Cindy walks for thirty minutes, jogs in place for fifteen, does 100 sit-ups, 100 leg-lifts, and rides her stationary bike for one hour. Cindy is devoted. She follows this routine faithfully, seven days a week. Cindy eats no breakfast, skips lunch, and eats dinner only to satisfy her parents. Her goal is 110 pounds. To be accepted, to be attractive, and to be like everyone else, this is Cindy's idea of healthy. In today's society, the attention given to health is abundant. However, the information being sent is not "be healthy", rather, the message is "be thin". The attention given health today has failed to promote beneficial results; instead, this attention is causing many problems.
First, one crucial problem resulting from this mass attention given to health today is anorexia. Anorexia is an eating disorder that affects millions of people. One group that is affected by this eating problem is the youth.
English: Healthy eating pyramid similar to that of...
The Healthy Eating Pyramid, from the Harvard Schoo...
What scientists call "Overweight" changes with our...The youth are at risk because they are impressionable. Anorexia is not contagious; rather, the disorder occurs due to one's idea of his or her image. One sees herself as being overweight and will starve the body of food and will exercise until exhaustion. This image is often not a self-realization but an image created from television shows and magazine ads. The celebrities shown are this and attractive. The models have minute waists and thighs. Exercise equipment, low fat diets, and a blonde bombshell in a bikini go hand in hand. These are the health tips given. For a young girl this image is ideal, but this image is not realistic for everyone. Thus, the effects for this disease are severe. Headaches, stomach problems, weakness, and even death occurs from a mental picture of what one is supposed to be. Not only is the attention given to health...