Archive for the ‘News, Science, & Research’ Category
Overweight Americans: Who’s to Blame?
Who is to blame when we are obese or even 20-30 pounds overweight? Is it our traditions, our society, the fast-paced culture we live in…or is it something far more personal than that? And whose responsibility is it to fix the problem? Certainly, there is a difference between being obese and overweight, but 20 pounds overweight is more than one step down the road to being obese.
These questions have more than one answer. Events ranging from a successful lawsuit against McDonalds corporation in which they took responsibility for an employees weight gain all the way to government officials offering opinion on how to resolve obesity in America indicates the issue deserves not only attention, but a method for solution.
My opinion about what factors influence and cause obesity
With more than 30 percent of Americans qualifying as ‘obese’, it’s becoming a social norm in the same sense that smoking was 30 years ago. When many people around you are overweight, it’s easy to justify staying that way and skirting around the both the cause and the implications. My opinion, being overweight is a social issue with psychological implications, just as smoking is often related to anxiety and addictive behavior and bulimia/anorexia has far more to do with underlying psychological issues than with physical actual physical appearance. Being overweight is the result of social norms combined with the psychological state of the individual
I think the most appropriate solution for reducing the percent of obese in America is a dual approach. Individuals need to take personal responsibility for their habits and the underlying issues that cause them to make unhealthy choices.
Simple methods you can use to get started on weight loss
In the end, regardless of social pressures, commerce, or government intervention, being overweight is a choice just like being a smoker is a choice. If you are having trouble losing weight or leading a healthy lifestyle I feel your solution starts by asking yourself the right question: why?. Why am I doing this right now. How can I do better? Is what I’m doing leading me to a good end point? Start by finding out what is driving you to overeat or avoid exercise
Once you understand that, get started on a physician approved exercise program that will allow you to improve your cardiovascular health. From there, you can design a fitness and nutrition program to help you lose weight and regulate your blood pressure, improve your cardiovascular system, and hopefully prevent type 2 diabetes. Seek out the assistance of government tools such as the CDC and search out professionals in your area to support you along the way. Above all, never give up on yourself or your health and fitness goals! You can do it!
Activating Brown Fat
One of my competitive body building friends used the theories talked about in this CBS new clip to prepare for his competition. Instead of doing cardio, he sat in a cold tub for increasing lengths of time each day, which in turn activates brown fat.
According to Wikipedia: “it has become clear that brown fat is not closely related to white fat, but to skeletal muscle, instead. Further, recent studies[2] using Positron Emission Tomography scanning of adult humans have shown that it is still present in adults in the upper chest and neck. The remaining deposits become more visible (increasing tracer uptake) with cold exposure, and less visible if an adrenergic beta blocker is given before the scan. The recent study could lead to a new method of weight loss, since brown fat takes calories from normal fat and burns it. Scientists were able to stimulate brown fat growth in mice, but human trials have not yet begun.”
Additional reports on and research on brown fat can be found at the following two links, one from the New York Times, the other from WebMD. Based on the evidence I’ve seen, the jury remains out on whether the stimulation of brown fat can be considered as a tool for turning the tide against obesity.
Photo Retouching Report
Although this video presents information most of us are already aware of on some level, it still raises a lot of questions about our culture and even our own personal motivations and goals.
Jes Reynolds holds a B.S. in Kinesiology, is a personal trainer, online fitness teacher, and