Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Today let’s remember all that our forefathers did for us and stood for. I have stated on so many occasions that this land was built through the blood, sweat and tears of our past generations. Because of their sacrifices we can enjoy what we do today. Because of them we are a free nation able to do and say what we want without suffering persecution or abuse of any kind. But I believe that we have truly forgotten many of the life lessons they have taught us and one of them is our physical health. Now, granted, in the 50’s cigarette smoking was a big thing. Many Americans died of this habit and if we knew then what we do now about the effects of smoking, I don’t believe that many of those who smoked would have taken up the habit. Alcohol consumption was also on the rise and we all know the effects that are associated with that. However let’s look past that and let me ask you a question. What was the biggest lesson that we should have learned from our forefathers that should last us many generations? Let me see if I can help you with this. Adults are eating bigger and heavier portions now, and as a result, obesity rates increased by 214 percent between 1950 and 2000. Two out of every three people in the U.S. were obese or overweight in 2010. 1950s Statistics From 1950 through 1960, 33 percent of U.S. adults were overweight and 9.7 percent were clinically obese, with body mass indexes above 30, according to doctor and author Jeffry Weiss. Obesity was not yet recognized as a disease in the 1950s and no statistics were gathered on extremely obese individuals with BMIs of 40 or greater and I believe this was because it wasn’t as prevalent as it is today and the study samples were very few and far between. 1961 Through 1979 By the 1960s, both men and women began to consume more food and reduce their activity. Obesity rates jumped to 11.3 percent by 1970 and an additional 3.1 percent by the end of the decade. America's eating and exercise habits began to trickle down to U.S. children, with 4 percent of children under the age of 11 registering as obese and 6.1 percent of preteens and teens considered obese by 1971. 1980 Through 1999 Through the 1980s and 1990s, obesity rates continued to climb. During the time period of 1988 through 1994, 23 percent of people in the U.S. were clinically obese and 56 percent were overweight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kept statistics on extremely obese individuals during this period for the first time and found that almost 3 percent of Americans had BMIs of 40 or more. Between 1991 and 1998, obesity statistics increased by 50 percent. Coincidentally, participation in high school gym classes -- once mandatory for all students -- had dropped to only 42 percent of students by 1991. Four states registered obesity prevalence rates above 15 percent that same year. Since 2000 By 2000, 30.5 percent of Americans, almost one-third, were obese. An additional 4.7 percent were severely obese. By this time our plate sizes increased from 9 inches to 12 inches to now a whopping 15 inches at some restaurants. We are eating 3 times the amount of food than back in the 50’s and doing a third of the exercise. By 2006, not a single state reported obesity prevalence at less than 10 percent and in 23 states; obesity prevalence was over 25 percent. An estimated one out of every three children is overweight. Only about one-third of adults get proper recommended exercise and 10 percent do not exercise at all. The biggest lesson we should have learned from those that have gone before us is their physical conditioning and their ability to understanding that their contribution to the overall gaol was very important to the strength of America. They did not wait for the “other guy” but put it upon themselves understanding that they needed to do their very best to make America strong. Today we wait for the “other guy” and not rely on our own abilities. We blame the “other guy” when things go wrong. But what we seem to forget is that we are the “other guy” and the strength of this country is on everyone back and is our responsibility to get to the next generation. Our biggest weakness is our inactivity and because of that we are more de-conditioned now than ever before. You will absolutely see this in this year’s Olympics. We will not be the same power house as we were just 30 years ago and that’s a shame. This memorial day, let’s take the example of our forefathers and show pride in what they were able to accomplish and who we are. Let’s give them the respect they deserve and get ourselves in better shape. In the past our strength was in our ability to stand strong and fight hard. Unfortunately, now it isn’t. However all does not have to be lost. Thru hard work we can get better and we should get better. Happy Memorial Day.