LINCOLN COUNTY – The big fat truth is there is a big fat lie — obesity is not merely an individual problem according to health professionals.

It’s a major catastrophe that is getting out of control and solutions are varied.

But the biggest loser of all, experts warn, is doing nothing in an epidemic that is getting worse and worse and worse.

“We have a problem when it’s more shocking to see a fit person in public than an overweight person,” said Abby Irwin, owner of Purler Performance in Moscow Mills. “The body positivity movement is great in the sense we shouldn’t all aspire to look like a starved model on a cover of a magazine. But it’s really harmed the health of our society by telling everyone being unhealthy is okay…Obesity is literally becoming a national security crisis and we have got to take it seriously.”

Healthy Habits

Two of the biggest contributing factors to the obesity problem is a lack of physical activity and poor diet according Irwin. By not moving sufficiently, she says metabolism slows down, blood sugar is unable to regulate like it should, and no fat burning is occurring.

On average, people walk 3,000–4,000 steps daily which she says is simply not enough.

Proper and consistent active movement and eating healthy she says will go a long way.

“There’s so many benefits to walking,” Irwin said. “It should be a non-negotiable for people to hit the 8,000-10,000 step goal a day. Another obvious solution is to eat whole, minimally processed foods. It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself sometimes, but it does mean you have to put in the work to cook your meals and keep the processed junk food out of your house so you aren’t tempted to eat it.”

While the goal of achieving a healthy weight through healthy habits may be a common goal, the methods of achieving it vary.

For Ashley Lynch, who has battled the food fight and ups and downs of the scale, keeping a food journal, eating healthy, and staying active have been successful methods for her.

However, for Tim Kister, losing and keep off the 71 pounds for him has been all about food portions.

Then again for April Leigh Humphreys-Hall, hitting the gym regularly and keeping healthy foods in her meals have been the right ingredients to keeping the pounds off.

“At the end of the day, (it’s) the right mix of protein carbs and fats and lifting heavy things in the right amounts and the right amount of recovery and sleep, and hydration. That’s the key for anyone,” said Jason Boni who once weighed 640 pounds.

Education

Another aspect of battling obesity is understanding the role of nutrition.

A Research America poll of U.S. adults showed that 79 percent of respondents noted mental health impacted food choice. Additionally, respondents ages 18-24 were 86 percent less likely to understand nutritional labels and the same for 88 percent of respondents age 70 and older.

Dr. Paul Hannam of House of Heath says kids and adults are not being taught proper nutrition and society does not make it a high priority.

“It’s all about prevention versus cure,” he said. “A cure is always going to be more expensive than preventing it in the first place. I think if we start investing in preventing folks from getting obese in the first place we will be more successful in the long run.”

John Szyhowski of Infinity Athletics in Troy agrees with Hannam and says nutrition education needs to be prioritized adding there is a lot of misinformation out there.

“I keep getting people that are telling me they’ve just started some unrealistic diet that they’re not going to be able to adhere to,” the owner of Infinity Atheltics in Troy said. “My best bet is to educate them on nutrition and what they can do that isn’t necessarily a fad.“ “God made us to eat from the earth,” Irwin adds. “To eat meat, vegetables, and fruits. He didn’t make us to eat processed, chemical-filled foods… They negatively impact our weight, metabolism, brain function, and more. Our body creates new cells from the foods we consume. The foods you eat literally become you.”

Access

Getting started is only part of the answer to obesity. With a smattering of parks and gyms in Lincoln County, options to keep the body active is a good beginning.

Dr. Hannam says it would be nice if the county would bring in a YMCA since it’s “been a staple of American life for a long time” and could be a good investment and a solid solution toward minimizing obesity.

“I’m sure there are complicated reasons of why it’s not here,” he said. “The YMCA is a fundamental pillar of most communities where children go to learn how to swim, they go there for summer classes or summer programs that

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are filled with activities and understanding. Avoiding or slowing the obesity epidemic involves investing and building some of these foundations to our community that will help to increase activity levels, teach children how to live healthy lives, and build good relationships.”

Making everything accessible to everyone in the county though is challenging says Sarah Valenza, Lincoln County Health Department public information specialist.

She says there are “really great opportunities” for residents in terms of gyms in the area and parks like Cuivre River State Park and Kiwanis Park but for people in rural areas especially ease and proximity might be problematic.

“I think Troy is somewhat walkable, but it’s not very walkable,” Dr. Hannam explains. “Understanding that this is a town where commerce is done and people shop apart from just Main street or Cherry Street. You really should be having sidewalks everywhere. You really should be having parks and recreational activity close to residential areas. A lack of those things pose a risk in worsening the obesity epidemic.”