Staggering Statistics

Lately, I have been reading through some of the various Fitness magazines available at every grocery store checkout.  Some of the statistics they present are mind boggling.  Granted, I am not sure how accurate their sources are, but in most cases, if the data they are presenting is even half true, we, as humans, need to step back and evaluate what is going on with our health these days.  For example, one article I read stated “45 million Americans start a diet each year.”  But then I toggled over to a site I thought I could obtain some accurate data, the CDC and……  According to the CDC, over one-third of US adults (35.7%) are obese.  Factor in the % of overweight but not obese adults (33.3%) and you have a staggering 69% of the US population not at a normal weight.  Yet our grocery store aisles are overflowing with Healthy choice and lean cuisine meals.  Gym memberships are off the charts. Millions of people are starting diets every year!  So what is everyone doing wrong?

Honestly, I can only begin to guess.  First, I would fault all the “healthy food” we make available.  Lean cuisine is not healthy and either is “healthy choice.”  They have five days’ worth of sodium in one serving… okay, maybe not that bad, but close, haha.  We need to decide to stop eating out of cans and little plastic dishes with saran wrap.  Are we really that lazy these days that we cannot turn on the stove and steam some vegetables?  Also, one thing I learned from having a stress fracture is how important diet really is.  It is not beneficial to go to the gym for 2 hours and take a spinning class and some other high intensity cardio class, just to go home and eat three bowls of cereal.  You will not lose weight. 

Okay enough ranting about statistics, I need to figure out what I am making for dinner!

~ Savannah FitNut aka Morgan McNeal