Center for Health Transformation Georgia Project

The Recession and Weight Gain

There is discussion recently on the effect of the recession on our health - Newsweek recently reported on new data released exclusively to them from Gallup-Healthways showing that in the past year, the number of Americans considered obese has jumped by 1.7 percent—or almost 5.5 million people.  There is speculation that the increased stress from the recession and the added burden of the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables are leading to weight gain.

Activity and exercise are definitely healthy ways to cope with stress.  Share your ideas on healthy ways to manage stress in a down economy.  Share your experience with summer gardens and other solutions to getting fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Make the Right Choice

On a cnn quick poll 74% of 6290 respondents identified motivation or lack of willpower as their biggest obstacle to losing weight or getting fit.  The next most frequently identified obstacle at 8% was finding a diet/fitness plan.  Only 5% of the respondents selected access to healthy food as their biggest obstacle.  It seems that for the majority of us the healthy choice is available, we just need to make it.  

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard recently related to this was from Dr. Oz, co-author of You: The Owners Manual and other health, diet and fitness books.  His advice is to make the decision at the grocery store, not your cupboard.  In other words,don't bring the unhealthy foods into your home in the first place.  Make it easy to make the right choice for you and your family.  This advice also applies to the choices in vending machines in schools and places of employment.  Lead an effort to get healthy choices where they belong!