What's In Your Way?

Our entire society is struggling to find balance with work/school and family.  This impacts men, women, and children.  Some of the issues overlap, but others are very unique to the respective groups.  In this first installment of a three part series “Overcoming Roadblocks To Health”, I will focus on the unique challenges adults face to find balance with their personal responsibilities and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Men and women’s perceptions to being overweight or struggling to be healthy are different even though it is a concern for both.  The way it is internalized by men and women are different, but both sexes deal with the emotional and psychological contributors.

It has been documented that there are gender differences in eating habits. Specifically, a study conducted by Foodborne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) found that men tend to eat more meat and poultry and women were more likely to eat fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the sexes find comfort in food, but approach this aspect of food in very different ways.

Dr. LeBel of Cornell University in a study conducted in 2005 Journal Physiology & Behavior (Vol. 86, No. 4) found that men were more likely to use food in celebration, and they will seek out higher protein foods such as steak. Whereas, women use comfort foods to cope with negative experiences and choose higher calorie sweet snack foods such as chocolate or ice cream.

Harvard Medical School’s Publication reported in 2012 research that suggested a gender difference in stress-coping behavior, with women being more likely to turn to food and men to alcohol or smoking. And a Finnish study that included over 5,000 men and women showed that obesity was associated with stress-related eating in women but not in men.

From my experiences as a personal trainer men have a more difficult time asking for help and if so they are usually older.  A woman is more inclined to seek help regardless of age.  Nutrition is always the biggest hurdle.  Body part emphasis varies between men and women.  Men mainly comment on their upper body and muscles.  Women on legs, it can be difficult for them to understand the importance of the entire body needing attention. 

Men and women have to keep their progress in perspective when attempting lose weight or just improve their health.  Men are larger and have more muscle than women due to the hormone testosterone. They are genetically designed to have a higher percentage of muscle and less fat -- which works in favor of keeping them fit and allowing them to consume more calories.

Weight is distributed differently between the sexes.  When men deposit fat, it most often goes to their mid section, while women's excess weight tends to settle below the belt and in the middle.

Leta Shy posed the question in 2011, “Does Your Beauty Routine Prevent You From Working Out?”  Shy stated how US surgeon general, Dr. Regina M. Benjamin spoke at a hair convention encouraging women to stop using their beauty routines as an excuse to skip exercise. "Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can't exercise today because I don't want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet," she said. "When you're starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to, and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons." The balance between maintaining your health and not having a bad hair day must be found.

1978 was the first year of the ABS standard Labour Force data series. Women accounted for only 35% of the workforce. After a massive surge during the 1980s and slower incline since then, women now account for just over 45%.  The three occupations with the strongest growth since 1996 for women are Professionals (91 %), Community and Personal Service Workers (83 %) and Managers (75 %).

These increases in responsibility add physical, emotional, and psychological stress.  "One of the biggest problems I see in my practice is women coming in with multiple physical signs of stress," says Nancy Molitor, Ph.D., a psychiatry professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In fact, a new study found that stress and other negative emotions were consistently linked to poor physical health in more than 150,000 people in 142 countries.

Marcelle Pick, OB-GYN NP and co-founder of Women to Women’s Personal Program states that 80% of her patients have some form of issues with food.  Socioeconomic status is not relevant; rather what varies among these women is how they learn to respond to stress.

What must be distinguished is the difference between emotional and physical hunger.  When you’re physically hungry, healthy options such as fruits and vegetables sound good. But emotional hunger craves fatty foods or sugary snacks that provide an instant rush.

Obesity rates have skyrocketed in the United States over the last three decades.  In 1980 no state had an obesity rate over 15%, in 1991 not over 20%, 2000 not over 25%, but in 2013 41 states have an obesity rate over 25%.  Men and women have virtually identical obesity rates today (35.8% and 35.5% respectively). Ten years ago there was a difference of 6 percentage points (women 33.4% - men 27.5%).

Since 2000, male obesity rates have been rising faster.

Even reaching a goal for weight loss can present challenges.  "It's a fantasy, that when we lose weight, everything wrong in our lives is going to be right — that means our relationships are going to be right, we're going to feel completely differently about ourselves," says Geneen Roth, a New York Times bestselling author of books on eating who also leads retreats and workshops, and who herself lost between 60 and 70 pounds in her late twenties. "People are shocked to find out that this thing that they've been longing for and waiting for and working for is not what they thought it was."

Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser on NBC?  The emotional and psychological drain the contestants go through illustrates how impactful weight gain and loss can be.

Attempting to adapt a healthy lifestyle is an emotional and psychological process for men and women.  Habits become ingrained in our minds to the point where you cannot live without some of them.  That can be your favorite meal or lying on the coach instead of exercising.  It is disheartening to see people content with being unhealthy. 

Education, career pursuits, family, hair maintenance, time management, extra curricular activities are just a few examples of what can impede a healthy lifestyle.  Regardless of a negative doctors report, that favorite outfit not fitting anymore, or the displeasure with the reflection in the mirror, many would rather stay in the comfort of their current habits than make the necessary changes. 

Obesity rates continue to rise with a marketplace over saturated with tools to assist.  There are home video systems, publications, websites, personal trainers, nutritionist and other health professionals.  Even after getting professional assistance and learning and experiencing what is required to become healthier and in better shape the sacrifice of changing their eating habits, the fatigue and soreness after an intense workout is overwhelming.   Returning to the status quo just feels better.  What has to be recognized is that men and women are faced with responsibility and stresses.  Taking care of yourself will help you cope with the inevitable, the trials and tribulations of life.  Get healthy, be healthy, stay healthy, it will be worth it!

Jamaal Piper is a Health and Wellness Consultant and Certified Personal Trainer
www.piperpersonaltraining.com
piperpersonaltraining@gmail.com