The first question they asked as, “Why is there so much obesity in the United States?”

Wow, I thought to myself, there are so many reasons–where do I begin?

A lot of people like to blame one single factor, like sugar or fast food, and many at the table started saying just that. Although we all agreed that exercise and physical activity plays an important role in the equation, my answer was about the differences in our eating behaviors.

I pointed out that this dinner, and all preceding meals that day, had been eaten together with their family, at a table. I had to explain that, while it may sound innocuous, less and less meals in the United States are eaten as a family, and even less sitting together at the table. Meals with the family tend to be more balanced, with more variety, and they provide an important opportunity to teach children about healthy eating habits.

I also pointed out that in the D.R., every meal was followed by a tray of coffee, with tiny 4 ounce cups and a sugar bowl. Sure, the sugar was still present: but the portion size was so much smaller! Everyone also stayed seated at the table, enjoying the coffee and each other’s company. I told them if they tried this in the United States, undoubtedly someone would grab a 24 ounce mug from the kitchen, pour in two pots of coffee along with the an entire bowl of sugar, say their goodbyes to friends and family, and hurry off to their next to-do item, mindlessly gulping down this coffee-flavored tankard of sugar and caffeine along the way.

Blaming one food or drink in our culture would have been easier–but we know our nation’s battle with obesity is not so simple.

American culture screams “bigger is better” and “super-sized is best.” We live in a society always on the go, and never have the time to cook a meal ourselves, let alone sit down to eat it. Our lifestyle and behaviors have everything to do with the U.S. obesity epidemic.

While a change in culture will take time, it starts today with placing a higher value on our own health–it’s okay to put your well-being first!–so we can improve the health of future generations.

We love to blame culture and society for our poor health decisions–but remember, at the end of the day, we have control over each and every decision that makes up the sum total of our lifestyles, habits and behaviors.

To your health,

Kate Myerson, RD, CD, CDE
Vtrim Business Development Manager

I just realized that, lurking in my garage, is an “exercise machine” that also takes care of a tedious chore. It’s the Neuton electric lawnmower! These battery-powered push mowers are perfect for smaller yards and have zero emissions, keeping the person behind the mower and the village in fresh air while cleaning up the yard.

Normally my 13-year old mows the lawn while I sit on my behind returning emails. But I woke up this morning, enthused and ready for change. I was no longer going to sit by and watch him sweat. I was no longer going to pay him $15 that could go in my travel jar….I was going to save money and sweat at the same time.

And sweat I did. We don’t have a large yard, but I had let the grass get pretty high, and then it rained for a few days, and WOW, my little lawn looked like a couple acres. I started to map out my route, wanting to be sure to get the edges nice and clean. Fifteen minutes into the top two rows, my biceps started to burn. Yup, I had been ignoring those little arm weights for a long time. But, there is something very rewarding about cutting the grass and I pushed on despite the pain. I whacked a dandelion here, a stick there and learned to be careful near the rocks. I started to really lather up and it felt great.

The other thing about mowing your lawn with an electric mower, is that folks get curious. Neighbors stopped by to ask if it was as good as an gasoline mower, “I dunno”, I said beaming. “It’s my first mower.” Folks chatted about the exercise, the look of the lawn and the fact that I didn’t need to buy oil or gas. I did remind them it used electricity, but the big advantage is there are no emissions polluting the air. It was great to be social with my neighbors, even if I was a little self-conscious of the sweat pouring from my armpits. Even the president of Middlebury College rode by on his bike and waved with a big smile, although that was likely because fewer women mow the lawn than men do.

So, the moral of this blog, on a beautiful Saturday in May, is that behavior change can help you work out and lose weight. But it’s also critical for the environment. It felt good to work hard, know my lawn looks great, and air quality in Middlebury village did not suffer. The environment and health are inextricably linked…that’s an idea I can certainly push forward.

We all know the rigors of raising kids in our take-no-prisoners society: doctor, dentist, orthodontist, school meetings, field trips, you name it. If I weren’t so farsighted I could spend all day looking at my Google calendar, trying to get a grip. I’ve even gone color-coded: work appointments, kids appointments, family and friend get-togethers: have I mentioned the color red for romance? Still, I knew I was pushing it and indeed, I was.

About a month ago, I felt some numbness in my left arm for a few days. It went away, but I knew I shouldn’t ignore it. A few days later, a few chest pains. So, I was escorted to the doctor by my boyfriend just to ensure that everything was A-OK. They hooked me up for an EKG, my first.

I knew something was wrong when the room filled with white coats speaking softly but urgently to me. My EKG was abnormal and I needed to be rushed to the ER for a heart attack protocol. Well, this was not what I expected, with record low blood pressure and even lower cholesterol, but I guess if a girl needs the afternoon off, she might as well spend it at the cardiac care unit. Four hours later, I was told that all my tests were OK, despite a somewhat funky EKG. I could leave in the capable hands of my hypochondriac boyfriend, after pledging to return the following week for a stress test. I rolled my eyes and thought: hmmmm, that does not sound good. Stress test on me? I was sure to flunk.

So, I did a lot of thinking in those seven days, while I dodged the many “I told you so” looks from loved ones. Stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and our behavior, but we seem to live in a society that favors speed over sanity. Why do we have to hit the wall before we make a deal with ourselves to stop, look and learn? My behavior needs to change from “Yes, I can do that” to “Let me think about how this fits into my priorities”. Teenaged boys can make their own sandwiches and walk home from school: that buys me some time. Friends can and will understand that napping may be more important than having a drink: at least every other week. And sometimes, the phone will go to voice mail, so quality dinner time will be completely uninterrupted. I was amazed at how that one hour (OK…only 20 minutes on baseball-practice nights) helped me really connect with my kids.

In the end, I aced my stress test, and we are all delighted and relieved. According the doctor, they’re happy to have my baseline EKG. That baseline concept works for me too—I need to draw a better line in the sand. And I am grateful for the wake-up call: reduce stress, exercise more and spend quality time with your loved ones—that’s a great prescription for healthy longevity.

As I willfully pushed toward the finish line, my personal cheer squad of family and friends cheered from the sidelines. These were loved ones who had watched me struggle with my weight since I was a kid, some who had dealt with their own weight struggles and could relate to my experience. They encouraged me to keep up with my new, healthy habits while I waited for the rewards.

Because the behavioral changes I made weren’t overwhelming, the modifications I made to daily and weekly routines didn’t feel like major sacrifices. At the same time, the patience was a real test: I relied on my cheerleaders to keep pushing me as I waited to fit into the next smaller size of jeans. The waiting wasn’t easy.

Today, ten years after losing the weight, I find myself gravitating toward peers who share an understanding of what it takes to maintain a healthy weight. Research shows receiving social support is key to maintaining a healthy weight.

You may think, after years of maintaining my weight loss, my behaviors would be solid enough to go it alone. But no…I still fall back on bad habits and occasionally overindulge at the end of stressful days. When I do, my cheer squad gently guides me back to those small, meaningful, healthy habits I feel good about. Most importantly, they remind me of what I already know, but need to hear: slow and steady wins the race.

Consider this: According to a study from Cornell University published in a recent issue of The Journal of Preventive Medicine, the weight of average Americans has so increased in the last decade that airplanes are now required to use an extra 350 million gallons of fuel per year. This extra fuel costs the airline industry $275 million annually.

No wonder the cost of air travel is going up.

Airlines unwittingly add to the flight load by limiting drink choices to soda, diet soda and water. Consumption of soda and sugar-saturated beverages contributes significantly to weight gain. So does alcohol, another popular beverage choice on airplanes. Travelers consume these calorie packed beverages and the plane gets heavier, all the time.

Travel can be hard enough as it is: hurry up and wait, as they say. Travelers need food and beverage choices to be quick and handy. The portability of candy bars, cans of soda and bags of chips is attractive. It seems as though the abundance of unhealthy foods inside airport terminals gives otherwise healthy people an excuse to indulge.

As a big believer in personal responsibility, I hate to put all the blame on airlines. With effort, it is possible to travel healthy…well, healthier, anyway. Terminals across the U.S. are seeing improvements in their choices of cuisine – JFK’s Jet Blue Terminal is one of the best with options ranging from sushi to tapas, and kiosks offering fresh fruit and nuts.

Better yet, healthier options are often less expensive than more indulgent venti-triple-shot-peppermint-mocha-with-whipped-cream-type choices. Consider it this way: as your waistline gets smaller, your wallet will get fatter.

The rising cost of jet fuel illustrates just one powerful consequence of overweight and obesity in this country – and one that affects the 1.75 million passengers who fly the friendly skies every day. How much longer before we start going down? After all, as Blood Sweat and Tears and the Laws of Physics promise, we will, one day, start going down.