Obesity in America

The front page of the Denver Post this Friday morning had an article about the U.S. obesity epidemic that once again brings to our attention the need for a healthier lifestyle. Twenty years ago there wasn't a single state the had an obesity rate above 15%, and now every state is above that. That is a dramatic change over just one generation. The states with the highest obesity are mostly in the south. Mississippi leads the pack with 34.4% of the population being obese and Colorado is dead last at 19.8%, not something to be proud of either. One in five Coloradans is obese, not just overweight. I have to be candid here; when I am out and about it seems higher than that. The young kids I see that are overweight or obese makes me sad. In fact, one-third of children are obese or overweight. This generation of kids could have a shorter life span, because diabetes and hypertension are striking them much earlier. Parents make about 75% of the food decisions for children, so it is time to take action. And the solution for all of us is really quite simple-eat healthier and less, and exercise. Fast food and video games are killing us slowly. Be a great example to your kids and start living a healthier life. Be honest with yourself; look in the mirror and see if you like what you see. Is your medicine cabinet full of pills you have to take because of your lifestyle? I read a piece sometime ago that said that the top five drugs taken in America could be reduced by 80% if we would just start eating healthy and exercising. With the rising cost of healthcare, it is much cheaper to follow the healthy path. I don't know about you, but I would rather follow the healthy path than to ingest chemicals that have so many adverse side effects. So come on Colorado, lets get moving so that when the next study about this epidemic is done, we actually went the other way for a change. Let's take the path less traveled, and do it quickly!

And we whine about health care costs! We control more than we think.

I posted this on Facebook and had some people get offended that we don't have a right to ask them to change or eat different or exercise more.

The Viking wrote: I posted this on Facebook and had some people get offended that we don't have a right to ask them to change or eat different or exercise more.

No problem with me as long as they pay for their choices.

jmc wrote:

The Viking wrote: I posted this on Facebook and had some people get offended that we don't have a right to ask them to change or eat different or exercise more.

No problem with me as long as they pay for their choices.

Our healthcare system is paying for it and we then in turn are for the increase in cost of services and premiums.

The skyrocketing cost of health insurance is something that makes me get on my soap box. My wife and I pay for our own insurance, and have an $8000 deductible. We just received a letter stating that we will have a 25% increase on our policy. So about $600 a month just to have something we rarely use. I understand the whole insurance concept, but I have to admit, this did not make me happy. We both exercise daily, eat healthy, and imbibe very little. I have never been hospitalized, and rarely go to the doctors, except for allergies. Why should we have to pay such a steep price for being healthy and being pro-active in our health? I wonder if in the future we will all be held accountable for this and hopefully be rewarded for choosing a healthy lifestyle. We were given a remarkable machine; if you drove a Ferrari you wouldn't put crap in the gas tank, would you?

anytime wrote: The skyrocketing cost of health insurance is something that makes me get on my soap box. My wife and I pay for our own insurance, and have an $8000 deductible. We just received a letter stating that we will have a 25% increase on our policy. So about $600 a month just to have something we rarely use. I understand the whole insurance concept, but I have to admit, this did not make me happy. We both exercise daily, eat healthy, and imbibe very little. I have never been hospitalized, and rarely go to the doctors, except for allergies. Why should we have to pay such a steep price for being healthy and being pro-active in our health? I wonder if in the future we will all be held accountable for this and hopefully be rewarded for choosing a healthy lifestyle. We were given a remarkable machine; if you drove a Ferrari you wouldn't put crap in the gas tank, would you?

Agree 100% if you choose to adapt a risky lifestyle you should pay a higher premium. I even push this for skydivers, skiers ,etc. Pay like we used to for flight insurance.A fat eating tax would work for me, and I would happily pay it,since I like bacon.