A Dismal Health Report Card

Heads up: When it comes to our health and fitness habits, things are getting worse.

By Beth Howard
From Reader's Digest
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America may not be making the grade when it comes to healthy habits.
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A recent comparison of government health surveys (one set done between 1988 and 1994, and the other from 2001 to 2006) found that Americans ages 40 to 74 are getting heavier and less active and eating more junk, says study author Dana E. King, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "Trends in children and adolescents are going in the same direction," he says.

If we simply reverted to our 1988 habits, there would be 32,000 fewer heart attacks each year, Dr. King says. For more motivation to make a few simple changes, see the chart below.

How many of us … exercise 3 times a week?
Then: 53%
Now: 43%

Reason to reverse the trend: Men who exercise regularly slash their colon cancer risk by 25 percent; women cut breast cancer risk by about the same amount.

How many of us … are obese?
Then: 28%
Now: 36%

Reason to reverse the trend: For someone who's overweight, the risk of diabetes drops 58 percent for every 11 pounds lost.

How many of us … eat at least 5 servings of fruit and veggies daily?
Then: 42%
Now: 26%

Reason to reverse the trend: Eating more than five servings reduces the risk of stroke by 25 percent, compared with eating less than three servings daily.

Fit Fundamentals: How to Begin and Maintain an Exercise Program

From Reader's Digest - September 2009
 
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