People are continually trying to exercise more and eat diets that are conducive to good health. The problem of childhood and adolescent obesity continues to be a major focus of concern for health care professionals in North America. This article describes the necessary tools to make lifestyle changes with the potential to reverse this troublesome trend.
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The problems associated with obesity and chronic degenerative diseases, such as heart disease, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and type 2 diabetes, are now reaching epidemic proportions. The prevalence of obesity, where an individual has a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30, is increasing worldwide. Currently, there are approximately 300 million obese individuals around the world.More alarmingly, in the United States, approximately 30% of all adults are categorized as obese. Despite this prevalence being somewhat lower in Canada, the rate has increased significantly there during recent years as well. In 2003, Bouchard reported that obesity costs the unregulated U.S. health care system approximately $100 billion annually. Therefore, it is time to take a serious look at how to reverse this troublesome trend.
In 2000, data collected by the U.S. Department of Health revealed that nearly 30% of the population is physically inactive. It is interesting to note how this percentage corresponds exactly with the percentage of individuals who are considered to be obese. Also, an additional 40 to 50% of the U.S. population does not engage in the necessary amount of physical activity to achieve health benefits. Through a process known as tracking, these statistics are reported to have remained relatively consistent for the past 10 years or so. This is unfortunate given that frequent physical activity has been shown to benefit every system of the human body. For example, exercise physiologists have documented several important changes in the body that accompany participation in an ongoing exercise program. These include a decreased chance of heart disease and stroke, an increase in good (HDL) cholesterol, a decrease in bad (LDL) cholesterol, a lowered risk of osteoporosis (i.e., brittle bones), a decreased percentage of body fat, an increased lean muscle mass, lower blood pressure, and an improved immune system. In addition, in 1998, Leith reported that regular participation in physical activity has been found to be associated with several psychological benefits such as lowered anxiety, lowered depression, improved self-concept, and beter overall mood.
In 1996, Manley, the former U.S. surgeon general, made the following observation. RIFT Platinum Because physical activity is so effective in preventing diseases, preventing premature death, and promoting a high quality of life, it should be accorded the same level of attention that is given to other important health practices that affect the nation. This assertion suggests that there is absolutely no doubt that physical activity can be described as efficacious in the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions, including obesity. However, despite this and extant research highlighting the benefits of physical activity and a healthy diet, people remain inactive and eat poorly. Therefore, it is important to consider the ‘‘why’’ of this phenomenon. The next section summarizes contemporary motivational theories relating to these topics and examines their relevance for influencing the health behaviors of diet and exercise.
The term ‘‘motivation’’ is actually a derivative of the Latin word movere, meaning ‘‘to move.’’ It is the psychological termused to explain why people do, or do not do, certain things. RIFT Platinum For example, why do some individuals exercise regularly and eat healthy diets, whereas others choose the options of inactivity and eating junk foods? This is not an easy question to answer, but the bottom line is that people’s underlying motivation can be understood by looking at three characteristics of behavior. First, people’s selection of certain activities over others indicates something about their motivation. To paraphrase, what is it that is important to people personally? Their answers to that question will indicate their likelihood or reluctance to engage in a specific behavior. Second,rift gold the effort that people put into any activity also reveals their underlying motivation. In other words, the more effort people put into any behavior, the more motivated they are to accomplish that goal. The harder people work toward accomplishing a task, the more they want it. Finally, the degree of persistence that people demonstrate in their pursuit of a goal also reveals their level of motivation. If they refuse to give up and really want it but still give up easily, they did not want it enough in the first place. Therefore, it is important that each and every individual is aware of these three benchmarks of motivational theory.
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