Trimming Obesity in America Essays - Obesity, Human Weight

Trimming Obesity in America As Lindsey prepares to get on the bus, she prepares herself for the offensive looks and glares, just like when she was a child. Lindsey isn?t a child anymore, yet the stares, snickers and finger pointing has followed her all her life as she has fought to cope with the lethargy, cardiovascular problems and sleep apnea that her doctors have told her stem from one problem in particular: Obesity. Young or old, male or female, dark or light skinned; obesity is one disease that doesn?t discriminate and has become a growing problem worldwide. Stories such as Lindsey?s have become too common as more and more children and adults find themselves not only facing increased health problems and a shorter life span, but are also ridiculed by society. In California, obesity has particularly affected people of color, the poor and those with the least education. Six million adults are classified as obese and an additional 9.3 million are overweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both obesity and being overweight are labels for weight ranges that are greater than what is considered healthy for a given height. For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the "body mass index" (BMI). BMI is used because, for most people, it correlates with their amount of body fat. The reliability of this measurement has been debated by groups, such as the Center For Consumer Freedom, which challenges that athletes such as boxer Mike Tyson, quarterback Donovan McNabb, and wrestling superstar ?The Rock? would technically be considered obese using the BMI index along with actors Tom Cruise, and Sylvester Stallone. Despite this discrepancy, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute estimates that 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity is a condition that raises their risk of morbidity from hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea and respiratory problems. Experts believe that an inactive lifestyle, oversize food portions and other bad habits are at least partially to blame for society?s weight increase. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, many Americans do not have enough physical activity in their lives. We rely on modern technology and conveniences, such as driving cars instead of walking or bicycling. More than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has also been linked to Americans becoming overweight and obese. Choosing to quit smoking and eating food portions that are too large can also influence weight increases. Generally speaking, food portions in gas stations, fast food places, restaurants, and even supermarkets can typically feed two people. People who smoke and decide to quit are also at a higher risk of eating more. One reason is because food tastes better after they quit. Nicotine also increases your body?s ability to burn calories, thus, when nicotine is absent, your body does not burn as many calories. For children, many bad habits are learned from their parents. A child who has overweight parents who eat high-calorie foods and are inactive, for example, will likely become overweight too. Some experts, however, debate whether obesity is the cause of health problems, or a symptom of other diseases. Those with an under active thyroid, for example, can feel tired and weak due to a low metabolism rate which also causes weight gain. Those with Cushing's syndrome can also gain weight due to their body making too much of the hormone cortisol. Those with Cushing?s also have upper-body obesity, a rounded face, fat around the neck, and thin arms and legs. Sleep and advancing age can also play a pivotal part in weight gain. As people age, they tend to lose muscle and gain weight around their middle, especially if they are less active. People who sleep for 5 hours or less a night are also more likely to become obese as opposed to those who sleep for 7-8 hours or more. Whatever the reason, experts are concerned that obesity could not only lead to increased health problems and mortality rate, but also to higher healthcare costs. Experts believe that healthcare costs in the U.S. could double every decade to $860.7?$956.9 billion by 2030 as 86.3% of adults become overweight and

The Flutes Magical Music essays

The Flute's Magical Music essays Copyrighted in 1971 by the Zen-On Music Publishers Co. of Tokyo, Japan, the Takahashi Flute School (part of the Suzuki Method,) was designed to aid beginning flutists in their journey to become professional. It is set up as an individual practice method book, with obvious references to a needed listening source, but never gives one. Takahashis method is to teach fundamentals via elongated paragraphs and step-by-step instructions on how to properly handle, hold, and play the flute. This is followed by a very short section of exercises intended to aid in the text portion of the book. At the very end is a small fingering chart, for a reference of those notes new to the student. In my opinion, this book would not be a successful tool for a beginning flutist. The first half of the book is completely read-only, whereas Takahashi has assumed that by reading such the student will understand and formulate his/her own way of playing. For a student new to music, text-only is very difficult to comprehend, especially when there are words that both the child as well as the parent may not know. This is coupled by the fact that the original book was written in Japanese, so the translation into English is a bit shaky at times, and can be difficult to understand for its lack of continuity of structure. The second portion of Takahashis book is the music section. Here seventeen short exercises are offered. Again, I would not use this method for a beginning student. In no place during the second half of the book is there an explanation on how to do any of the music written in place here. Therefore, on the whole, this book would merely be a supplement to a second year or rapidly exceeding first year student, but definitely not the sole source. In introducing his techniques, Takahashi first explains the Suzuki method, hoping to clarify his ways of going through the beginning intricacies of flute playing. He fully believes that ...