What do unhealthy sugars, couch-potato attitudes, and bad family examples all have in common?

     They are all leading factors to one of, literally the biggest, health conditions in the nation.

     It is not cancer, arthritis, or depression. It is by far something that most people nowadays just take as the normal. 

     Obesity is becoming sadly enough exactly that, the normal.

     Obesity affects about 60 million people in the United States, especially women.

     Over one-third of women in the U.S. between the ages of 20 and 74 are considered obese, according to www.medicalsite.com.

     Women especially in minority races struggle with weight issues. Obesity has also become more common among men.  The number of obese people in America has been steadily on the rise since the 1960’s.

     Not many people can define what obesity actually is. Being overweight means that the person has a large amount of extra weight, including muscle, bone, fat and water. Obesity is just the surplus of body fat.

     Health professionals agree that men are obese if they have more than 25 percent body fat, and women are considered obese if they have more than 30 percent body fat. Women, of course, naturally have more weight to them, so that is the reasoning behind the difference in percentages.

     It is hard to be exactly sure how much body fat a person has, but estimates can be made in many different ways.

     A less common way is to use a caliper, which is a tweezer-like tool that you can measure the thickness of skin folds to compare to standardized numbers.

     It is also very common to use a small device that sends a harmless electrical current through you to measure your body fat percentage.

     Another very common method is to use the Body Mass Index system, also known as the person’s BMI. A person with a BMI over 30 is considered to be obese, and a BMI over 40 is considered to be severely obese.

     It is important to realize, however, that these numbers can be misleading. They are not accurate for women who are pregnant and muscular individuals.

     People who are obese are putting themselves at much more risk than they may be realizing.

     This condition causes increased risks of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and different kinds of cancer. It can also be linked to mental health conditions like depression and low self-esteem.

     A number of factors contribute to obesity but it can be stopped.

     Everyone can make a better effort to be more physically active and make healthier food choices.

     It may take time, but everyone’s health is definitely worth it!