Today’s Los Angeles Times carries a report out of the British medical journal The Lancet finding that lack of exercise kills roughly as many people as smoking does worldwide.
“If just a quarter of inactive adults got enough exercise, 1.3 million deaths could be prevented worldwide,” according to researchers. One of the several studies published in The Lancet's July 18 online edition indicates that 8 out of ten kids don’t receive sufficient exercise.
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How many more “evidence-based” findings of this nature do we have to endure before we move from research to application? This report should surprise no one.
We have been screaming about the near total failure of the general public to get off their butts and demand reasonable, cost-effective interventions. NO ONE, including CDC, HHS, NIH, state and federal departments of health and education, local PTAs or Boards of Education are lifting a finger. A few eyebrows slightly elevated and a public information campaign one in a while, but not much else. The only exception is the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sport & Nutrition, which labors under the weight of the public health bureaucracy.
Where are the health and physical education professional organizations? And how about park and recreation professionals? Why are public health official paid with public funds so slow to mount a serious assault on sedentary living? No fire in the belly that’s why.
Where’s the passion for a healthy nation? Why doesn’t the Chamber of Commerce take a stand? How about the Jaycees, Rotary, Kiwanis and Elks? This is everybody’s fight, and folks we are laying down on the job.
According to these figures, we lose more Americans to ass-sitting than all our wars combined. And remember, this report is about premature death and doesn’t even include morbidity data (those who survive and are living in unbelievable pain and suffering) and the related costs of chronic disease.
Be Active America is looking for some stand-up people who are sick and tired of Americans being sick and tired. Doesn’t matter what your background or education. What matters is that you care and want to raise hell about for a simple purpose: to change the status quo!
Pass the word: Da Coach is going to lay out a game plan that will work, if you work it! Need some volunteers...
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