Summer Eating!

Summer is here and the BBQ season is in full swing. But watch out because a recent study indicated that American’s are actually getting fatter in spite of the fact that there are actually more people including more activity in their lifestyles. While the number of people have increased who are working out each week, it still hasn’t put a stop to the rising number of people who are considered obese by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control. So does this mean that all this activity is of no use? Obviously increased activity is very beneficial. What keeps American’s from getting the physique they really want is two main factors, food choices and the relationship to food that most people seem to have.

Poor food choices seems obvious but most people perceive that the “good foods” for you won’t make you fat. The notion that what foods are good for you can’t hurt you or that they are somehow exempt from contributing to excess fat stores is simply not true. This may seem obvious to some but not to many. However bad this kind of thinking can be, it is nothing compared to what I think is the real problem with the American diet and that is how most people relate to food.

It seems that you can’t have any social function in the United States without involving food, and bad food! Our summer social calendars are often filled with dinners, parties, social get togethers that all center around eating and drinking excessive amounts of calories that most o our bodies have no real need for. as a matter of fact, most people over eat their energy needs regularly. It seems that socially we seem to center our activities around food. We can’t seem to get together without involving food. We need to change our attitude toward food and social events.

So as you start looking at your social calendar this summer, and you are planning which BBQ’s to attend and what functions you will going to, remember that food doesn’t have to be the focal point. But if it has to be the center of attention then throw in extra activities such as cardio or another workout session to help cover the indulgences you are affording yourself.