Today, I was sitting in Starbucks having a flashback of when I was in high school. Back then, I would stay up until crazy hours of the morning thinking about all the endless possibilities of life. I would imagine myself as the next Jerry Rice, Rickey Henderson or the next great artist. Yep…..making millions of dollars being a sports superstar was what occupied my mind back then. Now, I stay up thinking of ways to get people to value life and take responsibility for their health. Recently I was online, looking at photos of friends and family members and I ran across a photo that was very disheartening. I was looking at a picture of someone who is very dear to me. I knew he was battling with a weight issue and it didn’t look like he was winning.  He looked to have gained at least 40-50lbs from the time I last saw him, so I decided to reach out to him to offer my help…let’s hope he takes it.

Taking on obesity is a herculean task when you look at the statistics. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), obesity has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. The CDC reports that a third or more of the adults here in the U.S (35.7%) are obese. Then there’s about 17% or 12.5 million children and adolescents from age 2 -19 years old that are considered obese…….Wow!

Why is this important? Because with obesity comes serious diseases and sometimes death. Some of the diseases and conditions that are associated with obesity are:

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• High Blood Pressure
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep Apnea
• Gout
• Gallbladder Diseases
• Cancer of the Colon, Rectum, Prostrate, Uterus, Gallbladder, Cervix, Ovary, and Breast

These are frightening diseases and health issues that can be a detriment to your quality of life.

I, just like many of you have family and friends that are part of the obese population. I don’t know about you, but  I don’t want to have to go to a funeral because someone didn’t take control of the food they put in their mouth and were too “unmotivated, busy or tired” to do at least 30 – 60 minutes of exercise four times a week. There are 7 days in a week…24 hours in a day…168 hours in a week. Looking at it from that perspective, is it really too much to ask yourself to use 2-4 hours of your 168 hour week, to help save your life?

This brings to mind a good quote from the Earl of Derby that says ”Those who do not find time for exercise, will have to find time for illness.”

In short, we all have a part to play in the fight against obesity, so I hope that you will consider what I have said and take responsibility for your own health and help others take responsibility for theirs.