Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy, while increasing health problems on a grand scale. More than half of adults in the United States are obese or overweight. Obesity is defined by ones body mass index, or BMI. A measurement that compares someones height to their weight, is how we can accurately determine whether or not someone is obese. If someone has a BMI of over 25kg/m^2, they are considered to be overweight*. One reaches obese status if their BMI is greater than 30kg/m^2*.

Before asking yourself whether or not you are overweight or obese, first ask yourself questions regarding your exercise and eating habits. How many miles do you walk every week? Do you run? What kind of food do you fill your body with? Your cardiovascular system must remain in good heath if you want to be fit and in shape. It is amazing that we as a society chose to ignore what many health experts believe to be the biggest ongoing problem and threat facing our country today; bigger than terrorism, global warming, and the economy. It seems like no matter which direction you turn, there are far more out of shape and overweight people than there should be. What in the world is going on? Why are we all so fat?

One of the many problems with obesity is that we can’t pinpoint one thing that we can put our finger on and label the root cause for those who are overweight. Factors contributing to people becoming overweight include and are not limited to environmental, cultural, behavioral, social and economic variables.

How can we lose weight and get healthy? Well, how do we live our daily lives? What is your daily routine. Do you get the right amount of regular physical activity? Are you a smoker? Is your mental health limiting what you can accomplish in the gym or through home exercise? What is the quality of your environment? Have you had an injury that prevents you from taking the necessary steps to remain physically fit and healthy? If you were to get hurt while exercising, do you have access to health care? In order to understand how to win the war against obesity, we must realize how we got to the point we are at today.

*Obesity facts provided by “Obesity: guidance on the prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children” (pdf). National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE). National Health Services (NHS). 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2009.