by Blake Edington

Created on: March 02, 2010

Curing America of its obesity problem has been at the forefront of health issues for several years now. What is the problem in America? Is it eating habits, activity levels, or hereditary? I believe the most important factor in today's generation is activity levels. In general children play video games at a much higher rate than even 10 years ago. Parents work more hours and home life has become more complicated. The simple life with kids staying active, playing outside, and participating in sports has dwindled. Online applications such as facebook and instant messaging have really taken off in the last few years and interfered with physical activity. Food hasn't changed that significantly over the past several years, in fact many of the items sold now are low fat, no fat, or sugar free. It is the easiest it has been to grocery shop for healthy items.

Along with the grocery stores becoming healthier so have fast food restaurants. Many of the fatty oils have been banned. Food labels show calories for each item now; menus have healthy choice items listed. Applebee’s has come out with a 550 and lower calorie menu list within their chain. What the evidence is showing is that food is constantly getting better. It would be very hard to blame this on genetics or a thyroid problem also. What the focus should be on is the activity levels of the entire family.

Families are far less active. Interest in physical activity doesn't exist anymore. It is easy to see with the lifestyle changes that have been made over the past 10 years. As mentioned earlier, families don't make as much time to be together and with video games as the first choice of fun for children. It was common in the past to be outside for hours at a time playing sports and games with friends. Parents play a big role in the health of their children. Chances are if a child is overweight their parents most likely will be too.

If families would focus on staying active and spending more time outdoors obesity would be a lot less frequent issue. Every 3500 calories burned over intake is a pound of weight loss. What are some solutions to the stagnant family life? Plan a weekend camping trip, canoeing, hiking, bike riding, and many other activities can be incorporated into the weekly routine to add enjoyment and calorie burning. Diet is important, but without more activity it just isn't likely someone who is overweight even with a proper diet will lose significant weight to become healthy. The number one focus should be on increased activity levels. Exercise is always a great way to burn calories too. It is up to the American family to put in the time to become more active so we can reverse the obesity rates in our culture.

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