Evan Roeschen, Senior
It is April, which means it's time to get up and move! We are always told the importance of exercise; the American Heart Association (AHS) takes the month of April to dedicate more focus on this fact of everyday life. When you look at the statistics on how overweight Americans are compared to other nations, the results are shocking. According to the Reporter Linker Market Report, in this year alone a total of 162 new cases of obesity have been reported across the U.S. That is more than all of Latin America, currently at 43 in reports and South America at 37, combined for this year. The AHS statistics on the matter of obesity are even more staggering. It is reported 69% of U.S. adults are obese. There are 243 million adults in the US currently. That accounts for over 75% of the nation's population over the age of 18. The AHA reports that by 2035, our nation will have spent over $1 trillion in combating heart related illness and diseases. A massive contributing factor of this is obesity, which damages the body over time. People believe that they are aware of the effects it has on themselves, but the statistics show otherwise. Macro Trends reported in 2019 that the U.S. spent $745 billion on the military. What does this mean? Simple: At the rate we are at now, we have spent more money on heart disease than the nation's military. The saddest of all statistics is that 80% of cardiovascular disease cases are preventable. Exercising allows for a combative way to address this health issue that is plaguing America. In simpler terms, this means heart attacks, heart damage and possibility of death. 1 in 3 deaths every year in the U.S. is directly linked to cardiovascular disease. Claiming over 800,000 lives a year, it is more than a fantasy and it is necessary to address.
In total, as of 2021, 36.20% of the nation is obese. Overwhelming amounts of unhealthy diets, lack of exercise and true awareness of the consequences of poor health makes the U.S. currently the 16th most obese nation in the world. The United States is the third most populated nation in the world, with over ⅓ of the population being overweight. Other powerful and rich nations such as France, Germany, Brazil, Singapore and the Philippines all have obesity rates under 23%. Almost all these nations except Brazil have populations under 120 million. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2016 that 340 million children globally ageing from 5-19 were overweight or considered obese. Since 1975, worldwide obesity rates have nearly tripled. Also in 2016, 1.9 billion adults globally were classified as overweight. Of this figure, 650 million were classified as obese. This is double the current population of the United States. For the 5-19 age group in 1975, 4% were overweight. Fast Forward to 2016, that figure has jumped to 18%. The numbers are dead even between boys at 19% and girls at 18%.
What are The Risks Of Being Overweight?
1-Cardiovascular disease (increased chance of heart attacks and stroke)
2-Death
3-Breast, ovarian, liver, prostate, colon, kidney and gallbladder cancer
4-Musculoskeletal disorder (joint disablement and degeneration of joints)
5-High Blood Pressure (Increased blood pumping throughout the body can cause heart attacks and strokes)
6-Type 2 Diabetes (Can affect healing of wounds, cause blindness and kidney failure)
7-Breathing Problems (Being overweight or obese is extremely dangerous for someone who has asthma)
8-Pregnancy Defects (The effect on a mother's health directly affects that of her child. Being overweight can cause miscarriages, stillbirths or create health complications for the baby and mother)
So what is National Move Month really? That is self-explanatory, get outside and work out! The AHA encourages all Americans to exercise, but for April, 10,000 steps a day is a high recommendation. 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day is, in addition to walking, a great way to burn off those extra calories. A very interesting fact about the modern fit bit can be traced back to 1780. Thomas Jefferson introduced the pedometer to the U.S. for the first time after its creation by Louis Perrlet of Switzerland. Although never proven, it has been highly theorized that the pedometer Jefferson introduced to the country was of his own design. The concept for the device goes back over 400 years to the time of Leonardo Davinci, who first conceptualized the idea of the device. In 1965, Yoshiaki Hatano designed the modern pedometer to be based around the 10,000 step idea. 20 years after his invention, scientific research concluded that the idea was sound and that 10,000 was the perfect amount for health benefits to the human body to be noticeable. In recent times, fit bits have become a popular tool for tracking calorie burning and weight loss. The desire to help people combat weight gaining has been around for centuries. Now it's time for us to do our part.
What Can You Do To Improve Your Health?
1-Consume more salt (Salt helps remove toxins from the body, helps muscle function, improves the heart and also aids in digestion and rehydration.)
2-Go to a gym regularly (Gyms are stacked with plenty of machines to help you improve your body’s stamina, core strength and burn off calories.)
3-Create a walking schedule (Gyms are not for everyone. You can however take it upon yourself to set time aside every day to walk outside. The American Heart Association and World Health Organization recommend 10-30 minute walks per day.)
4-Join a sports team (Even if athletics aren't your thing, if you want to burn off calories and improve your muscles, this is one of the best ways to do it!)
5-Use smaller bowls and plates when eating (Studies have shown the larger a dish is, the more tempting it is to place more on it. The smaller the dish, the less tempting it is to pack it with food. This is a psychological trick for your brain.)
6-Cut down on soda (Sodas are mostly sugar and contain no nutrients or vitamins. In addition to offering no health benefits, they are a massive factor to weight gaining.)
7-Drink everything with a straw (It sounds far-fetched, but drinking any beverage, be it soda or tea, helps cut down on teeth erosion and gum disease. The sugars and artificial ingredients in many drinks degrade teeth overtime. Using a straw helps the liquid directly be ingested rather than hitting the teeth directly.)
8-Stay motivated! (The hardest part of exercising regularly is being motivated. When setting up a game plan to cut down on body fat and burn calories, imagine a goal you want to achieve in life and put the same effort into your work out that you would into achieving your dream.)
9-Spread the word! (It’s not enough to just work out for April. Plan ahead and spread the importance of exercise and use real statistics saying “it's healthy” is not enough. The more people who are made aware of the issue, the higher the chance it can be addressed.)
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