Inactivity—a National Crisis

Inactivity—a National Crisis

So much has been written about exercise and diet that millions of Americans are quite knowledgeable about these subjects and how they relate to healthy living. But how many people really act on this knowledge? Far too few. Americans are fat and frustrated. According to recent statistics, some 34 percent of the adults in this country are overweight and close to 20 percent are dangerously obese. At the same time, about half of them are trying to reduce. They’d better. In 1996, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a massive report that concluded, among other things, that inactivity kills about a quarter of a million Americans every year-far more than automobile accidents, shootings, and AIDS combined. The results of inactivity and obesity creep into many corners of our collective life. Ferry boats across . Washington State’s Puget Sound used to carry 250 passengers; these days, only 230 commuters can scrunch their posteriors onto each boat. Airlines are required to carry seat-belt extenders on every plane, and many are raising the tray tables to fit over passengers’ tubby tummies. Even toilet seats are getting bigger-by customer demand!
The national standard for public seating space used to be 18 inches. Now, some sports
stadiums and theaters are installing 24-inch seats. Isn’t it pathetic that the stands are full
of overweight people who fuel up on fatty foods and beers as they watch millionaire sports stars play games? People also sit in movie theaters and ingest buttered popcorn,humongous sodas, and brick-size boxes of candy as svelte, overpaid movie stars cavort onscreen. What is wrong with this picture? Everything.
We are not the only fat-afflicted society in the industrial world. According to Marks and Spencer, Britain’s biggest clothing retailer, the average Englishwoman is now a size 16 as compared to the average size of 12 in the 1950s. Women have steadily added inches to their waistlines and hips. The culprits? A more sedentary lifestyle and fast food—the same as in America.
Many studies have shown that exercise, in combination with a wholesome diet, is the only effective, permanent way to get weight under control—and to enjoy good health and a life of activity and fun. As the baby boom generation continues to bulge, so do the cases of high blood pressure, heart disease, and some kinds of cancer that have been statistically linked to obesity.
Boomer women also are coping with issues ranging from late-life pregnancy and menopause to the specter of osteoporosis. Doctor-sanctioned exercise is now known to be key to an easier pregnancy, quicker postpartum recuperation, milder menopause, and escape from osteoporosis. As life expectancy increases, the quality of life ought to keep up. Who wants to live a long but inactive and perhaps painful life full of restrictions and problems? People who are lean, fit, and flexible live longer and get more out of the long life they live.