer.

It’s not an obesity time bomb. It’s an obesity problem. It’s here. The only difference is it’s probably going to get worse.

To use a favourite quote of mine…

Take care of your body – it’s the only place you have to live.