I actually have a few more thoughts on this, and it's no wonder that you can expect obesity rates to continue to rise.
The average length of the full-time work week continues to rise. Last I heard, the average is around 47-48. Something like 20-30% report over 60 hours. Some occupations such as tax accountants will have peak seasons requiring longer work weeks at some times of the year.
Commute distances continue to rise. Averages around 30-45 minutes one way, which depends on metro area of course. Super commuting, or 1.5+ hours each way, is more common than it used to be. It's one of the major reasons folks are leaving NYC and San Francisco, the latter of which has become so toxic, few are willing to move and live there (but I digress).
Between work hours and commute time, it's not hard to see it adds up. Sleep hours don't have much more leeway to go down. However, there's still only 24 hours in a day. Vacation time is often limited, and there's often office political pressure not to use it. In light of all these time demands, physical activities typically take a back seat, as many are simply too tired or wish to make the most of any potential family time.
Certain other trends likely reflect this. The last few times I went to a gym, most patrons looked like they were either retired, or didn't go very often, perhaps once or twice a week. The treadmills (aerobic activity might help weight loss) were less popular than the weight machines, which actually cause most to bulk up.
Professional runway models and athletes may have the time to go to the gym 4 hours a day, or even more. Indeed, their jobs often depend on it. Whereas paid shoots are unlikely to take up 45 or more hours a week. Most jobs don't permit this. Part-time jobs would allow this, but typically don't provide anywhere near enough income.
Makeup and cosmetics also always have far more bang for the buck in terms of time and cost, when it comes to making oneself look better.
I've even heard that it's no longer uncommon for high school football players to weigh over 300 lbs.
Housing trends also reflect this. As the rural small towns continue to depopulate and the cities continue to grow, this creates housing demand. Analysts have determined customers most want interior floor space, but there's only so much land area to go around. Something has to give, so yards in new houses get smaller. This usually means no physical activities in the yard.
There's also financial considerations as well as time. Fresh fruits and vegetables tend to go bad quickly. So, you might be less inclined to purchase any, if much of it would go bad. Organic food is similarly costly, and may go bad too quickly. A problem when you may just want to stock up as much as you can in fewer grocery store trips. One can always get vitamins by popping a multivitamin pill, too. This also encourages more takeout food or microwaveable food that's easy and quick to to prepare.
Another trend is that since the 50s, the amount of takeout or restaurant food for meals has only increased. It makes sense. Significantly more women are in the work force, and have professional career type jobs, which would be affected by the increasing length of the work weeks. Most will raise kids at some point. She wants to ensure her family gets dinner that night, but after a long day she may not feel like cooking and wants minimal cleanup. The answer? She might stop by McD's or some other fast food joint on the way back and just order multiple value meals. Or if not, there's probably frozen microwaveable food in the fridge. This is the kind of food that is more likely to add more pounds and inches.
While some of these trends are a little concerning, and you wonder what the breaking point is, I don't see them ending any time soon. I do however like one of the consequences of this; there will be more plus sized women in the future.
5 years
