Obesity.

Yeah, it’s that bad. I just read an article that really highlights just how bad it’s gotten, and clearly displays the fact that obesity is killing 2.6 million people each year, PREMATURELY.

According to this data, the problem is much, much, much worse than previously thought. In nearly every single industrialized country in this world, the obesity rates grow each year; guess who’s leading that charge, yep, US.

Bottom line, go check out both articles, one is here, and one is here. Read them, and get as scared as humanly possible, because maybe it’s gonna take being scared to make a change.

Out of the 12 million children suffering from obesity or being overweight, how many would you say love playing video games? I’d say probably quite a few, and I don’t think I’d be far off with that assessment. Based on that, would it be safe to say that it’d probably be wise to try out a software game that taught children the in’s and out’s out of healthy eating and living, rather than killing aliens or racing cars?

One company I just read about thinks so, and as such they developed the NoteNiks Healthy Eating & Exercise CD that will deliver 8 simple games with “cutting edge graphics,” that all teach kids how to distinguish healthy foods from junk, and how to stay physically active.

I think this is a great idea and I’m curious to see how it is received. After they play the games, make sure they put the knowledge to work, get them exercising everyday, at least 30 minutes per day. Come to Fit Express, we’ll help take some of the load off your shoulders!

With every day that goes by, we’re learning more and more about the fact that daily exercise does help heart failure patients. We know that it does, we’re just still trying to figure out exactly why it does.

A new study released in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology is finally giving us some answers as to why this occurs. According to the study,

“…aerobic training may produce these benefits by reversing the abnormal production of certain neurohormones that result in many of the severe symptoms of heart failure.”

Bottom line is, it works. I really do urge you to go read the full article to immerse yourself in the extremely medical jargon and full-reasoning; then come back to Fit Express and start your hydraulic resistance circuit training routine today! It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had heart problems or not, it’s never too early to prevent them!

We’ve had huge smear campaigns against tobacco, against underage drinking, and in my home state, there is a massive anti-meth campaign. What we don’t have, until now, is a huge “shock and awe” campaign against the obesity epidemic.

That is all going to change as a group of award winning high school students has goals of helping America slim down. Here’s how they plan on doing it…they want to create a “shock and awe” campaign that clearly highlights and demonstrates the consequences of becoming obese. They want to raise education on the topic, and make sure that people everywhere have access to knowledge. Also, they want to make physical activity and participating in sports at young ages mandatory in order to develop lifelong exercise habits.

Bottom line is, they are trying, and I couldn’t be happier. The future of our world is in the hands of the young, and it’s good to see some taking a vested interest in the state of things. Don’t forget about exercise kids, it’s the only way to truly fight the fat.

Man, who would have thought?! I never, ever, ever thought I’d be doing a post about popular rapper 50 Cent doing something to raise awareness to the growing obesity problem in our youth. Alas, here I am, doing a post about it.

50, will be hosting and judging a nationwide cooking competition that is aimed directly at curbing the already extremely unhealthy eating habits of high school students around this country. Hey, if you were a high school student that loved rap music, chances are good you’d eat whatever 50 Cent told you to eat. In that light, I applaud his efforts.

According to the press release,

“The competition is between student chefs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and the person who creates the most nutritious school cafeteria menu will win a $100,000 college scholarship.”

Right on 50 Cent. Keep up the good, albeit surprising, work!

I’ve done a few posts on this site aimed directly at women, and women’s health and health risks. Today, I found an article aimed directly at me, and the rest of the men in this world.

The article covers the top men’s health risks and explains how you can prevent each of them. The funny thing is they are nearly all extremely preventable, and the common thread that ties them all is that maintaining a healthy weight and exercising daily is one of the top ways to completely prevent them.

Here is a list of the top men’s health risks:

• Heart disease
• Cancer
• Accidents
• Stroke
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Diabetes
• Pneumonia
• Kidney disease
• Chronic liver disease

Visit the full article to read all about it, then come to Fit Express and get your 30 minutes a day of exercise out of the way!

Has the obesity problem in this country gotten bad enough that it should require actual legislation that forces our youth to exercise? Is the threat great enough that the government should start stepping into people’s personal lives and how or when their children should be performing physical activity? Many will probably say no. I say yes.

The number of children each year with obesity is continuously increasing and some states are feeling the pinch more than others. Tennessee is one of those states, and as such, a bill is being proposed that would require all young students to get 30 minutes of exercise, 3 days a week minimum. They believe it could help whip kids into shape and lower obesity rates; some teachers oppose it and say that more than demanding physical education, it will be demanding physical Activity.

I say, GOOD! Get those kids moving, and get them moving now!

It’s not a secret that marketing to young kids is a HUGE industry. By placing a simple plastic toy inside a happy meal at McDonald’s, you’re gonna sell a heck of a lot more happy meals. By offering 6 versions of those same toys, you’re most likely gonna sell 6 times that amount. It’s a big industry, with big repercussions.

As such, there is also an opposition. Many parents believe that if the toys were taken out of junk food, the incentive would go down and so too would obesity rates and the desire for the unhealthy foods by youth. They think the ban should extend further into TV and print.

Here’s my 2 cents. Yes, if the marketing was not there the desire might not be as strong. True. HOWEVER, the marketing that is going on is not holding a gun to your head FORCING you to go buy your kid 3 happy meal’s. It’s not threatening to fire you from your job, or take your kids away if you don’t buy the 4 boxes of Twinkies just to get a Spongebob Doll. It’s YOUR choice if you give into the marketing, it’s YOUR choice if you buy your kids unhealthy foods. Start making the right choices, regardless of what the marketing says.

I just read an article in which Dr. Tom Gross was interviewed and he had a very excellent point. He said when it comes to exercise, there are essentially two groups of people. First, there is the group that can not live without exercise, those that HAVE to run or lift everyday, it’s part of their routine, and it’s part of who they are.

The second group sees exercise as a chore, a mundane task that they’d rather not do, but know they should. These people see every OTHER thing as being more important and more of a priority than exercising.

Bottom line folks, exercise IS a chore, but it is a chore that needs to be done, every day, just like washing the dishes. Want to avoid Diabetes? Want to avoid Cancer? Want to avoid Alzheimer’s? Exercise. It’s a chore, but instead of clean dishes, you get longer life, and a clean bill of health. Do it.

I love reading articles that reinforce things I’ve been saying over, and over, and over again on this site. It makes me feel more “legit” and in a way, makes me feel good about what we’re doing here. I just found an article filled with not-so-shocking facts about how many problems daily exercise can ward off.

The article is extremely in depth and covers everything from Diabetes, to Cancer, to your brain, heart, bones, immune system, muscles, and heck even mental health. It’s beyond clear at this point that daily exercise is more than a recommendation, it’s more of a demand, an order, and a prescription.

Face it, with health risks what they are today, you really can not afford to NOT workout. The bottom line in the article is it takes 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise to reap the benefits. You can spare 30 minutes can’t you? Come to Fit Express, we’ll help you.