The human body is built by nature to move, and in fact the human body has many means of rewarding exercise and punishing sedentary behavior. This is a holdover from the early hominid days, when early humans chased game animals and hunted them with spears (as opposed to tree-dwelling, fruit-eating apes). Today, no one is chasing their dinner, but the human body still “remembers” that lifestyle, and today’s sports, martial arts, and cardio take the place of game hunting. People young and old need regular exercise to stay fit, and fitness stores in one’s local area are a fine place to start. A customer might find all kinds of exercise equipment like ab wheels, jump ropes, dumbbells, medicine balls, and more at fitness stores near them. A good exercise regimen, paired with a healthy and natural diet, can work wonders to reverse today’s unfortunate trends in obesity and sedentary behavior.
Why Obese
It is well known that parts of the developed world such as the United States, Great Britain, and more are experiencing a rise in rates of overweight or obese adolescents and adults. What is causing this? A number of basic, underlying factors have been pointed out. For one, people aren’t getting the exercise that they naturally need. The American Heart Association and other groups have set some basic guidelines for exercise, and they often only call for half an hour of cardio or strength training per day. But many kids and adults today don’t even go that far. About one in three adults gets their recommended weekly exercise amount, and most fall short of their daily quotas. Kids are in a similar position, and it’s even worse for them because kids’ developing bodies and minds urgently need exercise to grow properly. Missing gross motor play can actually hamper a child’s mental development.
Instead, kids and adults spend hours per day using electronic screens such as TVs, PCs, handheld game devices, and more. Kids spend hours per day on these devices even on school days, and adults go to sedentary desk jobs then come back home and neglect exercise there, too. And this, combined with a bad diet, contributes to today’s obesity rates. Many Americans eat badly; that is, they neglect healthy and wholesome foods in favor of fast foods with a lot of added sugars and fats in them. Those ingredients are meant to make the food taste stronger, but this adds a lot of unhealthy calories that often end up as excess body fat. More people and agencies are catching on to what added sugar is doing to people’s health, and some have suggested that in a sense, it’s the new tobacco.
Getting Fit
The good news in all this is that nearly anyone can change their diet for the better, and any able-bodied American adolescent or adult can start a fine exercise program by themselves or in a group. Someone launching such an exercise program, though, is urged to consult his or her doctor first to ensure that they are doing this correctly and avoid health problems. Someone with a heart condition or recent surgery, for example, may want to ensure that they don’t strain something.
A good diet means cutting out fast food in exchange for whole and healthy food. This ranges from whole grains like wheat to fruits and vegetables, dairy, and protein like eggs, nuts, fish, and chicken. Packaged, processed foods should be avoided since they tend to have the most added sugars and fats. This diet can make weight loss easier and boost the dieter’s nutrition, not to mention open up new recipe ideas.
Getting fit at home means visiting fitness stores to find the right gear. A person may look some up, such as “fitness stores near me San Diego CA” or “fitness stores nearby Chicago” to get started. What might fitness stores have to offer? For one thing, lightweight, breathable clothing such as shorts, jerseys, under-shirts, and good athletic shoes, not to mention water bottles and sweat bands. A person may find weights for muscle training, jump ropes, medicine balls, and fitness guide DVDs for a home workout. A good DVD can show a home workout enthusiast how best to develop their muscles and increase their flexibility in due time.
