Posts Tagged ‘obesity’
What’s the Value of Getting into Shape?
Thursday, February 24th, 2011
And we’re not just talking about the value to you personally. We’re talking about value to your community as well.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the estimated annual medical cost of cardiovascular disease or stroke is $209.3 billion; cancer is $60.9 billion; diabetes is $92 billion; obesity is $61 billion. That’s a total of $423.2 billion! What’s more, many of these diseases can be prevented by simply exercising and eating correctly.
Why is it that more people aren’t out there exercising and making sure they put nutritious food into their bodies? Of course, there are the vested interests – companies with vast quantities of money creating attractive advertising pieces to invoke desire for their (in truth) undesirable products. The last time I went to the cinema I was bombarded with maybe five highly entertaining and beautifully produced ads for a famous cola beverage, a product that dissolves teeth overnight and would probably make a good engine cleaner. What really happens when a person drinks a sugar-loaded soda? Their blood sugar peaks and then drops rapidly making them feel tired and listless, hardly a state for anyone to want to get out and exercise. They’re more likely to pick up another soda to get some more “pep”.
New Year’s Resolutions
Sunday, December 27th, 2009
Happy New Year!
The #1 New Year’s resolution is losing weight and everyone at Foothill Athletic Club is ready to help you meet your goals. Did you know that obese Americans make up almost a quarter of the U.S. population? Obesity is responsible for a $40 billion jump in annual medical spending and those that are obese spend on average $1,400 more than people of normal weight. Your taxes, which help pay for Medicare and Medicaid, go towards $600 and $230 per patient, respectively, to help pay for obese patients. Reports attribute this spike to treatment for obesity-related ailments such as diabetes and heart disease. The total annual medical costs related to obesity is now estimated at $147 and is increasing at neatly 9% per year. (more…)
