It can generally be said today that many American adults and children alike are not getting the exercise they need, and their poor diets are making things worse. Today, fast food and electronic devices are working hand in hand to create a spike in obesity rates, and this collective health issue can in fact be expensive to deal with, since it often leads to missed work due to joint pain, heart issues, and more. The good news is that healthy, effective, and even fun ways exist to get back into shape, and all sorts of cardio, sports, and diets are out there to restore someone’s good figure and develop muscles at the same time. A major way to do this is through visiting a sports store to invest in a few favorite sports, anything from outdoor activities like hiking or kayaking up to soccer, football, basketball, hockey, and even martial arts like Muay Thai, kickboxing, or karate. Sports stores offer clothes, helmets, gloves, game balls, and much more to get a person active, and this can make weight loss both healthy and fun. Fitness stores will have similar goods, with less emphasis on sports and more on items like dumbbells, medicine balls, and ab wheels. Where to start?
Obesity Causes
How are Americans getting so overweight? It has been determined that since the 1970s, fast food restaurants have doubled in number, and average American diets, at the same time, have started exceeding intake limits on calories, solid fats, added sugars, and refined grains. Along with this is a general lack of exertion; studies show that among American adults age 18 and up, around 53% meet the CDC’s guidelines for aerobic activities, and only 23.5% meet guidelines for both aerobics and muscle-strengthening exercises. Children are doing no better; only one in three is physically active, and this sedentary lifestyle can harm their health and attitude about exercise as they grow older. Instead, they often spend 7.5 hours, on average, looking at electronic screens such as computers and handheld devices, which heavily promote a sedentary lifestyle. Adults face a similar situation when they work 9-5 office jobs that involve sitting down all day. However, with some motivation and know-how, anyone can get moving and start eating better.
A Sports Store and Fitness
Exercise does not have to be grueling or miserable work; in fact, it can be great fun, and the health benefits are many (especially when paired with a better diet). Fitness equipment and sports goods allow a person to start a new hobby, and playing basketball, soccer, or lifting weights is a lifestyle and after a time, it will not even feel like work at all. A sports store offers all the gear needed to start playing soccer, basketball, rugby, or any number of other sports, and these are proper games played with other people, with the benefit of burning calories and fat the whole time as well as strengthening muscles all over the body. This can also boost a person’s energy levels throughout the day, as well as enable better sleep at night (the human body is biologically engineered for movement, after all). Bonuses like learning better teamwork and coordination can also happen, and exercise often boosts a person’s mood, often known as the “runner’s high.” Often, in the opposite situation, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, low energy levels, and depression are all found together, and are often linked in some ways. Exercise is the positive opposite.
Gym equipment such as weights, bar bells, dumbbells, workout benches, chin-up bars, ab wheels, jump ropes, medicine balls, and much more can be found at a fitness warehouse, and these too can boost calorie burning and muscle development. Home fitness is private and easy, and often the best option for someone whose health would make soccer or karate difficult. This also allows a person to work out and develop specific muscle groups one at a time if desired, and this is a good option if the person does not have a group or play area for regular sports.
Working out and dieting is a major health change, and people in general should visit their doctor before making radical changes in diet or exertion levels, just to be sure that they do not accidentally cause harm.