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Ellman said the twin epidemics – diabetes and obesity – have experienced a surge over the past few years. 

Bleached white sugar is to blame, said Dana Cavalea, director of strength and conditioning for the New York Yankees.

“We have a lot of sugar addicts out there and that’s causing this elevation in overall body fat,” Cavalea said at his newly opened ML Strength Performance Center in downtown White Plains. “There are alternatives, like using things like Stevia to sweeten up, or even different kinds of rock sugars. Those should be moderated, because sugar is really the enemy to an extent.”

Sugar is the main culprit in mood swings that lead to binge eating.

Another culprit is culture and lifestyle.

“Obesity is a chronic condition where you have genetically susceptible individuals whose environment or sedentary lifestyle contributes to weight gain,” Ellman said. “You see a higher prevalence of obesity in low, economically depressed neighborhoods.”

Lack of safe access to parks or other forms of physical recreation, as well as grocery stores that don’t stock healthy fruits and vegetables are other contributors to the socioeconomic aspect of weight gain. 

Then again, “there are certain cultures where being overweight or obese is seen as an attractive or positive feature.”

In the U.S., we’ve witnessed lawmakers, restaurants and corporations adopt a healthier mien.

The state of New York made calorie-counts law. Last year, as part of federal health care reform, restaurant chains nationwide had to comply.

Consumers witnessed burger giant McDonald’s and other chains implement healthier alternatives, like fruit and oatmeal over fatty breakfast fare and apple slices over fries in Happy Meals.

“There is increasing awareness that we have a problem as a population,” Ellman said. “With this increased awareness, people are more educated about what’s healthy and what’s not, which increases the demand for healthy foods.” 

Steps to a better bod

• Why weight loss? Terry Ellman said, “The first thing you want to do is look at the reason why you want to lose weight. If you want to do it just for cosmetic reasons, it’s not enough.”
• Make it fun. Dana Cavalea said, “We try and drive a (workout) session with high-intensity music, elevated volume and the personality of our coaches to inspire members to bring energy.”
• Be part of something bigger. Cavalea said, “Our whole concept is based on a team. It’s based on training together … we’re looking to build out some Saturday and Sunday hikes, doing team-based hikes in Westchester and beyond (Fairfield, Hudson Valley). Our whole goal is really to inspire our members, which we call our ‘athletes.’ We really promote them to get involved with different kind of events, whether it be 5k for one person, 10k for another person, half-marathon, full marathon.”
• It’s not all in the genes. Ellman said, “Some individuals do have a genetic susceptibility to being obese, but you’re not doomed if your parents are obese. Obesity is multifactorial. Yes, genetics play a big role, but it’s also your lifestyle.”
• Strength and conditioning as fat burners. Cavalea said, “We do some work on the physioball. We also do a lot of work with what we call bridging, holding … and we also look at the core in terms of the glutes. They’re a part of the core as well, and the abdominals and the upper back, so all of that kind of works together.”