At $144 Billion, the price tag on obesity-related medical care is nearly 80% higher than expenses for all types of cancer combined!

 Here’s a breakdown of the problem and a few practical solutions according to last week’s Obesity Conference held in Washington, DC:

1. Get back to whole foods by linking farmers to schools, senior centers and government cafeterias.
   
2. Get fresh produce into low income neighborhoods and make it affordable.
3. Restore gym classes to public schools.
   
4. Commit to walking and biking paths in more neighborhoods
   
5. Redirect healthcare money to Weight Loss, prevention, and health wellness.
   

The solution to America’s obesity problem appears to be prevention and health  / wellness education.  I believe that any potential weight problem that I personally would have had was nipped in the bud by Mr. Davis, my elementary school gym teacher.  He taught us how to enjoy being active.  In gym class we did everything from tether-ball to volleyball to learning coordination by square-dancing (It took me years to realize what he was up to with that!)  In gym class, Mr. Davis always had something interesting to teach us, whether it was a new exercise or game.

As a youth I also assimilated many good traits from my parents.  There were, of course, certain traits my parents had that I flat out rebelled against.  One such trait is their love for unhealthy foods.  Even though they are both now gone, I still learn from them.  

My father died of colon cancer when I was eleven.  At that age (eleven), I swore I would never end up like him, so I embraced a raw, organic food diet.  I don’t honestly stick to it 100% today, but I can say 90% of my diet contains fresh, whole foods.  Being a defiant youth, I even rebelled against my mother’s diet.  She later died of a matrix of diet-related ailments (and the resultant over-medication) attributed to her poor diet and lack of exercise (i.e. cardiovascular disease and diabetes).

Today, as a vibrant, youthful 49-year old, I’m thankful that I never learned nor modeled some of the things some youths today are learning and modeling from their parents and peers.  True, I’ve never had a weight problem, and I attribute that to my ability to independently think for myself and make good choices relative to diet and lifestyle.  The only health issue I have occurs when I watch television.  Yes, TV makes me sick!   But that’s beside the point.

For years I lived in a small Oregon town that was committed to keeping its bike trail and walking paths intact and safe.  In fact, I loved walking everywhere, enjoying the great outdoors while incurring zero auto expense.

In the above news report, Dr. Nancy discusses the 5 points I listed above as the U.S. Plan for Health.  The problem, she reveals, is that overall, no one (government wise) is stepping up to the plate to initiate these plans nationally.

Guess what!  You have to do it yourself!  You cannot rely on the government to keep you healthy.  Just try to do so and see what happens (Tell me where to send the flowers).

But please know this:  It is completely possible to get one’s life under control health-wise and bring things back into balance in a low-cost way.  It is usually a simple, gradual process to do so.  It shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg either.  Not doing anything may actually cost you a leg or two in all seriousness though.

I will offer to help anyone willing to make a change in their lives and will personally guarantee results.  But, you have to be serious about making a change.  If interested, use the contact form on this site to get in touch.  Thanks.