Open post

Arizona Obesity

It has been no surprise to anyone that obesity rates all across the United States have increased over the past several years.  We will examine Arizona specifically with regards to obesity and diabetes rates.  From 1990 to 2017 adult obesity rates have increased from 10.6% all the way up to 29.5%.  This trend, although not quite as dramatic also holds true for younger groups in Arizona.

Obesity Health Issues

Obesity is defined as a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the point where  it is having a negative effect on the overall health of the patient.  While not the end all be all, a person is considered obese when they have a BMI greater than 30 kg/m.  Obesity is linked with several health conditions ranging from the Cardiology like coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.  It isn’t just the cardiovascular systems at risk the following systems are also at risk Endocrinology and Reproductive medicine, Neurology, Psychiatry, Rheumatology and Orthopedics, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Oncology, Respiratory, Urology and Nephrology.

All of these systems are extremely important and obesity is a huge negative factor for ensuring that your body is able to stave off these nasty ailments ranging from diabetes, depression, cancer, gout, poor mobility, stretch marks, leukemia, kidney issues, etc.  Being obese is one of, if not the worst, way to treat your body when it comes to your overall health.

Managing your diet

The main factor in managing obesity comes from diet and exercise, though mostly diet.  If you feel like you are beginning to gain wait or are already overweight you should consult your doctor to come up with a plan to reduce your caloric intake and get down to a healthier weight.  In addition to managing your diet you should also consider whether or not your live a sedentary lifestyle.  Most of us with office jobs qualify as working and living sedentary lifestyles.  This needs to be taken into account when determining your caloric intake for each day as someone that lays bricks all day is going to consume a lot more calories than someone that sits at a desk all day.  The most important part of getting your health problems under control is going to be to get your diet and weight under control first then adding exercise where available and where you are able to as to not risk any injury to yourself.  Remember that if you are carrying an extra 50lbs or 100lbs you aren’t going to be able to run or jump as if you are in peak shape.   You will have to work your way there and slowly build yourself up to that point.

The author of this post also writes for Portfolio Recovery Associates and other news outlets.

Scroll to top