- Posted by Dr.Andrew on November 18, 2009
A study from the Annals of Internal Medicine that followed Americans for three decades suggests that over the long haul, 9 out of 10 men and 7 out of 10 women will become overweight.
While the health risks of being obese are much more severe than being overweight, the study reported that those who are overweight are much more likely to go on to become obese.The study shows Americans live in an “environment in which it’s hard not to become overweight or obese. And unless people actively work to prevent gaining weight the odds are not in their favor.Obesity raises the risk of heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and arthritis, and being overweight raises blood pressure and cholesterol, which in turn can raise the risk of heart disease.The number of deaths linked to obesity has been estimated at 365,000 deaths the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. This makes obesity the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in America.
So what does this all mean? Well it’s a matter of understanding that what we put into our bodies and how often we exercise can have a huge impact on our health. In order to avoid our destiny and avoid obesity we need to fuel our bodies with healthier options and try and exercise a little bit each day.
So of course I’ve heard all of the excuses before – “I don’t have time to exercise.” “It’s hard to find good food on the road.” I recognize that these are true for most truckers, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a responsibility to take care of your own health.
Later this week I will provide some simple solutions for keeping the weight off, until then, healthy trucking!