“The next time you read or hear about how Americans need to change their eating habits, remember this:
A great exercise program can make up for a poor diet, but a great diet can never make up for lack of exercise.”

If I see one more article or watch another news special about how Americans are so overweight due to fast food and all the other foods now available to them, I think I’ll be sick to my stomach from the stupidity alone.

I grew up in the 1970’s, and if my memory serves me correctly, there were fast food outlets, diners, TV dinners, donuts, desserts, and the same food available to me then as there is now, yet I’m hardly an overweight sloth. In addition, we had television, video games, and computers, albeit not to the extent we do now. The difference was that if we did go to a McDonald’s or Burger King, we went maybe once or twice a month and mainly because our parents were either too lazy to prepare dinner that evening or just plain exhausted. The other important factor as to why we did not gain weight was because I had a mother who wouldn’t let me in the house before dark and had to do work chores and remain active. I couldn’t manipulate my mother like 9/10 kids today are capable of doing, but that’s more a function of bad parenting.

Nevertheless, according to the “experts,” we and our children are over weight and unfit because of three main reasons: we only have fattening foods to choose from when hungry; technology is so advanced that we spend countless hours in front of computers and television sets and, we are not active enough.

Well, I’ve got some bad news for you, and then some more bad news. The bad news is that, yes, as a country, we are 20 pounds heavier today than 20 years ago. The other bad news is that, as a country, we are doing nothing to stop this epidemic aside from telling ourselves we need to make better eating choices and try and be more active.

Here are a few other statistics that add to the issue:

• Nearly 80 percent of our children are overweight and out of shape, yet just 20 percent of our nation’s schools have a mandated daily fitness period.
• The number of individuals who have joined a health club in the past 10 years has doubled.
• Only 10 percent of adults over 18 years of age exercise regularly (two to three days per week for one hour).
• As a country, we spend billions of dollars annually on weight-loss products, diets, exercise equipment, supplements, etc.
• The number-one killer in the U.S. today is inactivity.
• Insurance costs have reached billions of dollars due to low back pain and resulting absenteeism from work.
• Our elderly are becoming more and more immobile, causing them to lead even more sedentary and unproductive lives.

In short, we are lazy; we overeat; we don’t prioritize what is truly important to us in our lives; and we don’t have a clue as to the steps involved in making proper fitness a consistent part of our daily and hectic lifestyles.

Another thing I am tired of hearing about is our poor children and how we need to do something about their sorry state of condition and get them in better shape. How do we rationally expect our children possibly to be in shape when their parents are so out of shape? What do we expect from them?

There’s an expression that goes something like this: Before we can expect great things from others, we first need to expect greatness from our ourselves. I can just see a youngster having a guest speaker one day at school, specifically a fitness advocate the school has asked to come speak to them about the importance of daily exercise. The child returns home that evening and says, “Mommy, Daddy, I need to start exercising and taking better care of myself.” Hey, son, shut up and get me a beer and the potato chips.

We have it backwards. Before we can dream about getting our children in shape, we need to get ourselves in shape. Just as we teach them manners, good study habits, and social skills and hobbies, we must teach fitness by example. If we (the parents) don’t exercise and don’t spend quality active time with our kids, how can we expect them to develop these skills and be able to carry them over into adulthood?

The need for knowledge
A major part of the reason why we’re not fit is the fact that, as in any exact science in life, there is a process or precise protocol to follow. Without the knowledge or proper education of what it takes to become and stay fit, we are merely wasting our efforts in trying to better ourselves physically. Just as we educate the general population on drugs, alcohol, and AIDS and other diseases, we need to educate ourselves properly not merely on the benefits of regular and proper exercise, but, more importantly, the process as to what fitness is comprised of? All we ever see or read is that we need to be more active.

What does that mean?

By exercising properly and consistently, you will start to make small dietary changes and will be able to maintain this behavior. Starving yourself or “dieting” will not help develop the habit of exercising and will set a bad example for your children. Remember, just as it takes time to develop bad habits, it takes time to develop good ones as well. Just as we need to earn the right to be good at our jobs, we also need to earn the right to look and feel our best!