Obesity is on the climb and our daily living is feeding the machine. Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Medicine and Public Health found, “participants spent 54.9% of their monitored time, or 7.7 hours/day, in sedentary behaviors. [sic]” (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2007) and a majority of states having an increased obesity “prevalence equal to or greater than 25%” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008).
As I see teenagers flow in and out of my store, purchasing candy bars, bags of chips that are technically considered four servings in just one bag, I miss the good ‘ole days when I too could eat practically everything and anything I wanted and not worry about the consequences. With age, comes the knowledge that my metabolism is slowing and yes that 300 calories of chips will affect my weight.
Tonight, after reading an article founded on Vanderbilt’s study, I began thinking about my life and weight in my life. My freshman year in college I did gain the traditional five pounds, but at the end of that first year I began my very Vegas job of stripping. During my time as a “dancer” I dropped from a size eight to the smallest size I have ever been in my life – a size four. Each night after work, my then boyfriend (Steve) and I would drive to Wendy’s and then I would eat a massive amount of food – a burger, chili, fries, and a chocolate Frostie; yet, I remained slim and lean. I tried very hard to remember how I had accomplished this, and then it hit me – I worked out for almost six hours every day that I “danced” at the clubs.
If the trends are that obesity is on the rise and that people are spending (around) seven hours in sedentary behaviors, then obviously our lifestyles are really hurting us. In the docucomedy, Supersize Me, Morgan Spurlock explains that he walks five miles a day, but for his study into McDonald’s he begins to use taxis instead of walking. The effect of fast food and no exercise became potentially lethal within 23 days into his study.
For a working mom/student – how does one really impact their daily living so that they are not sitting on their rear for seven hours? It adds up really quickly. For example, I have a date with a friend tomorrow to watch Emily Rose together – there’s two hours of sitting right there. Not to mention school work, coloring with the kids, reading with the kids, reading for just me, knitting, and on and on it goes.
Near the end of each shift, I attempt to run for twenty minutes around the store parking lot. Tonight, I introduced kettle bells as I waited for customers to finish pumping their gas. As time progresses, I’ll be posting ideas from my store about how to get moving and stay moving. Of course, 85% of weight loss is the diet, but we still need to exercise. I want my children to see a mobile, active mother. I want to pass down to them a love of being fit, being healthy – and honoring the temple that is their body. As a Christian, I realize that my body belongs to God and houses the Holy Spirit and as such, I need to take care of it. The Doctrine and Covenants gives excellent directions on how to take care of this precious gift from God – moderation.
I have a hard time with moderation – I swing from one extreme to the other at times; furiously working out to not at all. Obviously I know that I cannot work out for 6-8 hours a day anymore, but I can get myself moving and keep myself moving. At the end of my shift, I had over thirty minutes to wait for the next cashier. So I started walking around the store, checking on inventory, wiping down counters, but even when finished I kept walking.
This relates a lot with our personal walks with God. We may stand still for lengthy amounts of time, but we can always dive back in and start actively walking with Him again.
