While growing up in Bosnia, Croatia, Austria and Germany, I always had a singular dream: to come to America- the land of freedom, opportunity, and John Wayne. America was breaking every single record in the world in terms of security, finances, democracy, freedom, and creativity. Everybody who knew me growing up was aware that I was obsessed with breaking records- so the US seemed like the perfect country for me.
My perception of the US breaking records was always in a positive light- the glory of the “Empire”. The US was a model of positive creativity for the world to follow, and still is, in many aspects. However, there is one aspect that concerns me greatly… I will open with this statement:
According to the Guinness Book of World Records 2014- North America (which the US is a majority of) is the continent with the highest concentration of human biomass. Of a global population of 7 billion, 6% live in North America, but comprise 34% of the total human biomass due to obesity. Asia has 61% of the populations but only 13% of the biomass. About 2200 lb. (1 tonne) of human biomass relates to approximately 12 adults in North America and 17 in Asia.
This is a record that I wish did not exist. Logic tells us that if we close our eyes and ignore it, the problem will only persist and grow. Albert Einstein also said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results”. We have already eliminated two possibilities on how to solve this problem- we cannot ignore it or repeat the same methods. As Americans, we are neither blind nor insane.
The publishing industry and the media could help by promoting quality books and methods on health and fitness that re-instill the belief in healthy lifestyle instead of continuously publishing and promoting books that promise everything in “30 days or less” and don’t achieve anything long term.
Corporations need to be encouraged to be even more proactive: Encouraging employees to live a healthier lifestyle outside of work is a behavior that will transfer into the workplace and make an excellent environment for all concerned! The corporate benefits in net profit will mirror the benefits to the employees in “health profit.”
With this being said, it becomes apparent that all the segments of society need to be re-awakened and re-educated in terms of what “truly” makes a population healthy. To achieve this, we need all the factors mentioned above to work in a synergetic manner to accomplish the greater good in terms of health and fitness on a national level. In the past, there were too many quick-fixes, like short-lived diets and “magic” weight-loss pills that didn’t work- the proof is in in 11% obesity rate increase over the past decade. With proper education in fitness and healthy nutrition- a.k.a. Healthy Lifestyle- we can change the significance of what health means to the United States citizens. The Health Fitness Revolution will change the public opinion towards long-term healthy lifestyle instead of short-lived trends and work towards helping America achieve a new record in health- a positive one that will be a model for the rest of the world.
