Fighting the Obesity Epidemic
The Klutzy Athlete is out being her Klutzy self and rerunning a blog today. Will be back soon with more nutrition and exercise.
We have an obesity epidemic on our hands, and no one seems to know how to stop it. If you have a loved one who is obese, you’ve probably tried anything and everything to get them to lose weight. Guilt, shame, bribery, badgering, coercion, but nothing works, does it? So what do you do?
Having recently lost someone I loved to complications from obesity, I want to take on the obesity and knock it into outer space. It’s time we all start fighting. All out cage fighting. No more children without parents. No more wives without husbands. No more parents burying children. No more. We stop this now.
But we’re losing the battle against obesity
We’re exercising less. Diets aren’t working. Surgery is a temporary solution at best, so what do we do?
I don’t have answers, but I’m searching for the solution that motivates everyone to reach a healthy weight and maintain it. It won’t be easy. In fact, I’m certain it will be darned hard, but it can be done. It must be done.
Weight loss alone is not enough. Exercise has to go hand‐in‐hand. I’m talking exercise that works the heart and keeps the muscles in shape. Exercise that takes you out into the wonderful outdoors to breathe in fresh air, and soak in the sights and sounds around you. Exercise that not only works the body, but rejuvenates the mind.
I think we’ve been trying to find a one-size-fits-all-solution to weight loss, but that isn’t possible. We are individuals—unique, special. We have different triggers, different issues with food, so my goal is to learn what our triggers are and look for solutions.
While I search for answers, I want to toss out a challenge—let’s start exercising. Start small and build up. If all you can do is walk across the room, start there. If you can walk the length of your yard, do it. If you can walk around the block, do it!
But what if you can’t get motivated to even start? Fear and embarrassment are holding your back? Then check out this blog post Gathering the Courage to Exercise by Diane Carbonell. She lost over 150 pounds and has kept it off for 16 years!
Next, I’m going to ask those of us who are motivated to exercise and eat right to be your support and encouragement. We’ll do double time—extra sit ups, run an extra mile, swim an extra lap, hike another incline in honor of you. We’ll be your helping hand until you can take the torch and do it yourself.
It will be a double win. We’ll get more exercise and help motivate you. As Rachel Platten’s Fight Song says, “like a small boat in the ocean, sending big waves into motion, how a single word can make a heart open.” That’s what I’m going to do. With a single word, make a heart open and change one life at a time. And that word is LOVE. I’m sharing my love for you and my love of eating right and exercising with you. When you’re ready, join me, and until that time, keep following me for my support and love to get you to that point.
How can we fail with love at the helm? Love is a powerful thing. It moves mountains, opens hearts, makes miracles happen. Let’s make a miracle one pound at a time and make sure our loved ones are here for a long, healthy life. Share your struggles and together we will find solutions.