Obesity is officially a disease.
Hi Joanne,
you started an interesting discussion.
I do not think that it will have much of an impact. Judging from many of the questions placed here on this forum, many personal trainers are already operating outside the scope of their practice. How many trainers truly have ‘apparently healthy’ clients? On the other hand, if those trainers operated strictly within their scope, many, many people would not have a trainer at all, and, left to their own devices, would probably be worse off. A lot of trainers now are getting physician’s approvals for those clients and dealing with them safely. Regrettably, there are some that do not; but I would venture to say that they are not safe for the ‘apparently healthy’ either.
I hope that the classification of ‘obesity’ as a disease will prompt ACSM to require a mandatory physician’s approval for those prospective clients.
I need to make an additional comment about Harris’ statement. For once I do not agree. Obesity is way more complex than simply saying that obese people made poor choices and that this will just provide them with a convenient excuse. I consider compulsive overeating an emotional problem that is probably the most difficult form of addiction to treat. People who have addictions to all the other substances one can get addicted to have one huge advantage: they can stop entirely from using it. People addicted to alcohol do not dare to have even one drink for fear to start the whole process over.
Now look at the situation with food. Not eating is not an option. Not only do people have to navigate their eating behavior, they are at the same time bombarded with messages telling them just the opposite of what they need to do. Yes, there are some that are able to battle those demons. But there are many who are not, and I am not one to cast the first stone.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com