Who would you hire- A skinny person or obese - By: Jason Yun

Obesity and the workplace. Are you more likely to get hired if your skinny or average? Does it really matter. You better believe it. We all obesity leads to a bunch of physical problems, but what about when it comes to getting a new job or moving up at your current job?

In Ohio, my state, the obesity rate for the entire state for 2008 was around 28%. More then a quarter of the state is overweight. And let’s not beat around the bush with politically correct terminology either—Fat! More then a quarter of the state! But the overall average is about 1 in every 3 people for the entire United States.

What's the difference between obesity and being overweight. The info will be different depending on where you get your stats from. Overweight for women would mean that you are carrying 33% body fat or more, and for men 19% or more. And with regards to body fat there are age modifications. Apparently the older you get the higher your body fat percentage can be and still be considered in the same category as you were when you were younger, even though you are fatter. Ridiculous if you ask me.

Obesity on the other hand is when your body fat percentage is over 39% for women and 25% for men.

And then there is body mass index. Which for the general population is just fine, but for athletes and fitness buffs is all wrong. I would be considered overweight and close to obese with a body fat of around 10%-- see doesn’t work. But pretty much if your Body Mass Index (BMI) falls between 25-29.9 you are overweight, and if it is over 30 you are obese. There are BMI calculators all over the Internet that can help you find exactly what yours is.

But how does all that affect work performance? How does it affect life performance? The fact is it will reduce the quality of both. Being overweight, or worse obese, has tremendous impact on your entire body and life.

Heart disease is the number one problem associated with obesity. About 70% of all heart disease related cases are related to obesity. Then of course there is all the other problems that you have probably heard of: diabetes, certain types of cancers, stroke, blindness, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sexual problems, difficulty walking and breathing, joint pain, and many more.

Now that is quite an extensive list of ailments. Don’t you think that all those problems would lead to more doctor visits, more sick days. Lack of concentration is another problem. If someone has a list of problems to deal with and think about it is probable that their mind will be someplace else rather then on the job. Nutrition and your diet play a huge role in concentration level.

Which brings me to the reason the worker got to this point in the first place. Their diet and/or a lack of physical activity. It’s not hard to figure out: eat crap and don’t exercise you are bound to put on a few pounds. Unless you have a super fast metabolism it is pretty much unavoidable. Just how far they spiral into the overweight realm or even the obesity realm is really up to them.

Now again, diet does play a role in concentration level. There are certain foods that can boost brain function and concentration. Foods like blueberries, eggs, spinach, broccoli, tea, nuts, Omega-3 rich foods, and fish. Those are all very powerful foods not only for concentration but for general health as well. What are most employees eating for lunch or snacks at your workplace? And I’m not just talking the overweight ones, either. Most likely it’s something sugary, sweet, or fattening. Fast food is quite common.

Nutrition is just one part of it, although it is the most important part; the other is physical activity or exercise. In order to have the most powerful and productive workforce a company can have both of these things need to addressed either in the initial interview or by company wellness programs.

Let’s say you’re a hiring manager and you have two candidates interviewing for a job with the same credentials. One candidate is lean, thin and looks to be excellent shape, and the other is obese and can’t walk to your office without breathing heavy. Who are you going to hire? It is illegal to discriminate against a person for anything especially in the workplace. But do you think it doesn’t matter?

About the Author

Jason Yun is a certified personal trainer and sports nutritionist. He is the owner of Yun Fitness Bootcamps in Columbus, OH. His goal in life is to educate as many as he can about the right way to eat and exercise. To contact him to speak at your local club, or organization please call 614-432-9703 or email him at JYun@Yunbootcamps.com For more information about his fitness bootcamps and for a 2-week free trial go to http://www.yunfitnessbootcamps.com

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