Overcoming yourself: The first step to a new (and improved) you

The number one reason that obesity exists, in this nation and others, is not what you would immediately figure it to be. It's not trans-fat. Nor is it over-eating. These might come with the territory, but are not the actual reason.

So, what is it?

People idolize food

It's pretty simple. People, especially Americans, have become enamored in the fact that eating can give them sensations of taste that make them (temporarily) happy. Think about it:

1) Every major holiday in America has some type of eating attached to it. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Easter...all of them have a large meal prepared in tangent with celebrating their respective evens. Last time I checked, the only one of those that had anything to do with a large meal was Thanksgiving. Think they were obese? Go chop your own wood, build your own accommodations, plow your own fields, and have no air conditioning...they were very active people. Americans, for the most, are not.

2) Most people eat based on what tastes good to them, not what is good for them. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of food...which is strictly to fuel the body with macro/micro nutrients and vitamins?

The sad thing is that the things that we have programmed to think taste good are the things that are chocked full of calories and not so much with nutrients. Also, in the ways of business, things are going to be made as cheaply as possible in order to turn a profit. That means using poor quality ingredients in fast foods and pre-packaged items in order to make money for the business. Would you even begin to think that things like granola bars are chocked full of high fructose corn syrup and sugar to sweeten them? Even "health foods" arn't so healthy these days.

Some people can get away with eating however they want. That's fine. Honestly, if you can stay healthy and be satisfied with your looks by eating however you choose, then more power to you. For the rest of us (and I am definitely within your ranks), we have to work for what we get. That means watching what we consume and using the nutrients we take in for proper physical exercise and muscle hypertrophy. It's the only chance we have of not ending up unhealthy and in a physical state we don't want to be in.

A lot of people, however, are already in that physical state they don't want to be in. It's extremely important for those people to realize that without a change in how they view food and the role it plays within their life, they will progressively get worse.

I completely feel that food addiction can be as damaging and hard to kick as most drug addictions. If you don't think ordering a super-sized value meal at your local fast food restaurant is toxic for your body, think again. For a lot of you, that was close to what should be your ENTIRE caloric intake for the day. When, in turn, you could have spread out those calories over a period of hours in foods that will promote health within your body.

Even if that is the only meal you eat for the day, there is a big difference in the person who eats 2000 calories of fast food a day versus someone who eats 2000 calories of chicken, broccoli, and sweet potatoes a day.

Now, this is where you make a choice. And I can assure you it is a very important one. It could completely change your life from here on out.

How do you want to look? To feel? Do you want to wake up everyday knowing you are living a healthy lifestyle?

Obesity kills. It leads to numerous diseases. Allowing your children to be obese is going to set them up for mockery and exile from their classmates once they reach primary school years. Trust me, that is not fun...and kids aren't getting any nicer. Is food worth that? Is a sense of temporary gratification worth risking years off of your own life expectancy?

I once asked a friend while exercising if you knew that eating poorly would take 5-10 years off of your life and would increase your chances of getting numerous diseases related to obesity, would you change? He said of course. As he should have. And as someone who has had to face this choice before, struggled with it, dealt with it, adapted to it, adopted it, and learned to cherish it for what it does for me, I can safely say it is worth it.

Make your choices wisely on what you consume. Learn what eating the right foods will do for you. Ask someone to help you with what food choices are right for you.

Food is fuel for your body. And if you fuel your body correctly, it will take care of you right back.