Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems (according to Wiki). The measurement of obesity is primarily BMI – Body Mass Index. The formula for determining BMI is divide a person’s weight by the height squared. This is just a guide as it does not always work well in determining excess body fat if the person is primarily muscle. Just like all of the information put out to the general public is a guide made to be easy and simple.
BMI Categories:
• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
A report recently published* revealed is America’s BMI is going up. Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia (D.C.). Other information reported:
■ 33 States have adult obesity rates above 25%
■ No state had an obesity rate above 20% in 1991
■ Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity at 19.1% of its population being obese
■ The number of adults who report they do not engage in any physical activity rose in 12 states in the past year
■ The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight —
Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
■ Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South
■ Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of hypertension are in the South
■ California’s percentage of obese is 24.4
One way to change these numbers is to eat better . . . I really believe that most of us could eat better . . . and move more. Most of us could move more too. Find something you love to do because odds are if you love it you will stick with it. This is not about looking good it is about reducing a condition that leads to a reduction in life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Feeling good is an added benefit.
Regardless of where you fall on this type of scale, what can you do to eat better? Share here. Tell me what you are going to do in order to improve your diet. What about movement? What type of movement do you love? What can you add to your day? Let me know.
*F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
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