This Washington Post article examines how the American economy depends on the industries that have made two-thirds of the population overweight.
Dependent on Junk Food and Fat Cures
Changes in technology and labor practices have led to a vast array of industries feeding cheap, high-calorie food to a population that gets little exercise.
Another set of related industries has emerged to deal with the inevitable effects. Revenue from these "obesity industries" will be more than $315 billion in 2006, including $133 billion for fast-food, $124 billion for obesity-related medical treatments, and almost $2 billion for diet books.
The result is an economy that partly depends on "selling junk food and ... selling fat cures," according to one researcher. These industries have a vested financial interest in keeping the population overweight.
Long-Term Costs
However, an obese population also comes with long-term economic costs. Each overweight person requires $10,000 of extra medical care over a lifetime, which could eventually bankrupt the health insurance industry. The financial burden of obesity will likely fall on American corporations and taxpayers.
Over 15 percent of the people reading this do not live in the United States, but I'm embarrassed to report the following figures. Did you know, in 2004, Americans spent:
These numbers are literally screaming at us that we need a radical revolution in our thought, perspectives and actions if we are to have any hope of achieving optimal health and enjoying the fruits of our labor.
Keeping those numbers in mind will help underscore the big-picture problem many of you encounter on the way toward losing weight and optimizing your health: America's economy is partly built on keeping you fat!
"Better" employment opportunities -- arguably high paying, high stress, high responsibility but less taxing (physically) jobs -- combined with "improved" food technology -- think the blight of fast food -- may have been the "biggie" combo that has ignited the world-wide obesity epidemic.
Another sector of the economy that has expanded along with the waistlines of Americans: The coffin business, with one Indiana company building them up to 52 inches wide!
Just know, you don't have to trade your health for a better job, if you're willing to make some simple lifestyle changes.
The Right Dose of Exercise
Most people, especially physicians, don't tend to appreciate how powerful exercise really is. You must keep in mind that exercise is in many ways similar to a drug -- if you don't use it in the right dosage, it will not work. Many thousands of people have told me they thought they were exercising enough, but they were actually under-dosed.
I urge you to review my exercise guidelines that can help you get started on the right track. I've devoted many pages on my Web site to the wonderful benefits exercise will do for your health. If you need some direction to get started, take a look at my beginner's exercise page, which includes links to other pages and a free table you can download to keep track of your progress.
The Right Kinds of Food
Aside from keeping active, another important factor in helping you achieve good health and maintain a healthy weight is to have a diet based on eating the right foods for your specific genetic and biochemistry. One of the ways you can determine this is through nutritional typing.
Discovering your nutritional type is simple: You can take my free online test or you can read my book, the Total Health Program, for a more in-depth understanding.
Emotional Health
For most individuals the emotional element is also a major factor contributing to impairments in the ability to lose weight and to maintain that loss. There are various approaches for dealing with these challenges, but the one I most highly recommend, and have found to be most highly successful, is the psychological energy tool Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
You can view the free EFT report and learn how to overcome your food cravings and get on the path to better health.
Making these simple changes will not only improve your health and well-being, but also, in the long term, the economy and your personal finances.