How did we get here and where are we are going?
We have been thinking, over the past few months, about the direction of The ZONE. Initially, we were asked to author a weekly blog to address the various challenges of the Pandemic. With the recent change in the pandemic landscape and the subtle releasing of restrictions, we believe the need to address challenges that are ever present will now become the focus of our weekly blog.
One change that has been subtle and gone almost unnoticed is the increasing weight and decreasing health of Americans. Here are some current statistics.
Approximately 65% of Americans, 18 years of age and older, are either overweight or obese.
About 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (16.1%) are overweight.3
Almost 1 in 5 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (19.3%) have obesity.3
About 1 in 16 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 (6.1%) have severe obesity.
Additionally, ~35% of adolescents have pre-diabetes Health consumption expenditures per capita, in U.S. dollars in 2020 or nearest year is $11,945.00.
Probably one of the most startling statistics, according to the Department of Defense is that 31% of young adults ages 17-24, can not enlist in the military because they are too heavy.
This is a paradox and raises the question; how can this be? How can Americans be spending so much money on health care and continue to gain weight and become sicker? How did we reach the point of being so overweight/obese and sick? And how did we get to the point when our military leaders question how are we going to continue to meet the obligations of protecting our freedoms?
Obviously, there are no quick and easy answers, because if there were, the United States would not be in this position. Over the next few weeks, we will explore the latest research and report our findings on initiatives and recommendations to help all of us tackle this obstacle to our health. We welcome your thoughts and insights on the dilemma and together we can seek to expand our awareness of how we got here and where we need to go.
Key Takeaways
As we wake-up from the Pandemic we are realizing that our overall health has deteriorated.
Bigger is not necessarily better.
This is a national dilemma
Best Practices
Begin to assess and be aware of your overall health status…physical, psychological and spiritual.
Become aware of your personal defense mechanism to better health
Begin to welcome new ideas about personal health.
Things to Limit
Blaming and Shaming.
Finger Pointing.
Keeping our heads in the sand.
Quote of the Week “Changing directions in life is not tragic. Losing passion in life is.”
~Max Lucado“
In summary, it is our continuing promise to offer this blog dedicated to assist everyone in maximizing our potential and meeting the challenges that occur in all of our lives
Be well,
The paraDocs
Check our Welcome Greeting on YouTube
The paraDocs are Dr. Francis L. Battisti, PhD, Psychotherapist, Distinguished Psychology Professor and former Executive V.P and Chief Academic Officer and Dr. Helen E. Battisti PhD, RDN, CDN, Chief Nutrition Officer, at SpNOD, Health Promotion Specialist, Research and Clinical Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and former Assistant Professor.
We have developed "The ZONE", because that is exactly where you want to be during this pandemic. A place of focused attention to doing exactly what needs to be done to get you to where you need to be. The purpose of The Zone is to provide a nationally distributed weekly mental-health and nutrition tip-sheet during times of change.
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