THE FIT FACTOR
EVER since the Prime Minister was struck down with Covid he has vowed to focus more on tackling the obesity crisis.
He is of the firm believe that being obese played a large role in him becoming extremely ill and therefore also lengthened his recovery.
The World Obesity Federation report 2.2 million out of 2.5 million global deaths were in countries with high levels of obesity and that those countries with lower obesity levels do not have high death rates.
This week Boris Johnson enlisted one of Britain’s most successful businessmen to start a new campaign that will reward the public for cutting their calorie intake.
Sir Keith Mills, founder of Air Miles and the Nectar loyalty programmes, is the chosen man and was unveiled on National Obesity Day this week.
I have been writing, and indeed campaigning about this crisis for years, yet the government, in my opinion, have not been strong enough, quick enough or had good enough initiatives to make a real impact on this ever growing crisis.
At present, the annual cost of obesity related illnesses in the UK is £6bn and the combination of this generation’s fast food, high sugar, high alcohol intake over decades, is now starting to unravel. Two thirds of the adult population in the UK are either overweight or obese.
It’s unclear who is going to be involved in this new initiative but surely major supermarkets and, I hope, gyms will be involved.
I am still of the firm belief that health, wellbeing, etc. should be on the national curriculum for schools from a young age through GCSE and A Levels, therefore children are constantly educated about their food, health, weight and general wellbeing.
They will then have a clearer understanding of what they are eating and can then make better choices as they get older.
This latest scheme is an app which will help monitor calorie consumption and exercise levels all under the NHS brand – £100m has been set aside for the year-long scheme.
This pandemic has given us all a major shock and it makes you realise your health is not a given, you have to work at it.
Putting good, healthier habits into your life now will help reduce your fat percentage and therefore risk of illness, giving you a much better chance of living a healthier life for longer.
Remember, your children’s eating habits are often facilitated by your habits – therefore you making healthier choices will give your children a better chance of good health.