Obesity…..challenging the next generation

Obesity…. challenging the next generation to be healthier.  Why am I saying that? Have you heard?  “This generation will be the first generation to outlive the next“. Not much impact until you really think about it.  It doesn’t sound right that we will outlive our children, does it? But that is exactly where we are heading.

Life today, is fast paced.  The convenience of fast food has not just become a convenience, it’s become a lifestyle.  A dangerous lifestyle, because fast food is usually processed food.  Processed, to the extent that we are eating calories, with very little good nutrition.  So our bodies ask for more….. Because it’s not getting the NUTRITION it needs, so we eat some more and still don’t feel satisfied and so it goes…. Until obesity strikes!

What impact will it have when we outlive our children?  We don’t have to look very far.  The continent I grew up on, majestic Africa, generally seen by the world as ‘Third World’, is already experiencing the ‘book end generations’ effect.  The African continent is vast.  We can fit most continents into it.  Africa has first hand experience of this generation outliving the next, because HIV/ Aids is wiping out the middle generation.  Obesity can do that too.

What impact does this lost generation have on our communities? We have grandparents looking after grandchildren.  Across the world, many grandparents do and usually they have a choice.  In Africa, with the lost middle generation, grandparents are also looking after their grandchildren.  They have no choice.  They have to.  Love is never a problem, but sometimes the reality of physical ability is not so forthcoming.  So why are we not doing more to stop a preventable, reversible, curable ‘epidemic of obesity‘ that could significantly impact on the next generation?

When I think of ‘now’, I see myself as healthy and when I think of death now, I think of it from a healthy state of mind.  Aren’t you doing the same thing? Unless we have trouble with our health now, we don’t really have another perspective to look from do we? But think about it.  If we change now, aren’t we slowly changing the course of the future? Our generation is probably the first generation in history, who has so much on our plate ….Financial crisis, health crisis (obesity), Aids…..all at the same time.

When is the best time to make the change?  Louise L Hay says – ‘The point of power is in the present moment’. Make a decision now, not tomorrow, not next week.  Now.  Create the thought and make the decision to look after yourself as best you can.  Let’s teach our children what ‘healthy’ really means. One step at a time.  We can stop the ticking time bomb of obesity.  We just need to be willing to try.

Will the first generation have no option but to look after the third generation?

We have the ability to change the course of our future, by creating a healthy generation and rewind the obesity clock or at least to slow it down.  Neil Armstrong said: ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’.  This is true for us right here, right now, with both our feet securely planted on Mother Earth.  Just imagine the impact if we gave ‘just one small step’ to change the direction of obesity.  The cumulative effect could be interesting.

I’ve made my decision.  What’s yours? Let me know at eldredenmichelle@gmail.com and see how we can work together to create a happy, healthy future.

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Tags: childhood obesity, obesity, obesity in children, prevent obesity, prevent obesity in children