{"id":468,"date":"2013-02-06T16:47:33","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T16:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/gooddaysbaddays\/?p=468"},"modified":"2013-02-04T17:28:06","modified_gmt":"2013-02-04T17:28:06","slug":"heart-health-are-we-obsessing-over-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/02\/heart-health-are-we-obsessing-over-obesity.html","title":{"rendered":"Heart Health: Are We Obsessing Over Obesity?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image courtesy of cooldesign\/FreeDigitalPhotos.net<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During each of my conversations with experts on heart health, I hear a common refrain: The risk factors for heart disease are improper diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and obesity. This last factor has also been in the news frequently;\u00a0according to some experts,\u00a0obesity is on the rise worldwide, on the verge of overtaking world hunger as a major world health problem.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the\u00a0clinical setting, however, doctors have related to me the difficulty they have with talking about weight with some of their patients.\u00a0 One doctor told me that, often, when\u00a0she says a\u00a0patient is in the “obese” range of the BMI scale, frequently the patient is astounded; he or she might think her- or himself overweight, but surely not “obese.”\u00a0 In our weight-obsessed world, ‘obese’ is not a term many people want to use to describe themselves.\u00a0 And yet, what it means is so vitally important to identifying and addressing health, especially heart health issues, and ignoring it or trying to deny it does nothing to promote taking steps to better health.<\/p>\n

Would it help if we changed the word?\u00a0We do have other choices:\u00a0 Corpulent, stout, fleshy, chubby.\u00a0 I suppose, too, we could come up with another scale, beyond BMI, to quantify healthy and unhealthful weight.\u00a0 But would that change minds – and hearts – to better accept reality and start on the road to better health? Or, is there something else we should be focusing on instead? Something, perhaps, that would show a “before” and “after” that is not merely cosmetic, but\u00a0that shows the benefits of getting beyond the ‘word’ to the ‘well.’<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the anit-smoking campaign, media advertisements did not pull punches; they\u00a0showed the raw affects of tobacco on lungs and lives. In much the same way, the television program “The Biggest Loser” takes each participant through a very frank, open, and telling physical exam at the beginning, showing each his or her health problems, and at the end, showing the progress that has been made.\u00a0 These are not easy to watch, but are much more instructive than uttering a word, with the connotation that it is “bad,”\u00a0and leaving it at that.<\/p>\n

People and labels tend to be uneasy partners, especially when it comes to health issues. Perhaps we obsess too much over categories, when we could be encouraging better habits that lead to better outcomes, and self-esteem that comes from tackling a tough personal situation, turning it around, and coming through much happier and healthier.<\/p>\n

Blessings for the day,<\/p>\n

Maureen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During each of my conversations with experts on heart health, I hear a common refrain: The risk factors for heart disease are improper diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and obesity. This last factor has also been in the news frequently;\u00a0according to some experts,\u00a0obesity is on the rise worldwide, on the verge of overtaking world hunger…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":548,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,4,383],"tags":[404,403,385,386,402,399,401,7,400],"class_list":["post-468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-encouragement-in-life","category-words-of-encouragemnent-and-info-for-all","category-heart-health","tag-being-fat","tag-fat","tag-heart-disease","tag-heart-health-2","tag-obese","tag-obesity","tag-self-esteem","tag-weight","tag-weight-loss"],"yoast_head":"\nHeart Health: Are We Obsessing Over Obesity? - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/gooddaysbaddays\/2013\/02\/heart-health-are-we-obsessing-over-obesity.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Heart Health: Are We Obsessing Over Obesity? - Good Days...Bad Days With Maureen Pratt\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During each of my conversations with experts on heart health, I hear a common refrain: The risk factors for heart disease are improper diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and obesity. 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She expected to be writing scripts. God had other plans. A few years after her graduation, Maureen was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of organ-involved lupus. Her life turned upside down as she grappled with the effects of the illness and other health conditions that ensued. She was no stranger to serious health challenges; even as a child, Maureen had survived numerous bouts of pneumonia, flu, and other infections. But lupus made her take a fresh look at her life goals - and took herlifelong, strong Catholic Christian faith and writing in a direction she'd never imagined. Today, Maureen writes and speaks about walking with the Lord while living with chronic pain and illness. Her most recent book is \"Don't Panic!: How to Keep Going When the Going Gets Tough (Franciscan Media). She is also the author of, \"Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness\" (Image Books\/Randomhouse), \"Beyond Pain: Job, Jesus, and Joy\" (Twenty-Third Publications), \"The First Year: Hypothyroidism, Second Edition\" (Perseus) and \"Taking Charge of Lupus: How to Manage the Disease and Make the Most of Your LIfe.\" She writes the syndicated column, \"Living Well,\" for Catholic News Service, and has also written for Saint Anthony Messenger Magazine, Journey for Women Magazine, The Upper Room Magazine, LupusNow, and Arthritis Today. Maureen's health continues to be a challenge, however she feels honored to be able to bring her perspective, from experience and knowledge, to others. \"Good Days...Bad Days with Maureen Pratt\" is a new way for Maureen to reach people who carry the burden of illness and pain in their lives, or who care for someone who does. 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