Obesity... and why I am grateful for it.

A recent discussion forum for a class allowed me to touch on a cause that is near and dear to my heart: health. It's short and more-or-less slapped together, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to share it here anyway.

Obesity cannot and should not be "cured" in the same manner in which we go about "curing" everything else. (Since when was taking tolerable doses of harmful chemicals for the sake of exchanging one symptom for twenty additional ones the definition of "curing", anyway?) Obesity is a lifestyle issue---a concept we have difficulty understanding in a society that is content to numb symptoms and ignore causes.

Americans are used to instantaneous gratification, an expectation that bleeds into every area of our lives---even our health. Of course, we don't look at it that way, but think about it. Got anxiety? Pop a pill. Your child has "ADHD"? Pop HIM a pill. Because this "solution" is more appealing to patients and more profitable for pharmacies, we're content to turn a blind eye. We forget that anxiety is our body's way of asking us to slow down, and can be cured with regular exercise, adequate sleep, and adding a little margin to our daily lives. Furthermore, ADHD is a 21st-century problem resulting from 21st-century causes; swap the soda for some carrots, and after a while you'll begin to notice a difference in a child's behavior.

But we move too fast to form priorities or engage common-sense. Surely she's talking crazy; carrots and sleep aren't in vending machines! 

This is primarily why we are obese.

We fear and resent the very prospect of being overweight, when in all reality we should be grateful that our bodies are such amazing and capable machines which do almost everything for a reason. Obesity isn't a nuisance; it's a warning. And it's rampant in our country because we've forsaken the importance of our health. 

For the sake of my fellow Americans, I am thankful that there is still a symptom that refuses to be silenced.

(I don't write this as a genetically-blessed skinny chick shaking the finger at overweight people, but as someone who once came very close to pushing 200lbs. If you struggle with your weight, I encourage you to check out rebootwithjoe.com.)