Hold on, didn’t we just have this? Actually, no. The recent observance was Lose Weight, Feel Great Week.
Confused by “This-That-and-the-Other” Week? Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger! Many different industries and organizations have staked their claims on days, weeks, or months, and designated them as having something to do with reducing the sum total of obesity. The third week of this month, January 15-21, is National Healthy Weight Week. The week, which has a noticeable social media presence, was ordained by unknown parties in 1994, in response to the shocking increase in so-called lifestyle diseases:
The number of people suffering from being overweight is at an all-time high. Diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and cancer follow obesity. It was widely believed that a healthy diet and consistent workouts could prevent obesity. We are no longer moving our muscles as much as we used to. The stagnant work style and the fast-food culture essentially destroyed our healthy lifestyle.
The purpose of the Week is not only to increase awareness of these societal ills but to encourage each individual to recommit to the goal of not becoming obese. Another source adds that the purpose is “to reinforce healthy eating as a way of life instead of dieting to lose weight. It also encourages movement and physical activity…” They also make the point that mid-winter, an occasion that reminds us to burn off some energy is much needed.
Another site connects interested people with workshops, providers (including corporate wellness services), and virtual health fairs. Matching “provider’s benefits with employees’ benefits” could prove to be very useful to any company that cares about the well-being of its workers.
“How to Get Your Weight in the Healthy Zone with National Healthy Weight Week” is from an organization that describes itself as an online college for the healthcare industry. They begin by flat-out declaring that diets don’t work, which is always a problematic phrasing, because all the things a person eats become, cumulatively, that person’s diet. Everyone has a diet, even if it only consists of french fries and gummy bears. Besides, a pureed diet works for someone unable to chew. A diabetic diet works for someone whose body has an impaired relationship with insulin. A low-sodium diet is good for someone who retains a lot of fluid — and so forth.
This site also establishes that there are uncontrollable elements that affect weight: they are “height, bone density, body type (endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph), and body composition (the innate ratio of body muscle to fat).” Yet another site offers “non-invasive, medically managed surgical weight loss options” which leaves the reader wondering how a treatment could be both surgical and non-invasive.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “National Healthy Weight Week,” NationalToday.com, undated
Source: “National Healthy Weight Week,” WhitneyRehab.com, undated
Source: “Healthy Weight Week,” Iabhp.com, undated
Source: “How to Get Your Weight in the Healthy Zone with National Healthy Weight Week,” WeCareOnlineClasses.com, undated
Source: “National Healthy Weight Week,” FlushingHospital.org, 01/20/21
Image by Thank You/CC BY 2.0
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