My Broken Heart
After explaining the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans in my previous #FitnessFriday blog post, I felt it appropriate to now go into greater detail about how today’s population measures up to these standards. As of 2013, there were 20 states with less than half of their populations achieving the recommended amount of aerobic activity per week (150 minutes moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes vigorous-intensity aerobic activity).
On the bright side, this means that a majority of states (30) did have at least half of their populations reaching this target. But is 50-55% of a state’s population reaching this goal really something to celebrate? I’m usually one to look at the glass half-full, but I find this to be a bit disheartening…
Percentages for strength training were much more dismal. Such a dagger to the heart! Only 13 states recorded a percentage of their population JUST 32 OR GREATER participating in muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week. DOES NO ONE LIKE TO HAVE FUN THESE DAYS?!
As if these numbers weren’t already bad enough, they take an even steeper decline when you look at the percentage of each state’s population meeting the recommended amounts of aerobic AND muscle-strengthening activity each week. Only 11 states were able to record a percentage of 23 or higher. The rest were below a simple 23%. Cue the tears.
While I know I can’t bring all these percentages to 100% on my own, I do feel a sense of responsibility to do everything in my power to raise them as much as possible! Along with my fellow fitness fanatics, I know that we can make a difference in America’s health forecast by motivating people to meet these Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (at a minimum 😊).
If you are ready to join me in taking personal responsibility for increasing these numbers by adding yourself to the headcount, contact me today about a personalized workout program designed to help you meet your specific goals!
- WHAT: This is a loaded bullet (point)! The MBM "Meal Manual" includes the following:
- Collection of healthy recipes offering suggestions for how to eat a balanced variety of delicious foods.
- Sample daily menus that illustrate how these recipes might fit into your daily dietary intake.
- "Smart Swaps": Lighter alternatives for traditionally less-healthy food favorites.
- "Restaurant Reviews": Reviews of menus from various dining establishments focused on which items are more beneficial to order in terms of nutritional value.
- WHY: Many of us find it easier to have explicit instruction guiding our dietary decisions (sample daily menus), yet appreciate variety in our meals (recipes). It is important not to completely give up some of your less-healthy favorite foods, but rather find a way to enjoy them in a healthier manner ("Smart Swaps"). Finally, life happens- we dine out! And that is a-okay. As long as we order wisely, dining out does not have to be a dietary disaster.
- HOW: Rather than sending out a one-time finished document, I have decided to house this information in a Google drive document to which you will receive a link upon purchase. This will enable you to receive updates to the document as they are added, such as new recipes, new "Restaurant Reviews", new "Smart Swaps", etc. The Google Drive app will allow you to access the google document from your phone from at anytime, allowing you to refer back to recipes while at the grocery store, "Restaurant Recommendations" while deciding on a dinner date, etc.