What it is like to be Obese? A Practical Example.
Moreover, we recognise the health problems concerned with the relationship between obesity and the lack of physical activity, with the drain on health funding with increased teeth extractions, type 2 diabetes and heart conditions, to name but a few. In an attempt to combat this global epidemic, there are many policies and interventions in place which work in conjunction to address obesity. However, to the general population, such advice seems too simplistic and neglects to recognize the difficulties that individuals have with becoming more physically active
In order to appreciate some of these health concerns, it is increasingly evident that we need to get our young people’s attention and show them how real and pressing these issues are for their future. In an attempt to illustrate what being obese is like from a phenomenological perspective, an experiment was conducted for n=8 sport and exercise undergraduate degree university students to actually ‘feel’ what it was like to be obese in a practical environment.
Furthermore, students had to deal with significant adaptation of their running style for both the 10 m sprint and Illinois Agility Run, and moving from a standing to sitting position on the floor in preparation for the sit and reach test. These changes in mechanical processes posed challenges that the students had not considered and let to a further discussion about the stress that 30 minutes of physical activity could have upon joints.
Body mass measurements showed no difference in measurement except for the Post 20 lb increase. Finally, results from the two minute exercise bout indicated that the Pre resting heart rate averaged 56 bpm, which would appropriately represent the sample population.
Obes Res Open J. 2015; 2(3): e8-e9. doi: 10.17140/OROJ-2-e003
