Teenage Weight Issues Continue

It is easy to hear about obesity and Americans being over-weight, but it’s not just hype like many skeptics believe. Today,  approximately 34% of the population is obese and 37% is over-weight. This statistic is greatly higher than that of a few decades ago.  So, what is to blame for all the extra weight that American teens have been putting on? What is the culprit?


Over the last 100 years American’s have not always eaten healthy foods. When the economy was good or bad, people would eat foods that were high in fat, sodium, and sugar-similarly to the diet of many American teens today. What was different then, you might ask. The answer is physical activity. Physical labor was a huge part of the daily lives of our grandparents and even our parents when they were in their adolescent years. There were many farms, jobs, and household chores that were more strenuous than they are today. Farm equipment, machines and even household appliances were not as common in every household which required that more strenuous methods were used to complete similar tasks.

It is important in today’s society to continue to be physically active in order to maintain a healthy body. The Center for Disease Control states that in order to maintain a healthy body children and teenagers need an hour of physical activity/day. However, this does not mean that it has to be all at one time. Doing smaller tasks throughout the day also count as physical activity; not exercise.

To be more active in their lives’ teens need to find fun and easy ways to become more active: walk to school, ride a bike, play a sport, etc. The most important thing is to start developing healthy behaviors now that they can maintain throughout their lives. Getting active is easier when smaller more realistic goals are made or when behaviors are supported by peers. So find a friend that has the same interest and get active!

References:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2010) retrieved from:
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/children.html