According to numerous studies, obesity is one of the most severe health issues within the United States and is currently on the rise. Obesity rates in the United States have steadily increased from 19.4% in 1997 to 26.6% in 2007, declaring Americans as the most overweight people in the world. Today, 26% of American adults are suffering from clinical obesity while 64% are categorized as being overweight. This grave indication if continued with current trends is estimated to grow to 75% of all American adults will be overweight and 41% obese by the year 2015. Drastically increased rates of obesity in 28 states can be found in the report “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010.” The report, put out by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, can be found at http:// healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010. A change in behavior patterns including a routine physical exercise regiment and eating foods not only lower in fat and calories but which are also nutritious are essential to combating obesity. Foods rich in essential vitamins and minerals are the most beneficial to aid in weight loss and prevention of becoming overweight or obese. You should also avoid fried, fatty foods and limit processed foods to small quantities. Portion control is another huge part of healthy eating habits. Numerous diet fads are found on the radio, television, and in online advertisements, but eating sensibly and within reason is the best and most important dieting method you can use. You can find access to the right diet plan for you on websites such as http://www.weightsmashers.com and http://www.nutristrategy.com/health. You’ve heard it before, and it cannot be stressed enough: Dieting alone cannot and will not defeat obesity. A regular physical exercise routine along with eating healthy will reduce stress, prevent heart disease, and prevent obesity. Outdoor activity is a great way to burn calories, build and tone muscle, and gain many health benefits. Health clubs offer several amenities and training that can be catered to each individual. Along with specialized equipment to train a certain part of the body, health clubs offer specialized training programs for slimming & toning, losing weight, and increasing muscle mass.

The recent explosion of quick and easy weight loss products is a market response to the fact that by some estimates 33.8% of men and 35.5% of women in the United States are obese – which translates to roughly 60% of the population– a percentage that has been climbing steadily for the last decade. The reason there is always a new product is because none of these products actually work. The fact is that the only way to loose weight, and keep it off, is to be physically activity and have a healthy diet.

Most people think of starting an exercise routine as intimidating or overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.  If you seek the help of professionals in a gym like Riviera Fitness, getting started, and staying committed is much easier. Gyms can offer benefits like supervision and coaching by fully staffed team of trained counselors who can provide a fitness evaluation, teach you how to use the machines, and design a routine that is suited to your needs. Many places like Riviera Fitness also provide nutritional counseling and fitness evaluations as well.

Studies show that even the most inactive people can gain significant health benefits if they accumulate 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day, and there are many more benefits than just reducing your waist line. Regular exercise can improve your mood: physical activity stimulates brain chemicals that can leave you feeling happier and more relaxed and help prevent or control depression. It also delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and muscles which gives you more energy to do every day tasks. Exercise can also control your blood pressure by boosting “good,” cholesterol while decreasing “bad” cholesterol, which reduces plaque buildup in your arteries. Regular exercise can even improve your sex life – people who exercise regularly have more energy and flexibility but also get aroused faster and for longer periods of time. And the most obvious benefit of regular excise is that it burns calories! By some calculations you can burn between 490-700 calories per hour just by fast walking; or 360-530 calories per hour with slow swimming. Take an aerobics class and burn between 400 and 600 calories.

By joining a gym like Riviera Fitness, you will also have access to all the latest and well maintained fitness equipment, as well as a variety of group exercise classes ranging from yoga to kickboxing, so you’ll never get bored or lose motivation.

For some, the cost of joining a gym can be an obstacle, but many places like Rivera Fitness have low enrollment and membership fees or plans to fit most budgets, and all of this means there are not many excuses left to avoid taking the plunge and experiencing all of the ways physical fitness can improve your life.