A recent report shows that yearly deaths from illnesses related to obesity have increased dramatically in the last 10 years, from 300,000 per year to 400,000. When this many people were dying of smoking-related illnesses, much attention was placed on ways to prevent or quit smoking. Some approaches were helpful, some not, but overall much progress has been made on that topic.
Overeating and dieting/exercising, on the other hand, are behaviors that are apparently harder to control. After all, you either smoke or you don't, but when it comes to eating, we all have to do some of that...And exercise, well, we all have our excuses (read the post on motivation!!).
Meanwhile, Shape magazine reports study results from a Medical University of South Carolna in Charleston experiment, where volunteers were aked to practice stress-reduction techniques for 20 minutes a day. After a week, they not only had lower stress hormone levels, but they also "showed changes in their eating patterns in a more normal direction".
So what is it? Why would we be more stressed as a nation in the last 10 years? Are you more stressed than you were 10 years ago? Have you gained weight? How do you explain it?
(Tomorrow on The Wellness Year Program, we discuss ways to make exercise work harder for weight loss. Stay tuned!!)
Comments