As I've been working with some colleagues on a healthy communinity initiative we've been talking a lot about the state of the health of Americans. With the statistics on obesity in this country, the lack of physical activity in our schools, the lack of healthy eating habits, and the resistance to change to a unhealthy behaviors, I don't think that the majority of Americans do value health. There is a focus on health care right now, but very little focus on health.
Health requires that the individual take control and make the right choices. Health is not always easy. Health requires we change our behavior. That we say 'no' to our children. That we say 'no' to ourselves. Let's spend a little less time finding ways for the government to take care of us and find ways to take care of ourselves. Get the family to take a walk tonight after dinner; limit computer time; take the dog for a walk - make one change to make you and your family more active. Find healthier ways to prepare your meals - use olive oil, switch to whole grain bread, add fresh vegetables [find your local farmer's market]. Make health a focus in your life. Help your children form those habits that will bring them a lifetime of health; not those habits that will continue them on the unhealthy path the majority of Americans are on.
