Getting fit, Staying Active

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Are we getting enough exercise? Do we know how much physical activity we should having getting every day, week? Many Americans do not know the answer to this and are not getting nearly enough exercise. Our obese and overweight population has been steadily on the rise especially in the last 30 years. How could one have not noticed the rise in healthcare and health insurance as well. Coincidence, think again. They are directly related to one another. It is a fact that in 1997, The World Health Organization declared obesity a global epidemic with major health implications (Stanton, 1999). We as Americans seem to be getting lazier by the day. If Americans could just put forth the effort to make a few changes in their daily routine, they could see major results. Being active can not only help us live happier, healthier lives; it can improve our work performances and help with our growing obesity problem. In doing this we will be essentially improving our economy. We owe it to ourselves to get the facts and improve our quality of life. Simply put, being active can help us live and maintain happier and healthier lives. Do not think that just walking from our cars to our office buildings is all it takes. It takes the right balance of eating healthy and exercising regularly to make our lives much more enjoyable. Studies show that people who are physically active and eat a well balanced diet have more energy, sleep better, and have much less stress (Southwest Utah Public Health Department, 2003). A growing number of people now believe that it is possible to be happy with their body weight, even if it happens to be overweight. That is wonderful, but they are missing the point. Sure they may be happy, but they are not helping themselves or the rest of the economy. Being overweight or obese not only has major health factors, but with those health factors comes higher insurance

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