Living in America makes it difficult to lose weight. Temptation is literally lying in wait around every corner. Fast food restaurants, chain coffee houses, convenience stores full of convenience food; understanding the real hurdles we face as we try to maintain or begin our journey in healthy living is crucial to our success.
Those living in the city may find it challenging to get in a recommended amount of exercise. If expensive gym memberships are not an option, and there are no parks, hiking trails or sidewalks nearby, what is one to do? Long commutes and long hours at the office can chip away the free time we have to be active and we are provided no convenient place to exercise should we have the time to do so.
Americans are buried in huge food portions by sit-in restaurants, fast food places, gas stations, movie theaters, and supermarkets, and we take these habits home with us. We swallow down meals and snacks that could easily feed two or more people all on our own. Eating large portions means too many calories and too much unused energy. Unchecked, this will cause weight gain. The amount we eat must be balanced with physical activity.
The cost and availability of healthy food serves as a deterrent for some. If healthy foods are not readily available, we will reach for what is. Fortunately, we live in a time where nearly everything is only ever a click away. Ordering real whole foods and healthy alternatives to processed snacks and fast food meals is easy through companies who allow us to order such items online, on the Internet.
Food advertising is also a major culprit in the fight against obesity. Ads, often aimed at children, encourage the purchase and consumption of endless empty calories and substance-less foods and drinks. The advertisers do their job well; they know how to get to us and how to get to our children. We do not have to follow their lead, however; we can stock our pantries with delicious whole foods, full of nutrients in a way even more convenient than the drive-through. Ordering online brings these good foods right to our door and provides us with a line of defense against our culture’s obsession with more work, more calories, less health. |
