Living in California, nearly all my life, I got used to many advantages other states don’t have. You can go to the beach and scuba dive or snorkle in the morning and in around two hours you can be in the mountains playing in the snow. California has beautiful hiking trails, biking lanes, roller skating at the beach, mountains to explore, all in a couple hours drive. Another trend you will notice in California is that there seems to be three to four fitness facilities in every town.
Many television and movie celebrities live in California, especially in the southern part of the state. We see them in stores, restaurants, shopping malls and at the beach. They are slim, physically fit and portray a wonderful lifestyle with their expensive cars and huge homes. When they aren’t making movies or appearing on a TV show, you see them promoting products for a better lifestyle. Many celebrities promote health foods, exercise equipment, fitness clubs, diet plans and tote the advantages of buying Gold.
You would think with all this promotion of exercise, eating healthier and fitness programs, for young and old, that Californians would be in great physical and mental shape. Oooh, now consider this scary fact: California has been ranked as the 41st fattest state in the United States.
The CDC’s Behavoiral Risk Factor Surveillance System data of 2005-2007, shows the golden state’s three-year average of obesity in the adult population was 23.1 percent. The fattest state was Mississippi at 31.6 percent and the thinnest state was Colorado at 18.4 percent.
And if you think it couldn’t get any worse, in 2007, 59 percent of adults in California were considered overweight or obese.
People feel discouraged as they age, many think they are getting old, when you can reverse the aging process with nutrition, exercise and good mental health. Baby boomers should be able to walk a flight of stairs without getting winded, you should be able to lift groceries out of your car, lift your children and grandchildren off the floor and carry them around. You should be able to run, walk, bicycle, go hiking in the mountains, lift weights and swing a baseball bat or play volleyball.
People today are living longer and they want to be active and they want to be healthier. Put a plan together today for yourself and stick with it. Start out with something small and build upon that exercise. You can begin with walking, bicycling, lifting weights and playing games with your family. If you’re having difficulty getting started, find someone who can inspire and encourage you to keep motivated. You must set goals for yourself. The reasons you should be working out are obvious to some but not all. I work out because of the love for my family, myself and the people around me. Something that I’ve noticed when working out with memebrs of my family is the unity we have together. We get to know each other a little better and at the same time many great memories occur. So, keep doing a little each day and stay off the couch.