Living A Healthy Lifestyle Body, Mind & Spirit Is “Weird”?

Americans have become more awash in unhealthy behaviors. Has their thought process also devolved and digressed so much that the majority disdain the minority who live a healthy lifestyle? nnWe are constantly hearing the most interesting infomercials on the radio. The marketers telling you about the new drug, rub, lotion, potion or program for “weight loss”.n We are a society crazed by the next "magic” that will melt away the unsightly lumps and bumps of body fat within days. n Has it become so impossible to simply live a healthy lifestyle and change lifestyle habits? Is it much too time consuming and slow to follow proper nutrition, physical exercise, proper sleep and time for meditation, to maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit? n The insatiable quest for immediate “weight loss” results has, one way or another, sooner or later, failed. Despite the myriads of reports and articles from credentialed health professionals, who, mind you, have the best interest of the general public at heart, advocating the proper way to get trim and toned and start living healthy, Americans continue listen to these salespeople, the diet-mongers, who only have the best interest of their bottom lines at heart!n Not so oddly enough, there are two populations who have emerged from this.n One is those who shell out big bucks to the weight loss mongers to get those “results-in-days” in order to rid themselves of body fat. n The other is those who take heed to the “proper path” for lifetime changes: the benefits of living healthy in all aspects of health and lifestyle for transforming themselves into fit & trim people.nBut, ironically enough, this second group probably hears it all the time, that their new way of living healthy is “weird”.n If it’s “weird” to eat healthy, exercise, get proper amounts of sleep, and generally engage in healthy habit-patterns, and avoid heart disease, diabetes, clogged arteries, strokes, etc., then opt for “weird”.nIt is truly amazing how distorted society’s thought process has become, when living life being healthy & trim - and continue to run circles around all those other folks who continually think that one chique diet cocktail after another is the next magic potion to melt away the body fat in a day - is “weird”!n It’s more than obvious that the "tasks" of good nutrition, adequate exercise and rest and generally living healthy are much too daunting for the majority of people. This is why there have always been a plethora of marketers to hawk these diet wares to the insatiable public. And they have always sold so well. n Yet, just stop for a minute. Stop and think. n For some strange reason, despite all these weight loss and health-in-a-pill “remedies” and “cures” , the nation's obesity and health statistics, as well as the chronic conditions and diseases that go along with them, have continued to skyrocket, right into crisis level epidemics.nnThe U S Surgeon General reports that approximately 40% of US adults use tobacco regularly and almost half of teens ages 13 - 19 smoke. nThe UCLA RAND Center found that smoking leads to a 21% rise in health care costs and 28% rise in medication costs (an average $230 per year) and that more than 430,000 die each year from smoking related illnesses. nThe USSG reports that about 65% of Americans are overweight to obese. n The Centers for Disease Control report that about 13% of US children ages 8 - 16 are overweight to obese; Less than 15% of US adults exercise 60 minutes or more a minimum of 3 times each week; Less than 10% of kids ages 8 - 18 exercise for 60 minutes or more 3 times a week; More than 300,000 people die each year from illnesses caused by or made worse by obesity, n The UCLA RAND Center found that obesity raises a person’s health care costs by 36% and medication costs by 77% (an average $395 per year) and they have 30% - 50% more chronic health problems. n According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U S spending for health care will top 3 trillion by 2010.n BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts reports that 57% of all illness & injury is a direct result of lifestyle. n World Health Organization: n U.S. citizens ranked 37 among 191 nations in ability to improve health. n Over 15% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product spent on correcting health problems. n Over 72% of all deaths in U.S. are the result of heart disease, lung disease, diabetes & degenerative diseases.n The very expensive U.S. drug-based system is NOT reducing the rate at which conditions become chronic and continue to plague the U.S.n Such chronic conditions are preventable for the most part and are primarily resulting from unhealthy practices.nn Personally, to continually engage in such behaviors that are harmful to your body, mind and spirit is, well, stupidity. And this level of stupidity is the epitome of “weird”! n n So, if living a healthy lifestyle – body, mind and spirit – is “weird”, I’ll opt for “weird”!n