Obesity has only become widespread in the years following the industrial revolution. It was the changes in life style made possible by the high factory wages, job security and a more sedentary working environment along an assembly line, which made this trend possible. Before the middle class was born and bred with the benefits that the new machine manufacturing based economy provided, obesity was rare.
For the most part, before the industrialized middle class was brought about, only rich people had the money, leisure time and excess amount of food required to become obese. There may have been a few cases where a person's metabolism and heredity helped them to become plump, but they still needed enough food or calories to become obese.
My mother's family had a history of obesity. My grandmother was not obese, but some of her siblings were. My grandfather on my mother's side had a large frame, as did my mother, so I assume that I may have the predisposition toward obesity.
On reaching middle age, the body's metabolism slows down some. That is one reason why I make a daily effort to get some exercise. I don't do strenuous levels of exercise but every day I walk the dog during daylight hours for 45 minutes to an hour. Then later in the evening, I repeat this routine. Both the dog and I enjoy this outing twice a day. She has come to expect her daily outings. Doing this raises my metabolism, which should burn some calories and possibly slow the onset of obesity. With regular exercise, I don't worry too much about what I eat.
Going back to the first point made about widespread obesity, being a fairly recent trend. What if this is not really a trend in history. Perhaps it could be an anomaly in history. There is a chance with the move away from the industrial society in North America, that the force which created the middle class affluent generation will disappear, and along with it its wealth. More companies are outsourcing their labour and some are just plain relocating to third world countries, where the labour is dramatically cheaper. In a real way, the good industrial jobs are disappearing in North America.
What if the trend is more toward low paid service jobs? Would an economy mainly based on such low paid jobs be self sustainable enough to maintain a large number of middle class people, the way the industrial based one of the recent past has? Perhaps the next trend will be a return to the economic levels, of the pre industrial revolution time when obesity was uncommon. Perhaps a few extra pounds are ok, even desirable. It is nature's way of protecting us against hard times that allows fat to build up in our bodies. Perhaps nature knows best. If there was a sudden food production or distribution disaster, it would be the obese people who would have the advantage. In a world where food was in short supply, having a few extra pounds on your body could better your chance of survival.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Obesity
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Written By: Michael Russell
