Red Alert: a state of alert resulting from imminent danger. In this case, obesity and Type II Diabetes in both children and adults is the culprit.
Everything is bigger in Texas! Bigger roads, bigger cities, bigger distances, bigger storms, bigger opportunities, bigger food portions, and also bigger people. In a state that can offer so much positivity and opportunity to its residents, there needs to be more of a health awareness that focuses on the betterment of everyone, spanning from the young generation to the retired one.
Texas houses one of the most advanced and successful medical centers in the world, and we should be very proud of it. However, Texas needs to be more focused on preventing health issues by becoming a healthier and fitter state. By viewing healthy lifestyle as an opportunity to manage, control, or completely avoid 60-70% of known illnesses, Texas will become more proactive at ridding itself of obesity related health problems. It is disheartening that the biggest city in Texas, Houston, was also named the fattest city in America this year. In Houston alone, 36.2 percent of children aged 6 to 17 are overweight. Within this population, 19.2 percent of them are obese.
In the “Fattest Cities” ranking, Texas occupies 5 slots in the top 10, with Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and El Paso heading the list of shame. This is a major concern! Such an amazing state as Texas should be praised for giving a positive example to the rest of the U.S., not leading the pack in unhealthiness! 61% of Texans are overweight or obese, making it the 13th most overweight state in the U.S. with a frighteningly fast rate of increase; estimates claim that this number will increase to 70% by 2015. Another alarming concern is that 40% of children in Texas are also overweight or obese, a statistic that when dealt with sooner than later can yield amazing results.
Every year, the state of Texas spends roughly $5.7 billion on obesity-related chronic conditions, including hypertension, cancer, type II diabetes and back problems. If obesity levels continue to surge as projected, Texas will spend more than $23.2 billion on obesity-linked health care in 2018, averaging $1255 per adult. The good news is, if Texas’ obesity rate would begin to level off now, residents would spend 12% less on health care in 2018 than if obesity continues to grow as it is now. Imagine how much more money Texas and Texans can save if we start decreasing the obesity rate by becoming healthier!
According the USA Today and Bloomberg, over 50 million Americans don’t have health insurance. Of these 50 million, the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Texas leads the nation in uninsured, with 1 out of 4 Texans (6.1 million) lacking health insurance. One of the easiest ways to better manage this problem is by encouraging preventative care through healthy lifestyle such as physical fitness, healthy nutrition and mental balance.
What we hope for Texas, is a positive change in the unhealthy obesity pattern that has come to light, in order to give its residents an inspirational outlook when it comes to health. We should aim to transform the way Texas is viewed by the rest of America in terms of health and fitness, by making it one of the healthiest states! Through media, educational health and fitness programs, and enthusiastic reinforcement toward healthy lifestyle in general, Texans will begin to see the positive outcomes of working out and how becoming healthier is a life-changing journey that becomes contagious when shared. Anyone can become healthier and more aware of the health choices they make – the choice is yours.
With this being said, it becomes apparent that society need to be re-awakened and re-educated in terms of what “truly” makes a population healthy. To achieve this, we need all the facts mentioned above to work in a synergetic manner to accomplish the greater good in terms of health and fitness on a state-wide level. In the past, there were too many quick-fixes, like short-lived diets and “magic” weight-loss pills that didn’t work- the proof is in in 11% obesity rate increase over the past decade. With proper education in fitness and healthy nutrition- a.k.a. Healthy Lifestyle- we can change the significance of what health means to the Texan citizens. We need the Health and Fitness Revolution to change the public opinion towards long-term healthy lifestyle instead of short-lived trends- the choice is ours!
Houston and Texas have the most stable economy in the United States, and can easily become a leader in healthy lifestyle and preventative medicine. If any city and state can do it, it’s Houston and Texas! Health Fitness Revolution is proud to call Houston, Texas its heart and its home!
