National Strategy Needed To Fight Fat
Ok, so America is a large country with a large population. And it also has a lot of land area and a lot of people. The numbers presented in this article are simply unbelievable. I'm rather skinny and often have trouble gaining weight because of my metabolism and insanity (running). Maybe that is partly why I don't understand how people can let this be such a problem. I understand that some people can't help it (genetics, bones, etc), and there are people who try really hard, but come on (some) people! Ditch Mickey D's and walk to Subway. Or just be smarter. That works too. Or, like my dad says - running cures everything!
Apparently 30% of adults in Mississippi are obese. Yikes. The article goes on to say that Mississippi also is the state with the highest rates of adult hypertension and physical inactivity, is tied with DC for poverty, and is second in adult diabetes. Somehow I don't think some of these (I'm not too sure about the whole poverty issue there) are coincidence.
If I read this right, 60% of American adults in 32 of the 50 states are either overweight or obese... A little overweight is fine, but this number is WAY too high. This results in an increase in health care costs and work inefficiency (184 work days lost per 100 to 14 for healthy weight people).
The environment we live in sure doesn't help. Some places aren't conducive to exercise (think certain parts of inner cities where it's not safe to walk, etc). Fast food, soft drinks and junk food are quite prevalent. I don't really know if the government can do anything about it. I think it's more the person's choice - BUT - if people had more opportunities to choose healthier options, it seems like it sure wouldn't hurt.
On the other hand, if people start being all healthier, might that create an overpopulation problem?
In all seriousness, though, be healthy!
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