Have you heard this message before?: "Americans are getting fatter, have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other debilitating diseases and health problems" "Children of this generation may be the first generation to have shorter life spans than their parents." Seems scary doesn't it? How are we reacting?

The first thing that happened was the federal and state governments got behind promotions to eat healthier and warn us about the dangers of unhealthy lifestyles. You have probably noticed the messages, "Eat five fruits and vegetables a day", "exercise three to four days a week for thirty minutes or more" School boards jumped on the band wagon as well and banned most junk food from vending machines and agreed that students should get more exercise and eat healthier. Even Hollywood got into the act with documentaries such as Fast Food Nation, and Super Size Me (both very good).

So what has our reaction been? Well, people are leaving the theaters with their children and taking them to Burger King for a treat. Sales of fast food are on the rise as the fast food companies spend millions adding little incentives such as jungle gyms for the kids and salad bars for everyone to look at. In the meantime they spend millions on television ads for their latest triple deck burger with extra bacon and cheese being devoured by some macho athlete. Only a wimp would order the small single patty burger. The educational ads are pretty much ignored. I wonder how many people react to the popular ad, "eat five fruits and vegetables a day" by saying "Hay honey, pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables when your at the market, forget the donuts and potato chips". The schools are at least recognizing the problem but I hate to tell them that the kids will just smuggle in the junk food or go off campus for it. As far as exercise goes they screwed that up when they dropped physical education as a requirement. Few elementary schools have certified physical education teachers, so many schools end up with a grab bag program. The two documentary films are very good and educational but too many people look at it like entertainment so it does not stick with them. The best analogy is our reaction to a deadly auto accident. As we drive by we see the dead and mutilated bodies and we immediately slow down and pay more attention to safe driving.

The big question is not so much listening to the health messages but applying them to our lifestyle. Why don't people have a more positive reaction to health information? Probably less than ten percent of the population exercises on a regular basis or eats fruits and vegetables. One reason is that many people do not think it will make a difference. If you think about it there are three factors that affect your chances of having a life threatening disease or death. They are genetics, chance, and lifestyle. The first two you have no control over. We all have genes that either protect us from disease or predispose us to disease. Chance is simply luck. As my friends say, "Frank you will probably get run over by a health food truck while jogging." These first two are the main reasons we resist lifestyle changes. We look at someone in their nineties who smokes and pays little attention to what they eat and we say "See it's all genetic, your either lucky or your not". Of course nothing could be farther from the truth but it gives us comfort that there is still hope without having to change. The thing we have to realize is that our lifestyle is the strongest factor of the three. An unhealthy lifestyle is the cause of 80% of death and disability in the United States. Genetics play an important role but a healthy lifestyle can override a predisposition to disease. Chance is just that, Luck! But it plays a very small role in the big picture. Simply look at the health care cost in America. It is out of control because more of us suffer from chronic illness that is the result of unhealthy lifestyles. Just from a monetary point of view imaging how much money you would save if you only needed preventive care. No medication, hospital stays, surgery, etc. Those outrageous premiums we pay cover the cost of those who lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

If you have ever gambled then you know that to place your bet on genetics and chance is a sucker bet. If you want to increase your odds of wining then place your bet on healthy living. Start to take a journey to a healthier life one step at a time. If you don't eat fruit start with one a day, walk rather than ride; eat less fast food, etc. Get the picture? Also, forget about living longer just think about a better quality of life for you and your family and enjoy the journey. I always say, "I want to die as young as I can at the oldest age possible."