The bad news: 42% of us gained weight gain “due to Covid,” with the average gain a whopping 29 lbs., according to the American Psychological Association. (Read story here.) Probably due to a combination of being shut in, closed gyms, stress, depression, and home cooking.
The good news: Lots of people are doing something about it; business is surging at fitness facilities, and demand for home fitness equipment has exploded. (Read about home workout gyms here.)
Just about everything is tracked by somebody or other, so it should come as no surprise that you can see state-by-state obesity rankings right here.
Washington isn’t all that bad, relatively speaking; it ranks 10th best, in a tie with Montana, at 28.3%. But as an absolute value, that’s lousy. Colorado, which has the lowest obesity rate at 23.8%, is lousy, too. All the states have high obesity rates.
(Mississippi is worst, at 40.8%, and also has the lowest life expectancy in years. There’s probably a connection, because obesity leads to a host of other ills, including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.)
Florida’s health department says here, “Healthy eating and physical activity are keys to maintaining a healthy weight.” Nobody in Florida seems to be paying attention, because that state has a colossal obesity problem: “Currently, only 36% of Floridians are at healthy weight. One quarter are obese, and the rest are overweight.” (From previous link.) That means two-thirds of the freakin’ state is the F word we can’t say anymore.
I can relate. I had my own weight problem, which I partially overcame with diet and exercise. There are no shortcuts. I quit junk food entirely, lived on fish and salads, and went to the gym every day. Diligent workouts brought my weight down a lot. I still have more work to do.
You have to be persistent. Being lazy won’t get you there, nor will the beach (below). And remember what Benjamin Franklin said: “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.” Frankly, from the available portraits, it doesn’t look like the venerable Founding Father took his own advice.
