The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services teamed up to produce the 2005 “Dietary Guidelines for all Americans.”Health department Secretary Tommy Thompson said that almost two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and more than 50 percent of Americans do not get the recommended amount of physical activity.The new guidelines list 41 recommendations, 23 of those are geared toward the general population.Included in the recommendations is a balanced diet, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables and whole-grain products, and limited amounts of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol. Thompson specifically recommends getting the most nutrition out of one’s calories, balancing health between food and physical activity. The guidelines suggest 30 minutes of exercise per day for adults and 60 minutes for children. For persons who want to lose weight, 60 to 90 minutes of exercise five times a week is the recommendation.Derrick Wilburn, a personal trainer and the president of Wholly Fit, a Springs company offering corporate, group and individual fitness programs, weighed in on the new dietary guidelines. Wilburn said 90 minutes of exercise per day is probably “overkill” unless you have a goal related to sports or weight loss. He said an hour of exercise three to four times a week is an effective way to maintain good physical health.”I don’t think there is an exact rule of thumb,” Wilburn said. “It depends on how de-conditioned the person is and how much time is available. Most of my clients train three days a week for 60 minutes.” He said a common misconception is the “huff and puff” of exercising. People are thinking treadmills and cardiovascular work, but the key to weight control, he said, is resistance training – making sure to build and maintain muscle mass. “I have in-home clients who train at home without weights, too – you don’t need a lot of equipment,” Wilburn said.January is the health and fitness sector’s best month, when people resolve to lose weight and exercise as part of their New Year’s goals. “It usually lasts about 60 to 90 days,” he said. “April is the end for the increasing revenues.”Although Americans have good intentions at the onset of the New Year, not following through is creating an epidemic of obesity in this country. And children are equally affected.According to an MSNBC.com online article, doctors are increasingly diagnosing adult diseases in children. A Denver pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Reginald Washington, is co-chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics task force on obesity. “The number of kids we are seeing in our practice with elevated cholesterol or type-2 diabetes has at least tripled in the last five years,” Washington said. The percentage of obesity in children has quadrupled in 30 years, and the result is a spike in adult-related diseases among youngsters. “If this (obesity) were an infectious disease, people would really be up in arms,” Washington said. “Even when we see families who bring their kids to us and their cholesterol is elevated, they don’t seem very alarmed.However, Washington said if the trend continues, there will be increased incidences of heart attacks and strokes in adults in their 30s and 40s.
