According to an Archives of Internal Medicine study in 2008, 2 of 3 obese individuals don’t believe they are overweight, which means their wellbeing is at stake as they’re not taking the steps they need to for weight loss and better health. Half of obese people think they’re healthier than most people their age and are happier about their wellness than those who had an accurate perception of weight.
This means that the ‘healthy at any size’ movement may have reached an extreme, as most of the population is ignorant to the health risks that excessive weight gain can bring, but how do you know if you’re eating too much? Stress, busy lifestyles, and long work hours have become excuses for people to overeat, as well as a culture that says ‘if it feels good, it’s okay’.
If you’re not hungry but you still eat, have second helpings or eat between meals whilst doing other things, driving, standing, at your desk or before bed, you may be overeating. Likewise, if you eat fast food or eat out often, feel full or tired after eating, skip breakfast or wait more than 5 hours to eat. You’re also at risk of overeating on special occasions or during the holidays.
So that’s food but what about activity? Are you moving enough? At work and at home, people are spending more time sitting than ever, thanks to technology. Every little helps, and health promoters are grasping for any hope of getting people more active by advising clients to push the vacuum with enthusiasm or take the stairs instead of the lift, but implying that just these feeble attempts at physical activity will have significant impact on health is actually a big disservice.
If you don’t walk for at least 30 minutes (or equivalent) every day, can’t walk a mile in 14 minutes, and drive everywhere, chances are you don’t move enough. The same is true if you are winded after 2 flights of stairs, or take the lift for less than 4 flights of stairs, and if you spend 2 hours in front of a screen, or 2 hours commuting. Inactivity can be a vicious cycle, where the less you move, the less you want to move. You need to make big changes to your exercise and your diet if you want to see big results.
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