The Tragedy that Faces Us
There’s a Killer at Large…
I saw this movie trailer on Alwyn Cosgrove’s blog and thought I’d share.
We (as a society) have to make a change. And we need to help others make a change.
I would love to hear your comments below.
Yours in health and fitness,
Dr Clay
7 Responses to “The Tragedy that Faces Us”
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July 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
This absolutely hits the nail on the head. Watching it made my heart race, and made me angry with concern, because this is true for most of the people I know, and almost all others I see every day, everywhere. Personally I’m disgusted with paying increasingly higher health insurance premiums that I know is largely due to the rising costs of health care directly related to obesity. Although obesity appears to be the #1 killer, it is also almost always without fail PREVENTABLE and there is NO EXCUSE for this to happen.
I know personally that you cannot jam proper nutrition and exercise down someone’s throat, no matter what condition they are in, even if their doctors have told them they need to make these changes or else die too early. What these people don’t understand is that they are placing the burden of what will happen to them physically, due to their poor health, on their families who have to care for them after heart attacks, strokes, and many other surgeries that are performed as a direct result of diseases developed by poor diet and lack of activity. In my opinion, this is nothing more than a slower means of suidice. These people are literally eating themselves to death.
Everyone always has an “excuse” why they cannot lose weight, why they can’t eat properly, why they cannot exercise. People still believe that ther is a “magic pill” out there somewhere that will just make it happen with no effort on their own. In a roundabout way they are getting this, because as each new disease symptom appears their doctors just write a new prescription to help alleviate the effects of this disease….hardly any doctor, or patient, seems to be truly interested in addressing the actual cause.
As I recently discussed with Dr. Clay and one of his associates recently, a common excuse I hear is “I can’t afford to eat healthy” and “I can’t afford a gym membership or personal trainer.” And my response is “what price do you place on your health?”
What’s happening makes me sick, but it is just another manifestion of the lifestyle of folks in the U.S. — instant gratification. It’s too easy to go out to eat, go to the drive-through, have pizza delivered, and eat microwaveable frozen dinners. Almost all foods from these sources are loaced with fat, sodium and crap carbohydrates and have minimal true nutrient value…they are simply convenience foods. Or should I say suicide foods. We are “too busy” to purchase and cook fresh, nutrition foods, “too busy” to exercise even moderately through a brisk walk in our neighborhood, have too many “health concerns” that prevent us from even trying to implement a healthy lifestyle plan. Bull****! What they have is a total lack of willpower and lack of respect for themselves, their families, friends, and anyone who has to deal with them and their health problems, and they seem to have blinders on that prevent them from understand the dire circumstances our population is in.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 pm
But how do you REALLY feel about it? (kidding, of course.)
I think you just slapped a few people right upside their head, and probably rightfully so. All too often we sugar-coat what it takes to succeed in order to not ruffle any feathers.
To this point in my career I’ve tended to be very passive and tend to baby people a bit more than maybe I should.
The older I get the more I feel like what you just said. (Works better that you said it not me:)
I can empathize with periodically not having will power in certain areas. For example, I don’t like paperwork. But I can make excuses and give reasons till hell freezes over, and my bills ain’t gonna get paid till I sit my as* down and write the damn checks!
So regarding my disdain for tedious, boring, waste-of-my-time paperwork, I don’t need to be coddled or empathised with, I need to be kicked in the balls! Then maybe I’ll do it!
My fear is that the “kick in the balls” that many people need regarding their nutrition and (lack of) exercise, may come too late.
If you need help with your diet and exercise plan, GET SOME! There are quite a few people (like myself) who consult with people for a living.
Meanwhile, eat foods that God put here on this earth (natural foods) and break a sweat at least once per day. You’ll be on your way.
Yours in health,
Dr Clay
PS Anyone else care to chime in?
July 30th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Great video! Very impressing and indeed scary sometimes.
It’s kind of hard 2 imagine the actual scale of the issue though. I mean, considering the fact that the worldwide elucidation of it is much poorer than it should b.
I’m from South-Eastern Europe myself and young people in my homecountry are obsessed with dieting, but even though i’ve never been 2 States i get the distinct impression that what we’re fighting with here is hardly an obesity, comparing 2 what teenagers (and ppl overall) in US deal with. For instance, i’m 166 cm high and i weigh around 58 kg - that is considered quite a lot in my country and it’s normal 2 start dieting if u have such dimensions. Moreover, i moved 2 a different country about 8 months ago and the standards here are even stricter - comparing 2 the average girls my age (23), i am at least 4-5 kg “bigger” than them - and it’s not only about body or bone type.
I repeat, i’m not exactly sure of how much the problem is discussed in US and how many actual changes (on the govermental level) are being made, so i’m not the one 2 judge here.. But still, something tells me that even if something is being done - it’s much less than enough.
July 30th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Nika, having been in the US all my life, I can agree that not enough is being done here to educate people on the ill effects of obesity, and how to eat properly and exercise to combat obesity.
However, I do not claim to know what the answer would be as to how to educate and/or motivate people (the masses). I try to do my little part, but that’s all I know to do. Although I am trying to reach more and more people by using tools such as this website.
Your dimensions (a bit under 5′6″ and 128lbs for those in the US) are very healthy. I would suspect that where you live, dieting (and the slimmer dimensions that come with it) are largely out of vanity as opposed to health. In other words, being slim is simply in style.
Personally, I think that whatever motivates people to get and stay in shape (assuming it’s healthy) is a good thing. Most of the people I work with one-on-one come to me because they want to look better. But guess what? They end up healthier, too!
So while I don’t think people like you (who are a healthy size and weight) should lose weight just to fit in, I do think that we should all try our very best to eat and exercise in such a manner as to live a long, healthy, productive life.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Nika. And please tell your friends in Europe about http://www.DrClay.com
Yours in health,
Dr Clay
July 30th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I sure will! I think u’re doing a very honorable thing trying 2 draw ppl’s attention 2 ways of improving their lifestyles.
I am personally very grateful to You, cause i’ve found a lot of very helpful information on this site, and i’m sure very many people have as well.
Thank you ever so much for Your passion and keep it up, cause You really are making a difference.
(I’m writing it here, cause i couldn’t find a special place for it.. As in some “Feedback” space - You should make some, i’m sure a lot of ppl have something 2 say and it’s frustrating 2 not be able 2 express one’s gratitude =))
August 7th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Makes me sick. Those that are willing to find the internal drive to make a change in their own life…I have great respect for. I’m not gonna feel sorry for the obese that continue to do it to themselves. It’s called having some self-pride, self-respect….or wanting to live beyond your 40’s and 50’s.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
This video isn’t very shocking for those of us who have been around the fitness industry for much time at all. I have noticed in the past decades how things change to make being obese OK. How the standards in body fat percentage has risen to accommodate the fact that “normal” now was obese several years ago.
It also pisses me off that the economics of our societies desire to be thin has sparked so many myths, gadgets, pills, and anything else that someone can sell creating more discouragement, depression and subsequently often times more eating for comfort. Too often when training clients I find they know more about their gas mileage then their own physical energy needs and expenditures or even what kind of “fuel” they should ingest.
They’ve tried all kinds of diets and exercises with little or no results only to feel like giving up. I thinks its time to get rid of remotes, garage door openers get back to simplicity in training and nutrition.
Dave Smith CES