The American Epidemic

I normally don't like to work from suggestions given to the whole class just because I'm stubborn and like to think of things on my own, but being an exercise science major, the obesity in America topic is of major interest to me.

Obesity in this country is an epidemic. Everyone I'm sure knows, or can at least figure out just by driving through Bangor (or even little Orono), that we live in a fast world - this includes food. Everyone has to eat, and eating quickly and conveniently is practically a must for most everyone. These time constraints and the high demanding, fast-paced environment we live in today have created another world in itself - the Fast Food World. Fast food doesn't normally constitute healthy eating, but for millions of people, there is only enough time for a "fast food" diet. Unfortunately for a lot of people, going to the gym, or even just staying physically active is not something that falls under either category of "quick" or "convenient". A huge percentage of the population don't consider physical activity a priority at all.

Remember that calories in, calories out is the basic way to think of weight loss, so with little exposure to weight loss and with the high consumption of calories, fat and sugar from fast food and poor diet in general, there is only one way for a person's weight to go - up.

I started off with fast food because the words "obesity" and "fast food" are synonymous in my mind, but I have to keep in mind that fast food chains are not the single, red-handed culprit when it comes to placing blame for this obesity problem. It really all comes down to choices. You can either choose to buy a BigMac and frozen Blizzard for lunch or you can choose to pack a turkey sandwich, and an apple for your mid-afternoon meal, simple as that (or at least it could be).

Here is a great website:

http://www.obesityinamerica.org/