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The rates of obesity in the United States are at an all time high and one principal reason why obesity is up in all age and gender groups is due to lack of exercise.
Before the industrial, media and internet revolution, people did not have cars, televisions and computers and society was primarily working in the farms. Due to these occupational factors, people were much more physically active and leaner despite a lack of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technology. There was even a dearth of vaccines so that people used to die from various microbial infections. There was little protection against smallpox, tetanus, polio and other blood and air borne diseases.
With rapid evolution of technology in medicine, many diseases were entirely eliminated through public awareness, precautions and mass vaccination.
However, changes in occupational factors such as large amount of time spent in front of televisions and computers, since the 1950s and 1980s respectively, has led to an increasing tendency to skip physical activity, exercise and yet eat the same amount of food rich in calories.
This addiction to television and computers takes a heavy toll on mind and body, so that a combination of lack of exercise, mental anxiety, inadequate sleep, large intake of calories is leading to obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other ailments.
One way to tackle all these problems is to eliminate television from family lives altogether. To watch important games one can take the family to a sports bar or to a friend’s place. An hour of internet consumption outside work every day should be more than enough. One must exercise at least 60 minutes a day.
