Americans are still getting fatter.  Here are some eye-opening statistics about the health of American adults. About half of all adults get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Only 3% of Americans meet the definition of a healthy lifestyle: Have a healthy body fat percentage (less than 20% for men and less than 30% for women) Meet exercise recommendations Are non-smokers Score in the top 40% on the Harvard Healthy Eating Index   Obesity is not just an issue for your health.  Obesity as a nationwide issue impacts our ability to defend our nation and respond to crises. ... Read More

If there’s one thing that residents of Boulder do well, it’s keep in shape! Boulder has regularly been ranked by Gallup and Healthways as the fittest metropolitan region in the United States, with just 12.4% of its residents considered overweight. Gallup and Healthways have been measuring obesity rates across the country since 2008 through the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which surveys Americans’ self-reported height and weight to measure their Body Mass Index. In five of those six years, Boulder has taken the number one position for fitness (let’s just call 2009 a “cheat year”). On... Read More

It may not seem like a Colorado issue to talk about obesity but, make no mistake, our state is getting fatter, we just aren’t as fat the rest of the U.S. When my sister died of ovarian cancer 17 years ago, scientific research didn’t really make a connection between obesity and that particular cancer.  My sister was obese when she was diagnosed and I wondered if that wasn’t a contributing factor at least. A recent study conducted by an international team of researchers has identified eight additional types of cancer linked to excess weight and obesity: stomach, liver, gall bladder,... Read More